Sugarskull

With Halloween approaching we created our own sugar skull design. Day of the Dead is a traditional holiday celebrated in Mexico in November. It focuses on family and friends remembering members that have died. The sugar skulls represent a departed soul and had the person's name written on the forehead. They are brightly coloured and feature a range of patterns to celebrate the soul. 

My Sugar Skull Design 

For my sugar skull design I researched other designs online. I came across Alex Box's sugar skull design for a tequila advert. I loved the colour scheme that she used and the dark contour she used on the cheeks. For my design on Phoebe I used the bright blue eye shadow from the supra colour palette around the eyes. I outlined the yes with a dark blue eye shadow and blended them together. On the eye lid I used the silver from the Illamasqua liquid metals palette. With the same blue eye shadow colour I placed this around the forehead, the cheekbones and under the chin. To deepen the contour I used a darker blue. I found the colours were sometimes hard to blend so I tried using my finger which helped. To create the illusion of skeletal teeth I used the black supra colour. I had placed the white skin base on the lips making them less visible to the eye. I added the black onto half of the lips and then extended the line outwards. I created teeth using triangle shapes on the top and bottom. To add more of an interest to the design I placed black dots around the eyes and completed a pattern on the forehead. 

Having never completed a sugar skull before I was very happy with my first attempt. I loved the colours and the patterns. If I were to complete a design again I would add more colours around the eyes and patterns to the forehead. When completing the patterns you need to have a steady hand. Using a smaller brush would be helpful. I used an angled brush to create straight lines however when outlining around the eyes a thin brush would work better. Seeing the face from the side, the darker contour is not as visible I would like. Next time I would place the darker blue on in layers to build up the tone. Using a black may even help to accentuate the colours. 

References

Calavera, B. (2015) Top Five sugar skull makeup designs. Available at: https://skullsproject.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/top-five-sugar-skull-makeup-designs/ (Accessed: 30 October 2015).