Tuesday, 5 June 2012

How to ..... create a piece of severed tattooed flesh!


Hello one and all, and welcome to another How to blog post.

This time I will be showing you how to make a gory piece of tattooed flesh out of transparent silicon.

This is a great item and a useful prop if you are wanting to do a gore/horror shoot of your own! 

To start you will need to get some medium chavant.  (This is basically a type of sculpting plasticine) you can get this from Alec Tiranti’s or any other good specialist art supplier.


Once you have softened your chavant, start to mould it into a jaggered flesh shape.  You can even use part of your own body to mould it on to pick up the skin texture.  This piece was moulded on my wrist!



Once you are happy with your shape and texture, using oil paints, start to mix up a flesh colour.  The key thing to remember here at this stage is DO NOT add in any white or black pigments, as this will ruin the transparency of the silicon.  That layer will come later.


The best way to mix up a Caucasian flesh colour is red, brown and yellow, adding slightly more brown to the mix to get a range of skin tones. Sometimes a small hint of blue or green gives it an added dimension, you just need to play around to get it right! To check the colour get some white spirit and mix a small amount of your mixed colour into it.  This should then give you an idea about what it will look like in the silicon.

Next we get out the silicon!  The stuff I have used is also from Alec Tiranti’s, and it’s transparent molding silicon with a mix ratio of 20 to 1.  It helps to have some disposable gloves, cups and a set of digital scales at this point as well as it gets very messy!



Weigh out the exact amount of silicon you think you need.  Use your artistic judgment here depending on the size of the piece you are making.


Once weighed out start to mix in the colour you created earlier, adding only a very small bit at a time and trying to avoid any bubbles in your work. Always remember to mix in your colours first then add your catalyst as the silicon will start reacting as soon as the catalyst has been added giving you less working time! (at this point i would hold some of the pre mixed colour without the catalyst in back for later)






Once you are happy with your colour, carefully paint a thin layer onto your chavant mold, and then allow to dry.  The drying time will vary depending on the amount of catalyst added and the room temperature.


Once it has dried you can then mix up a much smaller batch for the tattoo design.  My rough design is in black, blue and yellow, but you can take longer on it and choose what ever colours you like.  I also applied mine with a metal sculpting tool, however as I soon learnt, this was not the most accurate thing to use!





Once I had finished my design I then left it to dry.


When that layer had finally dried I then added the ‘flesh’ layer to my piece.  To do this I mixed up the rest of the transparent layer colour (the first colour mixed) in with some white.  I then added this to my silicon, and covered the whole back of the piece. I then left it to dry.





After it was dry I added the final ‘gore’ layer.  To do this I mixed up some red silicon and added some thixotrope to it.  Thixotrope is an additive that really thickens the silicon, creating some nice fleshy lumps.  I then painted on the red silicon over parts of the back.  I then mixed up some darker red and some browns to create more depth, and proceeded to smear it around the back of the piece.




Once dried I pealed it out of the mold and left it in a suitable place to try and scare my flat mate!



Once you have got the basics of the flesh silicon you can then start to make some more in depth body parts, like this hand and ear, both made up using a similar technique, only this time I used a mold of the original sculpt to create the final piece instead of just painting the silicon directly onto the chavant. 





Thanks for reading and i hope you have enjoyed it!

Please feel free to check out what else i have been making and selling at


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Sunday, 27 May 2012

How to.... Make a FIMO (polymer clay) rose



Hello there, and welcome to another how to blog post.  Today I am going to show you how to make a rose using FIMO. 

This technique can be used with all sorts of different materials such as clay, plasticine, paper and even icing sugar paste! (The stuff you can roll out flat!).

I only decided to use FIMO as an example, the same technique applies to all forms but in the case of the sugar past you might need to use a little water to adhere the rose petals together and with the paper you can use glue.

Right then, firstly you will need to get your self some FIMO (or above mentioned materials).  I have decided to use a very vibrant pink colour FIMO today, for no other reason than the fact that I like it!

Once you have selected your colour, (which you can buy on eBay for about £1.81, as well as any good art shop) you will need to make anything between 8 – 20 petal shapes, making sure the top edge is quite thin and delicate.  The more petals you have the bigger the rose will be!

Once you have your petals, take one and roll it in on itself as shown below.
This is your flower centre, so the tighter you roll it the smaller and more delicate it will be!


Then you will need to start layering up your rose petals.  To do this take one of your pre-cut petals and wrap it around the centre, making sure that it completely covers the ‘join’ mark of the centre petal, as shown below.


You will then need to wrap another petal around, but on the opposite side, so to give a bit of balance to your rose.  Always remember to keep the thin edge at the top!


