Makeup can be applied to various parts of the actor's body and face to give the appearance that the character has an illness or is infected with some disease. One common example of this is special effects boils and blisters. The makeup artist can create reusable latex boils by building a mold out of clay and brushing on multiple layers of liquid latex. Painting the boils with makeup to make them appear puss-filled and swollen can add to the realism of the makeup. Applying the boils to the face requires sticking them on with a skin-safe adhesive such as Spirit Gum, applying alternating layers of liquid latex and nose putty, and touching up with flesh-colored makeup.
Creating special effects abrasions is common for movie makeup artists. Abrasions can be small gashes in the skin or large openings with exposed bone and flesh. To create a convincing abrasion, the makeup artist utilizes a building-up and peeling-away technique with nose and scar wax. The outside edges of the wax blend easily into the actor's skin, and the center of the wax can be removed and roughed up to create the appearance of a tear in the skin. White bone wax or white makeup can then be applied to signify bone protrusions. The whole area is then painted with various shades of red and pink makeup, stage blood and gel, then sealed with a makeup sealer to prevent the special effects makeup from smudging or transferring onto costumes.
Decayed flesh for zombie makeup can easily be created with liquid latex applied with a makeup sponge and layered with ragged pieces of toilet paper. Once the layers are dry, the makeup artist picks apart certain areas of the latex to create sores and old wounds. The zombie is then given a base tone of cadaver gray and green makeup. Sores can be given rotten detail with black and dark gray makeup brushed into them. Sallow green makeup applied throughout creates the sickly look to the decayed flesh. The makeup artist adds the final details of cracked lines along the lips, then powders the face to set the makeup.
Special effects makeup can be used to create fantastical and animal creates by using various shading and makeup layering techniques. The makeup artist first finds a source image for the creature he will be creating with makeup for referral purposes. Latex applications can be added to the actor's face to drastically change the shape of the face. Layering and blending concealer using a brush allows the makeup artist to lay out the shape of the features on the face before adding any shading or detail. The artist should observe the curvature of the creature's nose structure, mouth and eye area and try to replicate these shapes through shading and lining techniques with the makeup. Adding spots or other details can help complete the illusion.