posted 03-02-2001 02:19 AM
The servers have been acting up lately - weird things do result sometimes.Derma wax is applied to the skin and sculpted with the fingers or sculpting tools. The softness and stickiness varies by brand. Many MU artists use spirt gum and even a bit of cotton on the skin before applying the wax to give it something more to anchor to.
The wax is usually quite sticky and takes some getting used to. You will have to coat your fingers and tools with petroleum jelly or cold cream to keep the wax from sticking to them. Eventually some wax will adhere anyway and you have to stop and clean them off - keep some paper towels handy. The standard technique is to start with a small blob, and add a number of other blobs to the area until eventually you've roughed out the shape you want, then go back in and refine the sculpting. You can blend the wax down into the surrounding skin so that the edges are quite invisible.
Derma wax doesn't hold greasepaint very well at all, so the standard procedure is to skin it over. You can use liquid latex and rubber mask grease paint on top of that, or you can use sealor. This is a liquid plastic sold expressly for the purpose of sealing derma wax for make up application. I have also used liquid plastic bald cap material with some success. Some people claim to have used PAX paint, but I haven't tried it myself.
Water based cake make ups work as a foundation to cover derma wax as well.
The thin edges often break up over time, depending on the softness and type of wax used. If shooting over long periods of time, expect some repair time. The wax can soften in high heat, and it will stay both soft and flexible. It doesn't rubberize in any way, so if an actor bangs or bumps a wax construction it will be damaged and need repair/reconstruction.
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Jeff F - Moderator
Magic and FX
Amazing the Masses
[This message has been edited by Jeff F (edited 03-05-2001).]
posted 02-28-2001 07:14 AM
