Life.

I feel I need to write this, and dunno where else to do it.
This is a blog about my life, and at this point in it, something has come up.
I don't want to go in to grand detail about it, personal, but I feel I just to write something, anything.

Life has a funny way of working out.
I wrote the other day, how I was happy for the first time in awhile.
Yes for the past months i've had great moments, but to wake up in the morning with purpose and not be sad about anything, seemed great.

Yet in my gut I knew something was going on.
Then i realized always go with your gut.
My emontions and feelings are running wild. I don't even know how I feel at the moment.
There is sadness, no anger.
First time I've cried in a while, honestly.

How come you can't be happy in all aspects in life?
Work is good, but then your love life is shot?
or vice versa. Seems like it has to balance out...and I'm always getting an epic fail.
I feel like I don't have balance, or maybe thats my own mistakes. I thought everything was under control.

Funny how you live with someone, share a life with them.
It doesn't work out for some reason, and sometimes go months without ever saying hello.
This person knows everything about you, every little secret or detail, that only a few others know.
Yet we can't even say hello...I guess it's all in time.
It breaks my heart a little to live like that.
I'm still unsure how I feel, even after writing this, but I feel better just knowing I tried to work it out.

To my friends, family, past loves.
You're always with me. Every moment has been kept in my mind. I truely think everything happends for a reason, and you were all supposed to be in my life to help guild me through it.
You'll never know how much I care about you all, or can every thank you enough for being there for me.
Sometimes I think I love too much, I hope you guys can see it.
I never want to go through life without love, it can be the best feeling in the world, but also at sometimes the worst.
No one deserves to get hurt in that way, and everyone should feel love.
One day I'll find it again, with someone I care about.
With no distractions, I'm going to treat them right.

For now I'll just watch videos of Jorma dancing, and smile to myself, and know good things are still out in this world, I just have to find them, or let them find me.

<3
Tess Von Vixen

Fight Club

I recently signed up to modelmayhem.
Best decision i've made. I haven't updated recently, I have a bunch of new photos of my makeup to put up.
I usually only take photos of my special fx at school with my iphone camera, which is to crappy quality to put up there.
It been great, meeting so many new people. photographers, models, etc.

Its got me back to doing what I use to do, modeling.
I should scan my old pictures. Jeeze. I use to model halloween costumes as well. You could go to the bay, zellers, other places like that and there I was. Kid star. haha. I had the long brown hair, crazy blue eyes..i would always be a princess, until I took a stand, and they made me the girl power rangers!

So i met Joseph through this website, he contacted me first.
Girl fight club scene.
Gore, blood cuts, girls. Nothing is hotter.
So I agreed, and it was my first real shoot on my own.
I love it. It was glorious.
I'll never forget it. Hung out with some great people, did about 7 hours of shooting.
After getting spit on hardcore by another model, it couldn't get any better then that.

I feel like I don't have much to say anymore, because I've talked about this to so many people, just feel like i'm repeating myself now.
I was just contacted by Joseph again, and we will be shooting a Zombies vs. Ninja shoot within the next few weeks.
Feel like I'm getting somewhere with this, I worked hard, and its paying off. I'll have to start charging soon, if I ever want my loft! For now I'm just enjoying every moment of it.

Theater Makeup

For now I must put away my blood, and move on, with a tear in my eye.
We have moved on to theater. meh.
First off, old aging, can kiss my ass. That shit is hard, long, and I hate it. Point finale la.

Past week, we have done chinese opera, where to me everyone looks like a mexican wrestler, which lead me to a 20 minute conversation on Nucha Lucha! I use to love that show. She is from mexico, and was surprised they played it here.
I didn't practice to much, I was tired and went home.
We also did over the top stage makeup where my teacher used me for her demo.
From close I looked like a 2 dollar hooker, from far it looked great.
You have to always remember people in the back row need to see your makeup. I didn't want to take it off, but people stare, and I get enough of that already. Be dramatic with stage makeup, don't be afraid to use colors, and sparkles!

