Hair Punching Needle (Types): http://www.makeup-fx.com/punching.htm
Prep:
I started by punching hair into my failed mask. There are two types of hair I want to use on the face and so I experimented with directional hair types as well as with my handmade punching tool in order to minimise risk on my actual mask.
Making a handmade tool was a lot easier, and cheaper, hair punching needle types costing upwards of £60, and taking a long time to be shipped in (no current UK retailer). Achieved using a:
- normal needle
- Morton ACM handle (blade removed)
- Wire Cutters
- cheap (used) weave
- metal nail file
(Used) weave: this will be applied over the entire length of the eyelid, then trimmed and curled accordingly.
Individual Mink Hair (Eyelashes): These consume a lot more time, but for the minor details on the lashes bores, and surrounding cheek areas, they will work wonders as the smaller facial hairs.
Again, I am using the studio photo as a point of reference when adding hair to the cast, as well as the original Easy-Flow-120 cast which contains the real life hair patters of the model after the initial casting.
I decided in the end (after initial experimentation) to go with weave for the vast majority of hair punching in terms of the eyelashes and eyebrows. This is notably to conserve time, but in achieve a much more realistic hair pattern (in that you can apply the hair much more liberally, and sporadically into the gel).
My reasoning for using used hair in that its appearance is much more strongly that fresh bough hair. Furthermore, not only does it allow me to cut costs, but smells more lifelike than out of the packet hair.
The images below show my efforts over the course of an evening applying hair to the eyelashes. I will trim the hair all at the same time, so in the meantime the will have punched the eyelashes, eyebrows and cheek/upper lip hairs before making any efforts to tailor the hair. Following this I then hope to remain/darken some of the facial tones of the mask, before photographing the mask once again on Monday in time for my Research Catalogue Appt. on Thursday (19th) Morning.
What I enjoy about this method of hair punching is the easy with which you can apply the hair, from single strands of hair to 2-3 it gives the lashes good consistency, giving the cast a much more authentic feel. For the eyebrows I will follow the same method but are much more finer hair, as well as multiple different patters in the shape of the brow, I will employ the Crown Punch needle method in order to really flesh out the brow area. This is the same for the small facial hairs also.
Eyebrows:
When approaching the eyebrows I thought that it was important to test before to ensure as little damage to the main cast as possible. It was also useful in that I could work alongside Youtube video and test technique regarding directionality of hair,as well as the different type and functions of the different needle.
I decided to connote on with the Traditional Needle instead of fashioning my own Crown Punch Needle as I wanted there to be a realism to the hair thickness and directionality, this being easily achieved using the traditional needle. I worked with he same length hairs as I did for the eyelashes, making sure to work in the same directions as the natural hair of the brow grow. but also added some much needed texture (or fuzziness) to the brows, making them appear much more realistic than the sculpted brow man of us like to achieve.
Experimenting with direction
First Attempts on REAL CAST – Working with inner Brow
What really sped up the process of adding individual brow hairs was trimming the hairs before punching them into the cast. This enabled me to very quickly she the brow into the desired shape, allowing for a clear directionality of the hairs to be establishes. I refrained from trimming the hairs to any large degree as I did not want to over trim and make the eyebrow to sparse, requiring much more punching and re-punching then necessary. Working on the brows individually, this really allowed the face to take shape.
My aim was to fashion a natural, textural brow that shaped the eyelid area, complimenting the tones of blue and purples from my original painting session. If it is necessary I will employ some more painted, (and possibly make-up) to really define the brow.
An important part of the process in really feeling that I has fashioned a well shaped eyebrow was infilling the hairs with a mix of silicone pigments and make-up (Sleek). Like most brows, there is a make-up/pigment undertone to complement the tone of the hairs (unless the brows are naturally thicker and fuller). Therefore, after applying what I though to be enough hair to the brow area I applied the necessary pigments to have the brow, acting as a template for the secondary brow to be mapped out on the opposing side.
Brow 1 (right brows)
As well as adding pigmentation to the brow, I also lightly dusted the area with a powder, in order to mattify the pigmentation, and dust away any unwanted hairs.
At this point I also decided to trim the length of the lashes and tap them ti the surface of the mask. This was to stop them from becomming to tangled with the other hair I was using, as well as to allow me to better see the shape the face was taking.
With a make-up eyebrow pencil I also provisionally marked out the shape of the left brow.
From the casting, there were textural inconsistencies on the surface of the masked that aided me in shape and positioning the brow.
Adding the hairs (after the first brow was completed) make punching the second brow a much easier and quicker process. This brow allowed me a lot more freedom to be more experimental with the different directions of hair as I knew what to expect from its outcome. Working solely with my tweezers, hair cutting as my punching needle this was completed over the course of a couple hours and was made easier by working in conjunction with the outline of the prior eyebrow.
After adding the final touches to the brow, I then moved on to adding minor (unwanted) facial hairs that would truly make the mask come to life. This included freshly grown brow hairs (that trail underneath the desired brow shape), cheeky hair, upper lip hairs, ad any random hairs that were dominant in the initial Easy Flow-120 Cast. With this I had to properly secure away the eyelash hairs (which I had not yet cut), and clean the mask of loose hairs before adding any more facial hairs. There were applied all of the masks surface beefier being trimmed and some hair removed.
Original Easy-Flow 120 Cast
Mask Continued…
Upper Lip ‘Whiskers’ – pre-trimmed
After the necessary trimming, I then moved onto curling the eyelashes before trimming them in the necessary shape. Using both a curling iron and straighteners I worked on curling the eyelashes in a upward angle that would allow me to trim them and separate them using a dry mascara brush. In curling them what I was no going for were perfectly upturned eyelashes (that I feel would have looked fake), but instead multi-directional (semi-strait lakes) that really complimented the face. This was the main reason I did not use strip eyelashes to create the lash line, in that visually there appear to unified. Although my method too much longer I feel that it will benefit the final outcome when photographing.
Trimming
I decided to cu the hair individually. This I though would enable me to build up layers to the individual lashes, instead of clean cut that would appear fake. In doing this I could really balance out the individual lash hairs as well as adjust them if I make too short a cut by accident. this was very much a gradual process, the length of the ashes becoming gradually shorter with each repeated cutting.
First Cutting Session – In my opinion to ling, especially towards the inner eyelid, I will again cut the lashes down accordingly. I have also retained a decent length that it is possible for me to get more curl on the lashes also.
Second Cutting Session – Still I feel that more needs to be trimmed.
Parodying that I did beforehand, I worked on the opposing eyelid accordingly before deciding If there was cause to continue on trimming, or if I could move onto working with the directionality of the brows, liberally using clear mascara and a dry mascara brush
Finished Lashes
Re-Painting
As well as cleansing the face of any undated hairs after all the necessary hairs had been applied, I also thought that it is important to re-paitn certain aspects of the face in order for them to compliment the necessary additions I have made to this face. These were only minor alterations an included repainting the lips, adding purple/blue tones to the hollows of eyes, warn tone of brown under the lips, on the eyelids and upper lip, as well as adding rose tones to the checks. These were all sealed using icing sugar.
I also (rather cheekily) used highlighter on the surface of the ask to make it shimmer, something I feel would aid the cast when photographing in the studio. I have booked a session in the Photography Studio the following day and so I really want to maximize the flesh tones of the mask. The images I produce in this session will form a part of my Research Catalogue and form a vital aspect of my QR Codes.
