Cosmetology head tutorial

[Bascombe]

I mentioned on another thread about some of the cosmetology heads that I have acquired. There was a beauty school that went out of business where I live and I purchased a bunch of the heads for dirt cheap. Some of them even had nice hairdos, some not so much. I'll do a quick how-to here and then a more indepth one on my blog sometime.

My son wanted to help me make something really sick, so we found a pretty cosmetology head and went to work.

1. After designing our look, we began the demolition.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/004.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/007.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/012.jpg

[Bascombe]

2. We then cut the foam away and hollowed out half of the head

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/014.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/016.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/020.jpg

[debbie5]

Hahahhaaa!! I had NO IDEA what kinda stuff was IN them!! Schweet!

[Bascombe]

3. Next we found a foam skull left over from last halloween and fit it to the cosmetology head. Cutting, trimming, fitting and finally gluing with liquid nails.

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/022.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/024.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/025.jpg

[Bascombe]

4. And voila, the semi finished project. When I really finish it off, I'll cut off the base and paint her up with some blood, etc... but we didn't have time for that tonight. When I finish it, I'll put a pic in the showroom

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/028.jpg

[Allen H]

Very nice sir, I bet you make good use out of that.

[Bascombe]

I plan to carry it at our zombie walk :)

[debbie5]

I love the gross thickness of the skin.

[B Robinson]

very cool, great idea

[Pumpkin5]

:jol: That is fantastic! I love the whole concept of it, and that your son is right in there 'propping up the place', a true chip off the old block, heh? I just have one question for you....who is Mary Hamblin?:D

[Bascombe]

I'm pretty sure Mary Hamblin was the Beauty School student who left her head, either that or this is a really unfortunate tatoo :)

[Pumpkin5]

:jol: And wouldn't Mary be proud now to see what her head became? You should make up a story to go with the head and tell the folks that come to your haunt about poor Mary and her unfortunate demise.......You are a creative family, that is for sure. :D

[debbie5]

OMG! it's HER! you stole her head!!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1473596071

[Pumpkin5]

OMG! it's HER! you stole her head!!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1473596071

:jol:The lost head found....or...errrr....something like that.....:D

[Doc Doom]

Very cool! I have five brand new, never eve got close to scissors cosmo heads. I may have to try that if I can find the right size skull.

[Bascombe]

Doc, the heads are about 80 to 90% lifesize, kind of like the foam skulls at halloween. They are a near perfect fit.

My kid and I saved the hair and the face parts (I never throw any of that stuff away) and today we decided that she looked better to have the hair on the skull side. We'll put some of that back on and when we do, I'll post more pics.

[Doc Doom]

Thanks for the tip, where did you get your skull?

[Bascombe]

Doc, I think it was either Wal-Mart or K-Mart.

I have a friend at work who's kids call Wal-Mart, "Volde-Mart"

[Bascombe]

By the way, I went to one of the local beauty schools that wasn't shut down (at one time we had three beauty colleges here in this town of 30,000) and asked about used heads. They gave me a bag with about twenty of them. Of course, when you get them that way they are all usually bald because the last insult they have to face is the clippers. That's easily fixed with a wig though.

The girl I got them from said she usually donates the heads to the police department for target practice. That's just sick...:)

[beelce]

Very cool......good job

[Pumpkin5]

The girl I got them from said she usually donates the heads to the police department for target practice. That's just sick...:)

:jol: Would be great if you could get them with the bullet holes in them.....I guess I am sick....too. :D

[Bascombe]

Not the kind of guys to leave well enough alone, my son and I decided to add her scalp back on. After that, I sawed the base off, then hacked away at it to make it appear as if it had been chopped off with alot of strokes. Sick, I know. At some point I will paint it, then it will be really gross.

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/headpics002.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/headpics004.jpg
Yes, I am left handed and so's my son

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/headpics005.jpg

[Bascombe]

Ok, the next step on this cosmetology head:

Painting. Whenever I paint props that have foam as part of them I always seal it with a mastic to protect the foam and give a uniform surface to paint on. I have found several options that work, and I'm sure thin monster mud would work as well. I like a pre-packaged product called "Childers CP-10 poly-vicryl". This time I took some paper towels and masticked them in places to the skull to look like meat.

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead003.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead006.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead010.jpg

[Bascombe]

Next step, the base coat. For this I used acrylic paint, and mixed unbleached titanium and parchment colors. Then I took a fan brush and dragged burnt sienna around the meat areas. Then I took paynes gray and made a wash for the inside of the eye socket and the nose. I used a little thicker paynes gray for the cracks in the eye socket

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead014.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead020.jpg

[Bascombe]

I took the head to the spray booth and hit it with my three favorite colors. Design Master Glossy Wood Tone, October Brown and Cherry Wood Tone. I misted the glossy wood tone over the exposed skull area, the october brown in the eye socket and the nose, then I did the cherry wood tone on the meat and in the eye socket and nose.

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead027.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead029.jpg

[Bascombe]

Then it was time to paint the blood.

My blood mix in acrylic paint is: Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Umber, Dark Purple and Deep Cadmium Red. I stipple them all together, using more umber in places and more purple in others, but the alizarin crimson goes mostly all over. Finally the cadmium red goes on as a highlight. After that, I seal the blood with a gloss medium so it always looks fresh, then I spatter blood around the cuts with acrylic paint and a toothbrush. That's all there is to it. All in all, I had a great day.

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead033.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead035.jpg

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa360/GaryCBenson/halloween/halloweenhead2002.jpg

All done. I may take a flat medium inside the nose. That gloss is killing me.

[Joiseygal]

Bascomb you are sick and twisted and I love that! This is awesome and now I have no spare time for new props, but I look at this and feel like I have to tear my beauty store head in half and distort it! Excellent prop!

[trishaanne]

This is so cool! I have a few of these things in the garage someplace. I wish I had time to do something like this now. Great step by step pictures and tutorial also.

[Bascombe]

Joisey and Trishanne, I probably only have two or three hours into this thing, and that's generous. These go very quick if you have a good design going in. The biggest time hog is dry time from the glue/mastic/paint.

There's still a month and a half! Go for it!

[RoxyBlue]

Professional quality work there, Bascombe - wow!

[grimsley]

That looks sweet! reminds me of the misfits album cover for Die Die my darling. Hmmm going to have to make one just for the hell of it lol Thanks for the How to!

[Bascombe]

Ha! I just looked at that album cover. Too cool. Thanks Grimsley

[Pumpkin5]

:jol: Okay, Bascombe, very cool finish, the shiny nasal cavity doesn't even bother me that much...but what is the story you are going to tell to your patrons when they come to call? I like to know the story behind the madness. Really well done prop though, I love the whole look, design, and genius of the thing. Well done, you!!!:D (sorry...I was having a British moment from reading posts from folks across the pond)

[Bascombe]

Actually Pumpkin5, we're going to carry the heads in this year's zombie march, since all zombies can say is "brains" I won't have to come up with any story :)

[Dixie]

Oh gosh Bascombe, I really like this one - icky as could be!!!