Some
of Lon Chaney's amazing make-up techniques from his silent films STILL
cannot be duplicated to this day! But modifications can be made by using
modern-day materials. For Chaney's Man In The Beaver
Hat character from "London After Midnight," Wally faithfully
recreates some of the techniques originally Chaney, but has modified a
few as well.
Wally
pins his hair up in pincurls,
so that the clips sewn into the
wig will have something to grab
on to once the wig is placed
on his head.
In
order to achieve the creepy, hollow-eyed stare Chaney's vampire character
became famous for, he placed a wire device (like a monocle) on his eyelids
to keep his eyes open in a deathly gaze. When the wires pressed into the
skin around his eyes, it created hollow sockets which added to the effect.
Instead of running the risk of eye injury, Wally pulls the lower lids
down and fastens them with a tape-like material called Blenderm. It has
more adhesive than regular tape, and has a clear, porous, skin-like texture.
The Blenderm is pre-cut into "U" shaped pieces that fit snugly
under Wally's eyes. The top 16th of an inch is adhered to the lower lid,
then the lid is pulled down to its maximum, and the lid is secured to
Wally's face with the remaining section of Blenderm.
Silicone adhesive is applied to the area on Wally's face where the putty appliance will attach. Likewise, the backside of the appliance is swabbed with adhesive as well. The adhesive is allowed a little time to get tacky. Then...
The appliance is attached, and the edges are blended into Wally's skin with a flat wooden blending stick. The edges are more finely blended using Art Anthony's Putty Melt, a solvent that melts the putty's edges to any degree you choose. After the ridges are attached and blended they're ready for the base.
When Wally does the make-up for a live event, a gray base is used to support the monochromatic look he desires. But since this make-up was being done for a black & white photo shoot, a pale-flesh base is used. The top half of his forehead is left alone, since the wig will have to be attached there.
After the base is sponged on, the hard to reach areas of the make-up are colored in with a small brush.
The entire base make-up is powdered.
After the make-up sets, the excess powder is brushed away with a powder brush.
in with a shade of gray.
The edges will be blended
into the pale-flesh base.
Other lines are painted on the face with the gray make-up and a fine brush.
These lines are blended out to create a shadowing effect. In this particular make-up process, the shading is done to a lesser degree, since the photographer's lighting will do a lot of the work during the photo shoot.
The dark eyebrows are pencilled in using an eyebrow pencil.
The wig is pulled on and snapped into place. The wig clips sewn into the inside of the wig are clamped into Wally's pincurls to insure a secure fit.
The lace front of the wig is secured to
Wally's forehead with a small amount
of matte adhesive, or spirit gum.
In order to hold his mouth into an unearthly, ghastly grin, Chaney fabricated his "London After Midnight" fangs with small wire cradles to keep his mouth stretched open. Wally's teeth were made in the same way, and are placed in his mouth. A set of lowers are added as well.
The costuming and lighting are added!
"Famous Monsters" photoshoot
See the entire character in BUILDING A CHARACTER!
