Latex Prosthetics - Painting?

Fynwei

Squire
It drives me nuts that my ears (for my MWE) are not matched to my skin tone. Should I just use makeup to match or is should I paint them? I also just got my prosthetic for my chipmunk, and am wondering if I should just makeup it or if I should paint it. Any suggestions?
 
Make-up works, but might smudge. I have used craft paints for many prosthetics and for my Sarr ears. When Lyonshel opens for business again (I think they may have already) you can get the paint they use for their cat masks. It dries a bit sticky so you have to put a little powder on it after it dries.
 
I don't think they're open for business again. If they are, i will be hyped.

Just be careful with acrylics. Sometimes they don't dry properly. Me, I just use stage make-up and reapply as necesary.
 
I have had a couple of instances where the latex items have decayed due to the use of makeup - but this may have just been a couple of bad pieces that I made. I rarely use the same latex prosthectics over a year.
 
I was going to ask about painting things myself. Is it hard or easy to paint prosthetics?
 
It isn't horribly difficult. I use makeup myself, mostly because I'm going to use it to blend the edges anyway, and it's much easier to match my red-orange for Shin with the same makeup I'm going to paint on me. :D
 
So if I wanted ears I should probably use the prosthetic ones and not the cheap costume store "spock" ears that just fit over? Those always fall off anyway.
 
TieflingRogue said:
So if I wanted ears I should probably use the prosthetic ones and not the cheap costume store "spock" ears that just fit over? Those always fall off anyway.

Actually most of us do use the Woochie ears that are available in stores come Halloween time. Spirit gum or liquid latex will keep them on, and you can use either foundation makeup to match your skin tone, or light coats of flesh toned paint to make them match.

There are some other brands that are smaller and only add the tip, as opposed to the Woochie or some other brands that anchor at the base of the ear. These smaller ones are far more apt to fall off, bend over, or otherwise just plain not look right. Decent ears should have adhesion points along the rim of the earlobe (like where you'd put an ear cuff) and near the top of the ear along the hairline.

As an aside, I know of several elves who also use ear cuffs. It helps hold the ear on and hides the seam where the latex meets your own ear.
 
I got my elf ears from here http://www.aradanicostumes.com/elfears.php
they have a bunch of difrent sizes there prices are cheap and you can get them in a few diffrent shades!
I have used my set a bunch of times and other then one person saying I have babby elf ears people think they look great

hope that helps

FW
 
I've had good luck with the woochie ears in the past. I'm planning to modify a pair to make ears for my Panda Scavenger...unfortunately, it won't be in time for the event starting tonight...which is too bad.

Painting prosthetics isn't really too difficult. You can do it by hand, which gives kind of a fur texture appearance, or by airbrush, which gives it a smooth, even appearance. I touch up mine with makeup after I apply it so that the edges blend a little better...and with enough barrier spray, the make-up may as well be paint!
 
I love Woochie ears, but it depends on your preference regarding prosthetics and/or designs. You can still 'paint' Woochie ears, but I wouldn't; I'd just use Mehron or Ben Nye make-up to color them.
 
Telokh_Amdo said:
Make-up works, but might smudge. I have used craft paints for many prosthetics and for my Sarr ears. When Lyonshel opens for business again (I think they may have already) you can get the paint they use for their cat masks. It dries a bit sticky so you have to put a little powder on it after it dries.

Water based makeup can be set to an extent with hairspray or a fixing spray. A few passes over the dry painted ears, let them dry and they should be be somewhat smudge-resistant. For Oil based makeup, try using translucent powder (or regular talcum powder).
LarPAX is simply Rick's own brand/mix of PAX paint. PAX paint is a mixture of 1:1 of Pros-Aid adhesive and Acrylic paint, thinned with water. There's regular Pros-Aid and then no-tack Pros-Aid 2. There are also knockoff versions available like Pro Adhesive.
(Pros-aid being a stronger adhesive for latex prosthetics than what spirit gum or liquid latex would hold, plus it has no fumes or bad smells)

markusdark said:
I have had a couple of instances where the latex items have decayed due to the use of makeup - but this may have just been a couple of bad pieces that I made. I rarely use the same latex prosthectics over a year.

I've found that oil based makeup can make prosthetics deteriorate.
(There's a reason why there'e a warning to not use vaseline/oil-based lubricant with condoms)
Oil-based items like vaseline, or in this case makeup, can eat away at the latex. Use water-based makeup to extend the life of prosthetics.

When working on a production of Alice in Wonderland, I used a clown white (oil based) for the actor playing the white rabbit, the other actors I used water based Kryolan aquacolors for the makeup. The white rabbit went through 3 copies of his nose over the show's run while the others only went through 1 copy.

If the prosthetic was feeling brittle or lost its strength and tears easily or stretches and doesn't stretch back to its original shape, then that could be the source.

Leaving /storing latex prosthetics somewhere where they're in direct sunlight for several hours a day for a long period of weeks/months can deteriorate the latex. Latex hates UV rays. It's like when you leave a rubber band on something and leave it in a window for months and then one day the elastic band breaks.
If your prosthetic turned gooey/mushy or feels crumbly/brittle, then this could be what happened.
 
Fynwei said:
By the way, SuperJay... I got my chipmunk mask from NorthfurFX. Love it, will be posting a picture fully made up soon.

I just ordered a new fox appliance from them as well. I'll have to get a before/after pic up after the next game I make it to.
 
jnelson said:
I've had good luck with the woochie ears in the past. I'm planning to modify a pair to make ears for my Panda Scavenger.

Panda ears are basically rounded. I believe Woochie makes an Ape ear prosthetic. I was going to use those for a Rat scavvy I was planning years ago and never played. Those ears might work well for your Panda, without much modification.
 
Didn't know that woochie made rounded ears. I was basically going to trip the tips, add some wire, and glue some of that faux fur cloth over the top...ears that are rounded to begin with would definately be easier.

Thanks, Mike. :)
 
I've had luck mixing acrylic paint from the craft store with liquid latex and then painting my ears with that. I use more latex than paint. The only problem I've found is that it makes the ears a little thicker. I've done my dark elf ears like that and they've lasted for years. Keep in mind that when wet, the true color is not seen because wet latex is not clear, but dry latex is relatively clear. For instance, the wet mixture for my dark elf ears was a dark grey, but then dried to black.

Your mileage may vary.

Scott
 
I have painted multiple masks with Mehron cream makeup as well as the mehron liquid makeup. both have held up well. I have also done this to the aradani ears as well as woochie ears. I have also used regular airbrush paint directly to a hotfoam mask (which lasted the event and beyond, but the latex paint has eventually peeled off.) I've also used liquid foundation on regular ears

From my experience of various masks, I have found Mehron to be the most reliable. (I really should just by stock in SuperJay's company with the amount of money spent. 3 tails, 5 beast masks, 1 fox nose, 1 cat nose, 1 bull face all hot foam..and counting ;))

I've found multiple layers, and then just making sure they dry has been the easiest thing to do.

-Ali "I play prosthetic makeup PCs/NPCs" Monstermaker :)
 
Dude, Ali -- which cat nose do you have? The smaller one or the larger one -- and is it in hot foam? I've been trying to get a review on that lately.
 
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