While a huge portion of horror art relies on atmospheric lighting and presentation, another huge portion relies heavily on the "EEeeww nasty, that's so freakin' cool" side of things. The best thing about a lot of the makeup work done by many horror photographers is that you can easily do-it-yourself. Sometimes a quick trip to the local costume store to get some latex or "scab blood" is all it takes. Sometimes all it takes is going into your kitchen to see what treasures you can find to use.

If you want to know how the following FX were achieved, scroll to the bottom for a list of resources or ask the artists themselves! You'll be amazed at how eager people are to share their ingenious tricks.


SLASHED, PUNCTURED, AND SLICED

Nothing makes people squirm in their chairs more than seeing delicate human flesh and limbs injured.
Oh, and blood.
Lots and lots of blood.
Can't get store bought blood? Not a problem.. do you have flour, water and red food coloring? Or better yet, corn syrup and red food coloring? How about we go Mr. Hitchock route and just use good ole fashioned chocolate syrup. If you can get your hands on any of these items, then you've got homemade fake blood!





FOR THE LOVE OF LATEX

Distorted skin peeling away in disgusting layers ... torn gashes in raw wounds ... the disfigurement of mutilated flesh ... Nothing works better than latex to achieve these effects.





CRACKED AND TORN

We all know that through skilled overlaying of textures in Photoshop, you can achieve some very impressive effects on the skin. But did you know that you could get the same (if sometimes not better) effects by using items you already have in your home?
These are the tools that were used in some of the below photos:
Raw egg with flour
White cake frosting, flour, and a dash of salt
Elmers glue
Paint
Beauty mud masque
Eyeshadow and regular makeup

...and, my personal favorite, for dirt and all sorts of nasty dried things: instant coffee





THE GRUESOME BEAUTY OF MAKEUP ARTISTS

How do the "pros" do it? If you are not faint of heart, take a look at some of these incredible (and sometimes horribly disturbing) creations from the makeup artists in the Traditional Art > Body Art > Make-up gallery on dA:




Resources

Feeling inspired? I sure as hell hope so!!
If you want to learn about techniques, special tools, tips, and tricks then please visit the Horror and Macabre Resource Guide for a complete list of articles and tutorials on special fx makeup. Or just read below for some highlight articles.

And please remember, always be safe regardless of what special fx makeup you use. Never put toxic items or chemicals near your eyes or near your mouth. We want you to create horror art, not live it.

Horror and Macabre Photography FX FAQ and Guide
Razor Blade Kisses Tutorial
Blood, boils, lipstick and latex.
The Nightmare Collection [Vol. 24 Sanguinary]


Let's think outside the box and dig through our kitchens and local costume stores... let's see just how creative you can get by using regular items. I promise, you'll never look at your kitchen the same way again.. it's a goldmine!!