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Sunday, December 5, 2010

Left 4 Dead "The Witch" Horror Makeup Tutorial

Before & After, yikes!
In the middle of October or I think the end of September someone randomly asked me to do a Halloween tutorial of "The Witch" from Left 4 Dead. All honesty on the table, I didn't know what this game even was before this person requested it. The Witch's name/title on its own intrigued me enough to look up some rather eerie videos and pictures to learn more and observe how she moves, what her story is and the general feel of L4D. Luckily I have some awesome friends who play the game so I asked them too for their two cents on the witch.


I knew I was already swamped with way too many classes to keep track of and 5 Halloween tutorials that I already chose and decided to stick with since like ... September or even August. But I knew none of those tutorials had that sense of gore and eeriness that I think is a special aspect of Halloween! Okay well ... in America :P I have a thing for the dark stuff I suppose. I had always wanted to do a Grudge tutorial or a Samara (from The Ring) tutorial or even Carrie (Stephen King character) but The Witch seemed more original and I figured cosplayers might find it helpful too. And it's always a challenge to try and nail a character without knowing anything about it from the start.
As soon as I brought home the wig I tried it on. It's the first wig I ever bought & owned!


So somehow, I scheduled in a night to film it (I always end up filming the scariest looks at night ... its scary sometimes, to be up past midnight, just in a bathroom putting on scary makeup o__o) It was a very messy and time consuming tutorial.

Run!!!
BUT I got it done and almost released it in time for Halloween but the day before Halloween I was so exhausted from my job (working in a haunted house screaming at people) and school that I figured it was pointless to rush and voice the tutorial and post it the day before Halloween when no one would be able to find it in time by then.

So ... I put it off. I said November, but ... it just didn't seem right and November proved to be alarmingly busy, school and life-wise. I would release it in December but ... yeaaah. It's Christmas season, who wants to be a zombie during Christmas season?

Okay, maybe someone does but not many. I can't wait til next Halloween so I'm thinking January. But at the same time don't be surprised if you see it on YouTube during Christmas/Winter Break xD

So far, this tutorial scared me the most. When I did trial makeup for this in my room at night I took a break and was using my laptop and forgot how I looked. I glanced in the mirror and was like EEK!

Look out for The Witch from Left 4 Dead as portrayed by meee.

 
This is Trial #1 in comparison to the character

This is (i'm pretty sure) a fan-made level because there would never be THAT many "The Witches" in one place. BUT ... with so many, you can kinda get their concept, no? hee hee



enhanced photo taken from the tutorial. glowing eyes! :0

The Finalized Look, yikes!

EDIT: December 9, 2010 == Tutorial is up and posted!





More "Behind the Tutorial" Bits

That's my hand holding this flashlight I have for blackouts & emergencies that flashes and could probably induce a seizure o_o I actually locked myself in a room at night with a camera and that light to film this. Kinda eerie. 

For you!
This is me too :) I wasn't dressed up as the witch, I just had the claws on. If you can tell, I'm holding the camera with my other hand. A lot of things in this tutorial were filmed separately. This was the last part I filmed in December actually as a last minute add-in. The actual tutorial was filmed in October. 



Commonly Asked Questions


1. Question: Do you scare yourself looking like that when you look in the mirror?

My Answer: I worked in a haunted house this past Halloween where I was in full makeup and costume (gore) in the darkness with scary music playing for hours straight and you know me, I have a thing for dark stuff and horror at times. BUT sometimes, after awhile and it's say 3 or 4 AM in the morning and I look like this? I just want to shower, have a clean face and be wrapped in warm clothes instead of a bloody cloth from the Spirit Store xD But yes, sometimes I startle myself a bit but it's part of becoming a character! 

2. Question: Do you play L4D or L4D 2?
My Answer: No .... I didn't know much about this game until someone randomly requested for a tutorial. I had wanted to do a super eerie, scary, female horror look and originally I REALLY wanted to do Samara, Carrie or The Grudge or something like that but somehow I was led into doing this. I realized even if it wasn't Halloween, people might find this helpful if they're cosplaying. But no! I am unfortunately not very literate in the videogame world ... but I do find it super fascinating and I admire those who know a lot about it and see an art & culture to it.

3. Question: How long did this take you to film?
Answer: It's important to keep in mind that filming a tutorial will always take much longer than actually applying the makeup in front of a mirror yourself. For tutorials I have to stop and pose, check in the mirror to make sure it looks right (usually I'm only looking into a tiny camera screen) and deal with complications, all kinds of stuff. Then I always do my "acting" sections so ... the very complicated and in this case, messy looks can take as long as 3-4 hours. A regular look usually takes me 1-2 hours. Funny how that all must be condensed into 6-12 minutes eh?

11 comments:

R. said...

I really want you to know how much I love your tutorials and appreciate the time and effort that you put into them! You really go above and beyond the call of duty! I have only edited one short video for a school project and I was so exhausted and frustrated by how insanely involved they are. Which is why I can't believe that you can go all out for all your tutorials.

I am a theater arts major (with a concentration on technical theater) so I really love that you put in all the extra details. You're amazing! Keep up the great work and I look forward to all your future photography and tutorials!

Cat said...

Hahaha trust me I do get frustrated for almost every single video but I it's one of the things that someone has to go through if they want a well edited, thorough video :) But thank you so so much for telling that. When people recognize the work past it being just another makeup tutorial, it really means a lot to me.

I can't wait for all the future stuff too and I'm glad I have your support :D

Unknown said...

your tutorials are amazing. the text in this blog is a bit too small for me to easily read, though. nonetheless, good job!

Anonymous said...

is putting on contacts scary? i heard that people sometimes can never get them out. and also, you look cute as a witch (or a totally different person.
love it! gonna be the witch for a con soon, needed a tutorial on claws. this really helped thanks !!!!

Cat said...

Anonymous -

True story, the very first contacts I've ever owned or put in were these white ones. It was semi-difficult to get in, but I watched a bunch of tutorials on how to care/use contacts and how to put them in and read directions so it wasn't too bad. So I was all like COOL MY EYES ARE WHITE for a few hours then when it came time to take them out i kinda .. freaked out and was like GAHHH but with some calmness and contact solution i was able to get them out safely. It's unnerving, but you get the hang of it with practice. It's not too hard after awhile!

And good luck with your costume! Glad I could help :)

AnAngelNamedX said...

Hi! I loved your make-up tutorial, and I actually used some of your tips. I loved how you turned out as the witch, and I came out quite differently.

I truly loved your idea of using the ModgePodge! I would have never thought of that. Let me know if you want to see the end result :)

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