Keep applying the layers in this way, using your artistic flare to make the rose grow in the way you want it to.  If you are making the rose out of paper, try to not glue near the top, as it will make the petals harder to bend into shape.

Once you are happy with the way your rose looks, you will probably need to trim of the bottom, as where you have created the layers it will go a little out of shape underneath.  Be careful when doing this, as you don’t want to damage your rose.  Once trimmed, gentle tweak the petals, creating ripples and giving the flower movement.

When you are happy with your rose place it into a pre heated oven at 110 degrees c for about 30 mins, however I have found that if you cook it a little longer (about 35 mins) OR at a slightly higher temp (140 degrees c) it is less likely to be brittle and break.

Now you have a beautiful rose that is nice and hard that you can use to decorate anything!!! And if you are feeling experimental why not try and attach a magnet on the back, or even a brooch pin to create a lovely decoration for your house of self!


Thanks for watching! 
and please feel free to check out what else i'm making and selling at


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Sunday, 20 May 2012

How to...... Enamel



Hello again and welcome to my ‘how to enamel’ blog.

Right then, firstly you need to have a good base to enamel on.  It has to withstand temperatures of over 1,000 degrees so the best metal for the job would be copper.

I’m going to be using a recycled copper piping, the stuff that you find in your house (not that you should go ripping up your house just for this ha ha).

Firstly you will need to cut the piping to the correct length.  I have used a metal tube cutter as this gives a nice even edge, but you can use a saw if you don’t have this lovely tool.  Once the correct length saw lengthways down the middle so to be able to bend it flat once it’s out of the kiln.


Next I am going to fire the copper tube in the kiln.  This makes the copper really pliable, so making it really easy to bend.  Once the copper is red hot, using some metal enamelling pliers, CAREFULLY remove it out of the kiln and submerge it into cold water.


Once it is out of the water you will find that the copper is very bendy and you will be able to flatten it out. The way I did this was by bending it out with my hands, then using a vice with aluminium plates to gently squash the copper in between the plates until flat.


Be warned though as the more you bend it the harder the copper will become.  If you bend it too much you might have to fire it again, and this will make it weaker!

Next you will want to drill you holes in your copper (this only applies if you want holes in it!!! I am popping holes in it to turn it into a necklace!)

Using a small vice and a pillar drill gently drill through your pre marked and punched holes.


You should now have your base!

The next step is enamelling.  You need to make sure your copper is clean and ready to accept the enamel.  Using a glass brush (a small brush made from fibreglass) scuff up the backside of your copper. 

Then, using a fine sieve, gently build up a layer of counter enamel (special backing enamel) over the back of your copper piece.



You want to make sure the layer is quite thick, may be about 2mm, although it helps to work out what is right for your kiln.

Once you have your enamel on your copper, using the metal enamelling tongs, carefully place the copper with counter enamel onto the wire grill in the kiln.  This will be very very very hot so please be so careful when doing this!!!



Watching through your small window, try and judge when the enamel powder has started to melt, the timings will be very different with each kiln.  With my kiln it happened at about 40 seconds.  You can tell when it is starting to go as the powder will go hard and then cracks will appear, shortly after this stage it will melt into one form.

Once melted, remove (again with the metal enamel tongs) and leave on a heatproof block to cool down, this again varies but should take about 10 mins.


Once cool you can repeat the process on the other side using your chosen enamel colours.


And now you have a lovely piece of enamelled copper!


A few useful hints and tips to remember:

  • Always enamel the back first with the counter enamel as this helps stop the front from pealing off.
  • If you don’t want the back to stick to the grill when you are firing the front with your enamel colour, you might want to erect a small platform for your work to balance on, using nails or other metal that can withstand the heat, but wont melt in the kiln.
  • Always use glove and the tongs when firing, it gets pretty hot and will burn your skin right off if you touch it at all! I should know as I did it a few times and it really really hurts!!!
  • If you want to get a bit fancy with your enamelling then you can always etch or silver solder a design into the copper first. (hopefully blogs to follow so keep you eyes pealed!)  Once you have etched your design then mix a small amount of de-ionised water into some glass powder to form a thick paste, and carefully paint on in the areas you want to ‘colour in’.  Pop it on top of the kiln to dry out for 5-10 mins, and then carefully put it into the kiln to fire! You don’t want to put it in while the glass paste is still wet because as the moisture evaporates in the kiln it can deform the nice neat pattern you have created!

Thanks for viewing and i hope you have enjoyed my post.

Please feel free to check out my shops for all other things i'm making and selling! 







Sunday, 13 May 2012

How to do bruise effect make up...




Hi there, in this blog post I'm going to show you how to create a TV realistic looking bruise suitable for any casualty effect, or even as part of a costume to freak out your friends and family! 

