How to Create Movie-Quality Zombie Makeup

Wash your actor's face with soapy water and dry with a hand towel. Your actor needs to be in costume before you apply the makeup to prevent it from smearing. Place tissue paper around his neckline to prevent staining his clothing.

Dip a fine brush into liquid latex to create a wound into your actor's forehead. Brush on a thick diagonal line across the forehead approximately 3 inches long. Blow a hairdryer onto the latex at a cool setting to help it dry. Brush the line again and dry. Repeat until the latex is roughly 1/4-inch thick.

Tear the latex down the center so it looks like a large gash by using the tip of a bobby pin. Dry the latex with the blowdryer. Add black special effects makeup into the center of the gash with a fine brush so it looks deep. Brush on dark red special effects makeup over it.

Dip a sponge applicator, which is also used for foundation, into white cream makeup to create an overall deathly pallor to the skin. Dab it all over the face, ears and neck. Add it to the latex, except where you added black and dark red. The actor should not be paper-white but very pale. Apply white cream makeup to the hands and arms if they are visible.

Dap the sponge into brown greasepaint and stipple it under the eyes, around the mouth and the latex scar. Add onto the hands and arms. Repeat with yellow and purple greasepaint.

Photograph your actor with a digital camera using its flash to check your progress. Examine the makeup and see how it looks so far. If you need to darken the bruising, dip a stiff sponge into dark brown greasepaint. Apply it onto the centers of the bruises. Gently brush on green and yellow around the edges of the bruises.

Lay your actor on her back. Pour a teaspoon amount of quick-drying theatrical blood into the center of the forehead gash. Then instruct your actor to sit up so the blood runs down the face.