Books & Reviews: A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup: Conceptual Creations by Japanese Makeup Artists

I received A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup... as a present last year and I'm very grateful!

Acclaimed as the best book ever published on the subject, A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup covers everything from basic facial makeup styles, simple scars and gashes, to masks, molds and cast-making; everything you need to know to create vampires, zombies and other fantastical characters.  

Featuring step-by-step instructions, with hundreds of color photos, from makeup artist professionals who have worked on films such as Alien vs Predator and Land of the Dead. 

Whether you are a beginner preparing for a Halloween party, or a cosplayer interested in learning more complex techniques, this is the definitive guide.

"Cattleya" by Manabu Namikawa
Photo: Takuyuki Saito; Model: Marie
Beauty Make-up: Keizo

The first thing that hits you when you begin the book is the well-lit, absolutely stunning photographs of each make-up piece. They really give a sense of just how impressive these looks would be in person, as well as showing enough close-ups to see all the details.

"FBI Agent from Hell" by TOMO

It might seem doubtful that there are "hundreds of color photos" included in this collection, but once you reach the first project tutorial page, it becomes a lot more plausible. Every look shown also has a step-by-step tutorial, complete with concept drawings/ideas, tools needed, application techniques and, except in the case of full-face masks, photographs of the models before, after, and during the transformation process.

"Vampire Queen" by Akiteru Nakada & M.E.U.

There are four chapters in the book: 01: Basic Makeup and Cuts, Gashes & Scars; 02: Masks; 03: Making Molds; 04: Practical Application. In addition to providing how-to guides for the nine looks featured at the beginning of the book, there are also various guides for smaller, less time-consuming/complicated projects throughout. The projects include everything from basic beauty makeup and facial lacerations to accessory sculpting and mold making, all of which are very clear and easy to understand. There's also a "Special Effects Makeup Glossary" included at the end, which means that even complete novices will have no trouble understanding the terminology.

When the photographs finish, there is then an insightful interview with professional SFX makeup artist Yuuchi Matsui (Ringu, Ichi the Killer, The Happiness of the Katakuris, Pulse etc.) and the very last page includes short profiles of each of the makeup artists featured throughout the book.

"Executioner's Mask" by Keizo

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in SFX makeup!

"Goth & Loli Zombies" by Akiteru Nakada & M.E.U.
Photo: Takuyuki Saito
Models: Kancho & Mari

"Silene" by Manabu Namikawa

"Bud" by TOMO
Photo: Yosuke Komatsu Model: Marie
Beauty Make-up: Keizo
Costume: Yuta Okuyama & TOMO

Music & Events: The Candy Spooky Theater US Tourdates / Pandemonium Tour Vol. 1

Tainted Reality, who are the US management of horror rock band The Candy Spooky Theater, have announced that the band will be on tour in the US again this autumn as part of the Pandemonium Tour Vol. 1. DJ SiSeN, GPK, and Mighty Mike Saga will also be taking part in the tour. At this time, all information is subject to change, but the current dates are as follows:

• Sep. 27th - Bellingham, WA (TCST only)
• Oct. 2nd - Bellingham, WA (DJ SiSeN & GPK only)
• Oct. 4th - Bellingham, WA (DJ SiSeN & GPK only)
• Oct. 5th - Bellingham, WA (TCST only)
• Oct. 9th - San Francisco, CA (TBA)
• Oct. 11th - Das Bunker, Los Angeles, CA (All artists attending, performance by DJ SiSeN only)
• Oct. 12th - Complex. Los Angeles CA (All)
• Oct. 13th - Phoenix, AZ (TBA)
• Oct. 14th - San Antonio, TX (TBA)
• Oct. 16th - Boston, MA (TBA)
• Oct. 17th - New York, NY (TBA)
• Oct. 18th - Philadelphia, PA (TBA)
• Oct. 21st - Columbus, OH (TBA)
• Oct. 26th - Mexico City, MX (DJ SiSeN & GPK only)
• Oct. 27th - Mexico City, MX (DJ SiSeN & GPK only)
• Nov. 1st-3rd - Nekocon (All artists attending, performance by DJ SiSeN only)
• Nov. 4th - Norfolk, VA (TBA)

You can buy tickets for the two TCST solo shows via NeonPromotions at TicketLeap here: TICKETS

For up-to-date information, check the official TCST website or Tainted Reality's website.

Creepy Places: Aokigahara Forest

Hello there my spooky kids!

I've got this thing for creeply places and I read a lot about the subject so I've decided to write a few posts about some of these places!

And today I will start with one you might have heard about before: Aokigahara forest.

Maybe the name is not enough, but if I tell you there's this forest lots of Japanese people go to commit suicide in... Does it sound familiar now?

Aokigahara forest is the second most popular place, amongst those taking their own life, in the world, just after San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge.

Though some people believe that this place becoming famous for suicidal people is because of a novel called "Nami no Too", in which the two lovers commit suicide in the forest on the final pages, the suicides actually started before the book's release.

It's been reported that more than 500 people have killed themselves there since the 1950s.

Scary, isn't it? Plus, death is always associated with this forest.

Back in the days it was also used to abandon old people when they were useless to the family. That way, the poor old grandmas & grandpas died there alone. An ancient japanese custom named "Ubasute".

Of course, because of so many deaths, it's known as a haunted place, inhabited by the ghosts of all those who have died there.

The place is full of signs like "Life is a precious thing, reconsider it!" or "Think of your family!" trying to stop people, but as you might have noticed in this post, they're not quite effective.

By the way, if it wasn't clear enough, due to this massive wave of deaths, the place is full of skulls and bones all over the floor, they're not even buried.

OK, now...

Who wants to go for a walk there? ;)