For this you will only need a Mehron Procolouring Bruise wheel, which you can buy online on eBay for about £10.  This bruise wheel should last your for ages and ages (all depending on how often you use it).


Ok so here goes, first select the hand/limb/face/body part you want to work on.  I have chosen my hand, as it is easier for me to apply the make-up to!


Then start by using the bright red colour. Start to apply with your finger in a dabbing effect where you want your bruise to go.  Really think about this, as a fresh bruise will just be bright red, but the older you get the colours change to a more green/yellow colour.  It might help to have some bruising reference so you get the look you want just right.



  
You don’t need to add a lot, in fact the lighter you dab it, the more realistic it will look.


Once you have your red centre where you want your bruise to start, then start adding in the other colours.  You will want to use the black and dark red in and around the bright red centre you have created.  Again use this sparingly as it will look too over the top other wise, and remember to always use a dabbing motion, NEVER RUB!



Once you are happy with the colouring, start to then add the yellow and the green around the edges of the of the red centre, occasionally dabbing into the red centre to give it some randomness!




Once you’re happy with the basic colouring and Bruise effect, gently blend out the yellow and green with your fingers so to make it look more realistic.



You should then have a bruise effect you are proud of!


For a facial bruise really think about how the person got it, so where the main red centre would be.  For example if I was punched in the eye area, the eye socket bone would take the force of the blow, so that would be the reddest part (due to the thinness of the skin) then the bruise would carry on out around it and under the eye.


Thanks for looking and I hope you have enjoyed this blog, Please feel free to check out my websites to see what exciting things I am currently making and selling!







Sunday, 6 May 2012

Make a Chain Mail Bracelet

How to Make a Chain Mail Bracelet...


Hello there and welcome to my first blog on how to.  Today i'm going to teach you how to make this awesome chain mail bracelet.






Firstly you will need the following tools and equipment:



  • Thin nose pliers
  • Wire cutters
  • 0.6 mm silver plated wire or artistic wire
  • Beads 
  • Approx 100 jump rings (I have used 10 mm but anything from 5 mm upwards is ok)
Just to give you a heads up, I have sourced most of these items off ebay for very reasonable prices.



The next stage is to open up your jump rings.  Remember to twist them open instead of pulling them apart as this will distort the ring.



Once opened you then want to pick up 2 jump rings and close them up.  Attach 4 more jump rings onto the original 2 and close them up.  Then attach a following 2 more onto the bottom of the 4 you have just attached.  Confused yet?!?! please use the pictures as reference to what i'm on about! 




This process maybe a little tricky so sometimes it may help to attach your original 2 jump rings onto a paper clip to give you something to hold onto.




Here is the really tricky part... Holding the top 2 jump rings in your fingers, gently separate the 4 rings into sets of 2.  To do this start by pushing your fingers in between the 4 rings from behind while pulling the 2 sets of 2 outwards.  Remember to keep a tight hold as you are doing this as it will fall undone very easily.  (again I hope the images will help you understand this better!)

Once you rings look like the picture above, push the bottom 2 rings up towards the top 2 rings, flip them over then pull them down into position again.  This should then create a criss cross effect.  This too is very unstable so try and keep hold of the rings as best you can! (if you are finding this a little tricky to understand, the picture below is how it should look in the centre. I suggest a bit of trial and error until you get it looking as it should!  Thats the best way to learn :0)  




Once you have your shape, attach 4 more jump rings onto the bottom 2 rings of your criss crossed shape.  You then add another 2 rings onto the 4 you have just attached!


Repeat the same process as before another time so you have a line of 4 central rings. (my image only shows 3 central rings because i'm lazy and didn't finish it!)
And you should get something that looks a bit like this!?!




The next step is adding the bead detail.  For this you will need about 1 inch of your 0.6 mm wire and your bead.




Start by making a small loop at one end of your wire using your pliers.  Don't fully close this yet as you will need it slightly open to thread it onto your jump rings.


Thread on your bead.




Now loop the other end like before, this time trying to get the loop as close to the bead as possible.  Do not fully close this end either for the same reasons as above.  You will probably need about 4 of these bead bits depending on the size of your wrists.




Now you can attach the bead bit onto one of the ends of the jump rings and close up the loop to fasten it tightly to the jump rings.




Make between 3 and 4 chain mail sections (all depending on the size of your wrists) using the bead bits to join them together.  Once all attached you will have a lovely bracelet that will look a little like this! 



I hope you have enjoyed my blog today and keep your eyes open for some future posts.


Please feel free to visit my Folksy and Mudpool shops to see what other exciting things i have been making to sell.


http://mudpool.co.uk/shops/zfarley1


http://folksy.com/shops/Zfarley1



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