Tutorial: Designing Creature Makeup for Film in Photoshop
The Gnomon Workshop has released Designing Creature Makeup for Film in Photoshop, a guide to makeup design recorded by Wētā Workshop concept designer Johnny Fraser-Allen.
The workshop, which is aimed at artists of all skill levels, provides over four hours of video training in Photoshop.
Master Photoshop techniques used to design creature make-up for Spielberg and Jackson
In the workshop, Fraser-Allen sets out the workflow he has used to design practical and digital make-up looks for directors including Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.
Aimed at the early stages of production, the Photoshop techniques make it possible to deliver ideas quickly to a director, and to rework designs into alternate options for the brief.
Painting digitally over a photo of the actor, Fraser-Allen creates three concepts for an Ogre Lord character, moving from warm-up exercises and quick sketches to the final makeup concepts.
The workflow emphasizes practicality, retaining the qualities of the performer beneath the make-up by using the shapes and textures of the actor’s face.
About the artist
Johnny Fraser-Allen is a Senior Concept Designer and Sculptor at Wētā Workshop, where he has designed creatures for The Hobbit trilogy, King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia.
He is also a book illustrator, and the creator of The Gloaming trilogy, a series of fantasy books and international multimedia exhibition.
Pricing and availability
Designing Creature Makeup for Film in Photoshop is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.
Subscriptions cost $57/month or $519/year. Free trials are available.
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