photo project by Rebecca Burt
BLOOD RECIPES - thanks to Shock Theatre
I'm just going to give the basic formulas for these bloods. If
you want the full how-to and extra info, be sure to visit our
friend at Shock Theatre.
Dick Smith's
This is a fresh looking blood, and one of the most basic ever
used. Invented by make-up master Dick Smith.
1 c. White Corn Syrup
1 tbsp. Red Food Color
1 tsp. Yellow Food Color
1 tbsp. Water (this is optional, it makes the blood a little thinner)
Fix Blood
This recipe will make a thick blood that won't run off your actor,
etc.
1 Large Tube of "Close-up" Clear Red Toothpaste (or any other clear red brand)
1/2 oz. Red Food Color
Drinkable Blood
You can drink this stuff if you want, but it will turn your mouth
bright red for who-knows-how-long. I don't suggest using it too
often as new research shows that digesting too much of some dyes
may cause cancer.
1 Can Frozen White Grape Juice Concentrate (this is kinda hard
to find but you could try it with another light/white frozen juice)
2 tbsp. Red Food Color
1 tsp. Yellow Food Color
A BLOOD RECIPIE - thanks to Christopher
Brainerd
1 pint cornsyrup
1 oz. red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp. yellow
1/2 tsp. brown cake icing dye
1/2 tsp zinc oxide powder(from pharmacies)
1 oz. water
1 oz. Vodka
Put syrup in a container or bowl. Then put the zinc oixide
in a small cup. Add a little water and make a paste. Put the water
in another cup and the colors. add the zinc to the rest of the
syrup and mix well. Then add the colors and water and beat with
a spoon. Then add the vodka and beat the mixture together well(it
is advisable to put this in a container and shake well, then put
into another container). Put in a container(with a lid) and let
it sit over night. For drying effect heat the blood. When used
the alcohol will evaporate and as it cools it will dry quite a
bit like blood.
Note: We know not everybody visiting this site can legally purchase
vodka (under 21). You might try substituting denatured alcohol,
readily available in any drug store.
for pumping blood:
this is for blood that is to be pumped through tubing or when
a rapid flowing blood effect is needed. Figure out how much blood
you need. Now take a cup, and the blood formula above. Put some
blood in the cup, just a little less than the amount needed. Now
add a tiny bit of water and stir. Add a tiny bit more. Keep checking
the consistency to see if it is thin enough. To see how thin you
need it, experiment by pumping through tubing. Try first the consistency
that you think will work. If it's not thin enough, thin it out
more. Only add a little water at a time or it may become too thin.
ONce you get the conistency the first time, it should come naturally
A BLOOD TIP - thanks to Matt
At school (The Art Institute of Pittsburgh) one of my teachers
(John Cherevka) noticed that the red food coloring today has a
lot of yellow already in it. He found that you have to be careful
not to put too much yellow in it or the blood will look too orange.
He also found that if you add blue or green food coloring you
can make different shades of blood, what he calls vein and artery
blood.
A BLOOD TIP - thanks to Trina
If you add peanut butter to the karo syrup mixture it will add
some thickness, it will stay on the actor better and the oil in
it can prevent the dye (of the food coloring) from staining the
skin. The best part is that this method keeps the blood edible!
Mmmm!
Making Cream Make-up - thanks
to Ginger
Your own cream make-up can be made out of kitchen substances!
Although it is of poor quality, it can be quite helpful if you
can't get ahold of the factory made kind.
Blend one part cornstarch and two parts shortening add food coloring
to make appropriate color. Be very careful if too much food coloring
is added it will stain skin.
If skin does become stained, make a paste out of baking soda and
gently scrub the area. This will help lighten the color, and in
some cases remove it all together.
SCABS - thanks to Rebecca Burt
You can make some good scabs by using half and half water and
unflavored gelatin. Just smear the stuff on your area, but work
quickly because it hardens really fast and won't stick anymore.
It comes out crumbly, and scab-like, some will flake off while
you work color onto it, but it'll wash right out of your brushes
with warn water.
You can also mold gelatin if you use the same mixture but heat
it until it melts. Don't let it boil though, because then you'll
have bubbles in the final product. Gelatin turns out very rubbery
and flexible, but it's only good for a short term use because
it hardens when it dries and molds if you try to keep it wet.
You can speed up the drying of scabs using a hair dryer, and molds
by sticking them in the fridge. Gelatin will melt in the hot sun
or if you mess up you can melt it back down and try again.
FLESH
Mix together equal parts of flour and corn starch, then add glue and mix until you get a doughy substance. It shouldn't be wet or sticky, just like a lump of dough that's kind of rubbery. You can roll this dough out, how ever thick you want it, to end up with a 'skin'. As this stuff dries you can bend it and the surface will crack and look more realistic. After a couple of hours it dries hard (and shrinks a little bit) but looks the same, then you can paint it with normal paint. Try it out by making a small amount and playing with it.
