Illness - Blotchy Skin, Dry Lips, Tears & Sweat

To create the illusion of illness you will need: 

- Supracolour (Kryolan) 

- Glycerin (Do not get in the eye!!)

-Individual eye drop files (individual files to avoid cross contamination, actors eyes get dry from the heat of the lights on set)

- A Papet (For mixing liquids, e.g blood) 

- Latex (Patch test required before use on the inside wrist)

-Duo (Creates a dry skin effect)

-Stipple Sponges (Used to create texture, broken veins, grazes and sweat)

-Fine Brush 

-Large Brush

-Baby Buds

- Red eye/lip pencil 

(Products can be found at Charles Fox/Screenface) 

One of the main things you will need to think about when creating the illusion of illness for film and TV, is what the actual illness is that they have. Once you know this, you can then research into it, discovering the nature of the illness, how it progresses, is a rash created? and the symptoms that will be visible on the skin. Here I will be explaining how to achieve sweating, blotchy skin and dry lips. I will also be giving a few tips on how to create tears. 

 Blotchy Skin, Tired eyes, Sweat and Tears: 

• Make sure the client has a clean face. Moisturise to create a base for the makeup. 
• Place a wrap around the clients neck to avoid any spillages onto the clothes. 
• Using the Supracolour palette, mix red, green and yellow to create a sepia brown colour. This will be used to create tired eyes. 
• With a light hand, get the client to look up and place the sepia colour under the eye up to the lash line. Use your fingers to blend it in to create a more authentic look. 
• Make sure to put colour on to the lid too, blending into the skin. Pull up the lid to get into the lashes.
• You may add a tiny hint of red under the eye. Avoid too much as this will create a black eyed look which you want to avoid. 
• To create the blotchy skin, mix the dark red and brighter red in the Supracolour palette; with your fingers blot the colour onto the skin. Place over the apple of the cheek, the forehead above eyebrows, bridge of the nose and onto the chin. 
• Build up the colour to increase the blotchy skin. The darker it is, the hotter the skin will look, creating a flushed effect. 
• Make sure to go over the ears and any other places that will be on show to the camera. 
• Break up the colour with a stipple sponge. 
• You can also add latex onto the blotchy skin and leave to dry. This will create a dry skin effect.
• To create sweat, dab some glycerin onto a stipple sponge and press onto the skin. Think about the areas that sweat when you are ill, this will help you to determine where to place the liquid. 
• Glycerin can also be used to create tears running down the face. DO NOT get this into the eyes!! Lean the clients head back, using a papet place a droplet just under the eye to run down the cheek. Also using a sponge, pull some under the eye to create a crying effect. 
• You can also use a tear stick from Kryolan to make the eye water. The stick is menthol based which makes the eye water. Just run this under the eye right before shooting. 
• The individual eye drops can be placed into the eye to create a crying effect. Make sure that your client is not wearing contact lenses and is not allergic to any of the products that you will be using. 

Dry Lips: 

• Using the Supracolour palette, add a blue colour to darken the lip. This needs to be subtle and not too blue. 
• Using your finger, dab some duo glue onto the lip. Avoid getting into the clients mouth. Build this up and leave to dry.  
• As the glue has a pungent smell it is best to apply last so that the model is not overwhelmed by the smell. 
• Rub with your finger to create the flaking effect. 
• Once the glue has flaked off, you can always add blood underneath to show cracked lips.