How do you create old age makeup on a Black man?

Question

I am doing Makeup for a theatrical production of "The Full Monty".
I need to age an African American male about 30 years. He has dark chocolate colored skin. I asked this before and it got removed, I have no idea why, it's an innocent question. The show is in a large theater and we open in a week and a half so I need help asap. Thank you

Answer 1

Do you know how to do basic straight theatre makeup? Where you don't age the actor?

If so, then you already know about highlights and shadows. While the latex effects suggested by the poster above work well, they're also more time-consuming and expensive than simply doing the work with makeup.

Look in a mirror. Squinch your face up. See where the wrinkles happen? Typically these places are: horizontal lines across the forehead, crow's feet (2 or 3 fan-shaped lines from the outside corner of your eye, extending out about 1 cm), and dimples around the base of the nostrils and at the corners of the mouth. You actor may have others, but those are typically the first places our faces get wrinkly.

OK--so you know about highlights and shadows, right? If you've got a base that works well for this actor, just add a little white or light beige to it to make a highlight color. Add some black or the packaged "shadow" color to make him a shadow. If your makeup kit is designed for caucasians, you're going to have to mix the stuff you have with his base or it's going to look chalky and strange.

The shadow color goes directly onto the wrinkles. Again, have the actor squinch up his face and see where those wrinkles are going to be landing on his face in about 10 years! Use a fine, flat-edged brush for precision. After the shadows, add highlights directly above or inside the shadow lines. Blend the highlights and shadows together for a less-old look. Keep them more defined for an old-old look.

Also keep in mind that color tends to become more muted everywhere on the face as we age, so steer clear of rouge for this guy, and pick a lipcolor that tends towards peach or yellow or something else a bit sallow rather than pink.

Hair grey (available cheaply at costume and party stores) is also a fast way to age anyone. Just make sure you check the removal instructions--sometimes you have to have a special goop to get it out of your hair, sometimes it just shampoos away.

Have fun! Old age is fun to do, and it's amazing how just a little work in the makeup chair can translate well on stage.

Answer 2

Old Age Stage Makeup

Answer 3

First you can create wrinkles with liquid latex. Stretch the area of skin where you want wrinkles, apply the liquid, let it air dry and then let the skin fall back into place. The wrinkles will appear. With an eyeliner pencil you can deepen the shade of the wrinkles depending on how old you want him to look. Just remember for ever shadow there is a highlight.There are darker bases you can get to use for darker complections. Really there is no difference in creating old age for any skin colour, but the shades you use to accentuate the aging effect.

Answer 4

yah, its an innocent question. I have to do the same exact thing you are doing, except different play. You have to do more highlighting (involves the white and beige) due to the way light reflects off darker skin.

Answer 5

um 8 is WAY to young, i started wearing makeup when i was 13, but i didnt really where a lot, just some eyeliner and lip gloss.

Answer 6

try powder...maybe the translate ones over dark. When I was in drama they took a eyebrow pencle and traced the lines in my face...so maybe do that before the powder.