No, we’re not on the set of “The Walking Dead;” that’s just Prototype Builder, Ryan dressed to impress as an Inventionland zombie. Keep reading to learn more about this creepy costume!
Prototype Builder, Ryan, works with his hands each day to build innovative creations at Inventionland; that’s why we wanted to share with you his Halloween costume that he created on his own personal time.
Check out the great detail that was put into this creepily-good Halloween costume. We think it’s safe to say we never want to be on Ryan’s bad side – his zombie side!
As a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Entertainment Design.
It was there that he learned it all: animatronics, props, set design, exhibit design and even special effects makeup.
So, with a background as described, it was only fitting that he channeled his expertise and creativity on his Inventionland Halloween Party costume.
It was at this event that he debuted and displayed his first attempt at creating an amazingly-detailed zombie mask that he molded and created on his own.
“I have done other makeup projects in the past, but I’ve never done zombie makeup before. So, I thought it was a good time to do it,” said Ryan.
The project began with Ryan having to create a “life cast” of his own head, which served as the base for the mold of the mask.
Once he sculpted the head, he then used resin to help in the mold process.
While making the mold, he used metal shims to create a “dividing mold,” so that he would end up with two separate molds – a front half and a back half of the head.
The metal shims are necessary, so that there’s a separation between the two parts of the mold.
For this project, he used Dragon Skin FX-Pro, which is a soft, stable, high-performance platinum silicone rubber that’s specifically designed for creating silicone makeup appliances and skin effects.
“I cleaned all the molds out and put it all back together and injected the silicone through it. It didn’t have enough silicone, so I had to go through a little bit more,” said Ryan.
His zombie mask wasn’t an easy task and along the way, he experienced some difficulties. That didn’t stop him from getting his zombie look just right. In fact, he was “dead” set on maintaining a positive attitude throughout the process.
“Sometimes you get a good casting; sometimes you don’t,” noted Ryan.
Once the mold of the Inventionland zombie head was completed, he worked on a separate jaw piece that was made out of dental acrylic.
“I knew going into it that I wasn’t going to be able to eat or drink anything [at the Halloween party]. It was hard to talk!” said Ryan.
Once the molds were cast and the jaw was created, it was time for the application of the special effects makeup.
“It’s also really difficult to apply makeup on yourself. It gets difficult especially when you have another skin that you have to put on top of yours. Also, the contact lens I wore ended up messing up my eye the day after, but it was well worth it,” said Ryan.
So, how long did it take to create the Inventionland zombie mask?
“The sculpture took me a couple months to do because I nit-picked,” said Ryan.
For a sculpture that took months at home to complete, it took about an hour and a half to apply for the party.
“To apply it, I glued it all down to my face and neck. It gets all glued down and then basic makeup around the eyes and highlighting some parts of the mask,” he said.
The proof is in the pictures that his hard work definitely paid off and now that Halloween is over, we must admit that if we see the Inventionland zombie roaming around our invention factory, we’ll be running in the opposite direction!
Copyright Inventionland, 2015
