PROJECT FIVE: Martian #1

Dick smith's Martian make-up has a lot of little steps to it, but it's a pleasantly simple bit of makeup design, consisting of just three elements: A small rubber or ping pong ball for the eyes, a large rubber ball for the head, and some makeup for the face. But with these simple elements, Smith has designed a rather classic-looking space alien:



Let's start out by making the eyes, which are made in exactly the way the eyes were made for The Weird-Oh:

STEP ONE: Cut a rubber ball or ping pong ball in half

Dicks Smith actually suggests using plasic egg trays, like the sort you would take on a camping trip, but the one's Max and Courtney have found have not been suitable, so they have instead used a white rubber ball from a surplus store. Simply cut it in half.



STEP TWO: Shape the bisected ball

As it is, the ball halves won't fit your face very well. You will need to cut the sides off somewhat to fit the shape of your face. Trim the sides a little, then put them against your face, and then trim them some more until they are a good fit.



STEP THREE: Cut a small eye hole

Just use an Exacto Blade to cut a small hole in the center of each rubber ball half. Place them over your face to make sure that you are able to see through them. Be warned, thoug: Your vision will be severely constrained wearing these.



STEP FOUR: Paint the eyes

Max used ordinary tempra poster paints bought for a few dollars. Paint the whole thing white, and then use black to paint the pupils and the lightining bolt-shapes running along the sides of the eyes, while using red to paint the sunburst pattern around the pupil and the lines around the perimeter of the false eye. Spray with spray sealant or simply cover with Mod Podge to make sure the paints stay fast.



Now that we have made the eyes, let's let them dry while we create the giant martian head. This is an even simple process.

STEP FIVE: Cut a slit in a rubber ball

The ball should be a little larger than your head. Cut a slit large enough to stick your head into the ball.



STEP SIX: Trim the ball to fit your head

Just place the thing on your head and trim it down until you like it's size and shape. Make sure you cut out little slots for your ears!



STEP SEVEN: Apply makeup

Max and Courtney pretty much went with Dick Smith's original design, starting with a base coat of green greasepaint and then adding white greasepaint highlights. Use powder to set.





Finally, we used some black greasepaint for some of the details.



STEP EIGHT: Affix the eyes

You just glue them into place using spirit gum or liquid latex, then use your black greasepaint to paint circles around the eyes and arched eyebrows.



Now, with the alien head placed over Max's, and with the addition of a pink, Op art-patterned Nehru jacket, here is our completed Martian #1:



See the Martian in action!

technorati tags: martial, alien, spaceman, costume, makeup, dicksmith, horror, monster

posted by maxsparber @ 7:16 AM