Basic Special Effects Tutorial - How to do a Small Laceration

It is very straight forward to do a small laceration. Place a small amount of spirit gum (which is an adhesive) in the area that you want it and in the shape that you want it. While you are letting that get tacky decant some soft putty/wax. Only a small amount is needed, as you can see from my video I was a bit over zealous. Roll it into a sausage shape and sit it on top of the now sticky spirit gum. Using the spatula tool, blend the sides of the putty down onto skin and do this around the entire perimeter. When that is complete, it is optional if you want to set with powder and camouflage with foundation. Bare in mind it is not always necessary. Take the end of a hairpin and slide it down the center of the putty, splitting it down the middle and making it into a laceration. Fill in the centre of the wound with some dark red or black grease paint using a small brush. Next stipple some red grease paint around the edge of the wound to give the effect of traumatised skin. Using a cotton bud remove some of the stippling to give a mottled effect. Ensure that the effect does not look makeupy as it does not translate well onto camera. Finally add blood liberally.

The following clips give a run through of procedure.