A girl that will scare the crap out of you (with her makeup)
Meet Gemma. The 13 year old schoolgirl from Australia. When you see her on her Instagram account, she’s just a normal teenage girl. But when you see the photos that she’s been posting for several months now, not only you’ll see her talent that she discovered at a very young age. You’ll probably see a future make up artist for The Walking Dead or some other great show. She’s a self taught makeup artist, and her works are scary, and disgusting . But there is plenty of make up behind that gore. Filmsane had the pleasure to talk to Gemma about her inspiration, process and future plans and it went something like this.
Let’s start from the beginning. When did you start doing this particular make up and was it always gory and scary style or did it transitioned from regular make up to this particular style?
Well I’ve always been interested in makeup, and I started wearing makeup at a pretty young age, but I became really interested in special effects makeup just after I turned 12 years old, around the time of Halloween.
What’s the inspiration for your work? Is it some movie, TV series or a person that you admire?
My inspiration for my work comes from a lot of places like other makeup artists on Instagram, movies and tv shows, but my biggest inspiration is probably a youtuber called Glam&Gore (Mykie), she’s what made me want to start doing special effects in the first place.
You’re just 13 years old and already a talented makeup artist. What does the future hold for you? Are you thinking making this gift into a profession?
I really have no idea what I’m planning to do in the future. Right now I think I’ll just see where my Instagram takes me, and continue doing makeup for the fun of it, not for fame. I think I’m too young to determine my entire future right now.
Since Filmsane is a film blog, what is your favorite film makeup that you’ve seen?
My favourite film makeup that I’ve seen is probably the special effects makeup done by Ve Neill, in movies like The Hunger Games and Pirates of the Caribbean. She is a really talented makeup artist and I love her work.
Tell me more about the process. Walk me through one of your make up gory looks. From the foundation right to the finished process. How long the entire process last and do you have help from someone?
Well every makeup look is completely different, so I’ll just run you through how to do a simple face wound. First I always start with doing my regular makeup which includes concealer, powder, bronzer, highlighter, eyebrows and mascara. If I’m doing a wound on my face I prefer to use sculpt gel because it’s more moveable and won’t just slide right off, so I’ll start by drawing out the shape of the wound using cream paints. Then I’ll use a makeup spatula to mix equal parts A & B of the sculpt gel together and apply it to my face along the lines I drew. Then I’ll cover my spatula with 99% alcohol and use to to smooth down the outside edges and blend them into my skin. Next, I’ll use some more sculpt gel to add texture to the inside of the wound. After all the gel has dried, I’ll powder it with a translucent powder to get rid of the shine. Then I’ll use alcohol activated paints to add some redness around the wound and on the inside, and use yellow and red cream paints on the inside of the wound. Finally, I’ll add some thick blood, and then some liquid fake blood, and then I’m done. This makeup would probably take about half an hour to an hour fully complete.
What about the materials? Tell me about the material that you use for one particular look?
The main materials I use are Ben Nye’s Nose and Scar Wax, Mould Life’s Sculpt Gel or Scotty’s Makeup Liquid Latex. They are all great products but it really depends on the makeup look that you’re doing and where on your face/body you’ll be applying it. For example, if you’re doing makeup on your cheek, you wouldn’t want to use Scar Wax because it wouldn’t blend properly or stick down very well on a surface thats very movable, whereas Scar Wax works very well on more solid surfaces like your wrist or the back of your hand.
Do you hope to someday work in the film industry? Or some other industry is more suitable for you? Maybe fashion industry?
I think that if I got to work in the film industry on makeup when I’m older I’d be incredibly lucky, and I’d probably love it. I’m not sure if that’s what industry I want to work in for certain yet, but I still have a long time to think about it.
Oh in the end… I’m guessing that you’re a star for Halloween, so what’s going to be your look for this year’s Halloween?
Well Halloween actually isn’t that big in Australia, so unless one of my friends throws a Halloween party, it’s unlikely that I’ll do anything. But I do expect I’ll be pretty busy doing other people’s makeup for things that they attend, so I’m looking forward to that.
Awesome blog! I like it a lot! Thanks and keep up the great work!
Awesome!!!!!!!
Yes, she is 😉