When I used to go to dance school, and we would have a huge dance show at the end of the year, I remember the amount of makeup I would put on, and it never was enough. So usually our saying is "Less is more"
Now "More is more" doesn't make much sense but its true.
Theater is a really hard business to get into. People usually stay in it, and they always use the same makeup artist...or because there are so many shows, the artist do their own makeup everyday. A makeup artist comes in, teaches them how to do, then they do it on there own. Yes that makeup artist gets paid well to teach but I doubt I could live on it.

No one prepares you for this. I'm living my dream, but at what cost?
I have to stick to it no matter what. I love what I'm doing and its making me happy.
Been a while since I've been truely happy.
I had a panic attack the other day after going to backstage studio. where I could've probably done my whole training for so much less, and got more out of it. Called my best friend ranting, and freaking out about the whole situation, she just flat out told me " Tess you're the most motivated person I know in life...I've never seen anyone dedicated to making herself something then you...you're going to go far, and when you do i'll live in your mansion"
Shes right, and thats why I love her.
Plus i'm getting a pool boy. Sign up here.

Jeeze, got sidetracked. Ok so bottom line I refuse to ever do old aging again.
Intense stage makeup.

Close up

This is my soul twin, after I fucked her up, worst then Chris Brown could do. (cinema exam)
She gets me through life.

Blood Competition.

Wow. Best Day Ever in class....well compares with graduation photo day, that was amazing as well.
Friday the 13th, blood competition. How cheesy, yet appropriate.
Classes divided into two teams...by my team i was elected Captain of team 1.
woohoo.

For some reason when it comes to gore, and zombies my names comes first in everyone's mind. They must think I'm psycho.
Don't care I enjoy it, when people says gross to my work I take it as a huge compliment.

Anyways, we must come up with recipes on how to make fake blood. We were given 10$ to go to the grocery store and get whatever we needed.
Basic essentials. Corn syrup, corn starch, red dye.
However we came up with two bloods.
One using cherry sauce, other had everything we could find. After using almost a whole bottle of red dye, it wasn't dark enough, or sticky enough so we used hair gel, chocolate sauce, sugar, cream, the list goes on. It looked a little purple but on the skin it was amazing.

We got scared by the other team a few times, however something went wrong for them and we were back in the lead, especially with two different kinds of bloods.

After we had to use the blood to see how it would look, being captain I thought might as well used me as the victim.
I didn't know how far they would actually run with it.
I was a walking mess. If i had extra clothes and a blow-dryer I would've let them "Carrie" me. I walked around school covered in blood, freaking the shit out of people. One girl walked into me while coming out of class, and almost threw up. Another girl put down her sandwich. Haha

Taking it off wasn't so much fun, I stayed in class pretty much with most of it on, and my clothes covered in blood. Oh well, I had a blast doing it, I think there something wrong with how much I love fake blood.
We came out the winners! Even thought technically there was no winners, everyone-gets-a-ribbin sorta deal, but we won no matter what they say.

Also watched a film on bearding. The actor Tim, had a lazy eye, was falling asleep for most of the time, and made the best faces. Me and morgie almost got kicked out of class for laughing so much, until our teacher realized how funny it was, and was pissing herself laughing, and we had to re-wind the tape to watch some parts again.
How tim how we love you.
Our ingredients

Bloody mess.

I really enjoyed my shirt I made just for the occasion.

Tim!



As I type this, my diploma just dropped into my lap. I'm graduated bitches!
I'm officially a makeup artist for artistic makeup! Now to finish special fx and no one in this world can stop me from completing my dream.

Bullet holes

Before ever trying out bullet holes; my class watched a special fx film on how to make them hollywood style.
Damn its a lot of work, and time.
The ones the guy made was from a type of plaster.
It took almost a day to make just for an entry and exit wound...where in class with latex or mostly wax can take 30 minutes.

First by making a mold out of plaster (long process) let that sit for a while.
Then by using wax make the bullet wound then let that sit over night.
Whole thing takes forever and hard to explain because of so many products. You would have to watch the film to get a better understanding.

Anyways we make the wounds by using wax, latex is a little harder to use, and mold the wound.
Depending on the wax, gylercin is used to smooth it out.
An entry wound is not as bloody, and a little bruised around the edges, an exit wound is messy, busted out, and bloody.

