Practical 5: dirt and teeth

Products:

• Supra-Colour palette
• Moisturiser
• Fuller's Earth (and water)
• Kryolan Colour Sprays
• Kryolan Tooth Enamel (in black and 'nicotine' colours)
• Surgical Spirit

Equipment:

• Cotton buds
• Hair dryer

Health and Safety:

• Clean, tidy workspace
• Cover model over
• Only use a tiny bit of Surgical Spirit to avoid it being ingested
• Use sprays in a large, aired space and advise model to hold their breath while it is spraying
• Make sure to test hairdryer temperature on self first

Technique:

• To make the effect if dirty hands and nails, I mixed together some red, yellow and black Supra-Colour to make a muddy, brown shade. I then dabbed it on with my fingers, smudging it around and making sure to get into the creases to avoid white lines by bending the knuckles and fingers as I worked, and also into the nail beds and under the nails.I thought it looked effective and realistic. 

• I mixed Fuller's Earth with water to make a paste, and smeared it onto the skin with my fingers again, to create a messy, uneven appearance. Then I dried it with a warm hairdryer. I liked how it created a cracked, muddy texture when dry.

• I then used a black Kryolan colour spray and tested how different distances and pressure created different effects. Up close made a very strong, black, harsh colour - but when dabbed with a towel this colour broke up and the white beneath showed through, created an almost sooty/ashy effect. From further away the spray could be splattered or just a thin mist could be applied. 

• Finally, I created the look of missing/rotting teeth. I dried a tooth with a cotton bud so that the tooth enamel would stick better, and then I dipped a cotton bud into the tooth enamel and painted it onto the tooth, making sure to get to the edges and gums. To remove, I dipped a cotton bud in surgical spirit and gently wiped the product away. I didn't think this method looked very realistic, plus I found it difficult not to accidentally touch other teeth or the gums. I think using a mix of colours would be good to create a rotting look, however. 

Overall, I enjoyed this practical. Although not something I am likely to incorporate into my design, I thought the dirty/muddy hands looked realistic and I liked how the products created different effects. I think I would have to work with the tooth enamel again to practice if I wanted to create a more realistic look.