ASHLEIGH MATTERN
Editor-in-Chief
 
    Kara Deshaies spends days working as a high school intern in Prince Albert but at night she births zombies.

Her career as a zombie artist started in high school when she did make-up for theatrical productions. Deshaies also does other costume make-up but with Halloween creeping up, her zombie styling is in demand.

    While doing the make-up for the cover of this issue, she gave Sheaf readers some advice on how to make a killer zombie costume.
 
Gouges
    “Since when did you see a zombie that doesn’t have something wrong with their face?” said Deshaies.

    Deshaies’s zombies are uglified with gouges, bruises and peeling and melting skin. One of her main tools is spirit gum, a kind of glue for skin. It’s used in theatrical make-up to apply wigs, beards, fake noses and anything else that needs to stay on awhile. Deshaies uses it to apply gouges made out of Crayola Model Magic.

Liquid latex is another key to getting the look right. Deshaies picks and pulls and pops the liquid latex to create peeling skin and boils.

    “I love liquid latex,” Deshaies said. “There’s so much you can do with it. The surfaces you can create with it are pretty intense.”

    After stacking a zombie’s face with all sorts of ghoulish additions, she blends it in with foundation.

Blood
    The most convincing zombies are bloody and you might be surprised what goes into making believable-looking blood: green dish soap, red and yellow food colouring and cornstarch. The yellow food colouring keeps the blood from looking too bright red and helps it to dry a little brown. The cornstarch keeps it from running and makes a good base.

    Blood is good on the face but don’t forget the rest of your body. It helps to think like a zombie.

    “If you’re living the life of a zombie, you’re probably not changing your clothes every day,” said Deshaies.

    Pick clothes you’re willing to ruin and don’t forget to tear them up a bit. Some extra blood around the mouth and hands helps if you want to look like you’ve been chowing down on some delicious human brains.
 
Pain
    Transforming into a zombie is not an easy task. No one is suggesting you actually injure yourself to make your costume more believable but the process can be a little uncomfortable.

    The spirit gum itches. When Deshaies pulls away the liquid latex, it pulls at the skin. And if you don’t remove the make-up properly, you can remove your skin along with it.

    If you’re going to be putting a lot of disgusting details on your face, you might want to slap on some petroleum jelly first. When it comes time to remove the make-up, Deshaies suggests using an oil-based make-up remover.
 
Brains
    The amount of time it takes to transform a human being into one of the legions of undead depends on how much stuff you’re willing to glue to your face.

    Deshaies charges about $20 per hour depending on the job. She brings an arsenal of expensive products and expertise but the look can be done without hiring a professional. It’s all about creativity.  

    “You improvise,” Deshaies said. “Everyone uses different things. . . . A lot of it is just playing. You play, figure it out, keep going. You learn little things; you make a mistake that’s kind of cool.”

    Allergic to liquid latex or too cheap to buy a bottle? Zombiemaker.com suggests Elmer’s glue. Black and grey eyeshadows are great for making eyes look sunken. Blue and purple eyeshadows make great bruises.

If you would like to book an appointment with Kara Deshaies on Halloween, drop her a line at kad472@mail.usask.ca.