After applying the wax, becareful it can be moved very easily, apply the cream colors to the wound and around to make it seem real. Then add the blood. Splatter the blood around the wound and fill it with coagulated blood.
Done.
Also take into consideration if you're working on a movie set, you have match the wound with the type of gun being used.

I was a model for bullet wound day, so this is my teacher artwork on myself.
Getting it off was horrible I pretty much took the bus home like this, then right into the shower.

Scrapes and Cuts

Boy do I love cuts.
There is so many different ways to do them, and the results are insane.
My favourite thing to do. Seriously I cannot get enough of doing cuts. Every time I practice I make it more realistic.

Scrapes are really easy.
I little blood and a stipple sponge.
Set a base and dip a corner of the stipple sponge in the blood, and pat or "scrape" it on the skin. By the way this thing hurts, especially on the face.

Now on to cuts.
These can be done with Latex, wax or my favourite and is new to the market (most artist don't know about it yet) 3rd degree.
This stuff is amazing. Looks like two needles side by side, once they are mixed together on the skin you have approximately 5 minutes to form your mixture into anything you want.
Only thing its a little pricey about 25$ per tube.

Once it is dry, blend the edge into the skin by using concealers or foundations.
Fill your cut with dark cream colors, blacks, burgendy, or reds.
Now fill the inside with blood, as well as around the wound.
Finished.
I've been doing cuts and scrapes for the last two weeks, so I have a bunch of photos.
I started getting creative, and adding random things to cuts.
For instance on one occasion, adding the plastic sticks from q-tips you can use it as bones coverd in blood.
or boiling asparagus, drying them, then dranching them in blood, can look likes viens.


Fight Club


Use of Wax, cream colors (carefully painted) and molding.


Blood is added to the wound. I prefer just special fx blood, not to thick so you can spread it all over.


Q-tip parts are added, drenched in blood. Finale product. I love it!


Asparagus used in a cut for more realistic look.
More to come.

Burns

Since Im so lost from the last two weeks, I'll just keep this topic to burns.
We do so much in one class, and skip from thing to thing, its hard to keep track.

Most efficient burns are used with latex.
Smelly horrible latex.
Why does this stuff need to smell so bad. I can't stand working on someone or my own hand with this stuff, I can only imange doing a Two-Faced look (which i want to do) and putting it so close to someone's nose.
Common they can't put a little rose water in this thing?
Anyways you'll need a good amount of latex, some kleenex, burns and cut color wheel, blood, charcoal powder, and some art skills.

Start with putting a good amount of Latex on the skin wherever you want the burn to be.
Peel Kleenex in two, so its very thin, and put on top of the wet latex.
Tear away excess kleenex so it looks jagged.
Add more latex (the key is to drench it) then Kleenex. Fold some to make it look uneven and add on top. Make some holes by picking at the new skin. So some of the burn has depth.
Blow dry on cool, to not actually burn the person at such a close range.
Once that is done, and your satisfied with the look, you can now start to "color it"
Using the burns and cut wheel, add blues, reds, pinks, and purples.
Charcoal can be added on top, for a better effect. Once that is complete throw blood on top, by brushing it on.
Make sure the edge of the latex and skin blend well.
You're done!

It all depends on the type of burn your going for. This is obviously a 3rd degree burn, where it is so burnt its eating at the skin to the bone, where blood starts to exit the wound.
Pictures are great to have a references, but hard to look at a burn victim so early in the morning.

Once you get the hang of it, burns can be done in a matter of minutes.
Really easy stuff.
I enjoy making burns but cannot stand the smell.
Also in winter then tend not to ship Latex due to freezing while shipping. The latex i have is a small amount and must be warmed up before using, the big bottle which smells a lot worse, but its better for using on bigger wounds, is from class, and they sold out in most places, so now I have to wait.
I dislike waiting.


First burn I ever did without even knowing how to do them. We told to try to see if we could do it on our own.


Burn done on me. My burned hand grabbing my boob. Why? Whynot!

Taking it off is not as fun.

My own work, on myself. Not bad for my first time.