In this FREE excerpt from the Stan Winston School of Character Arts course, Character Hairwork: Hair Laying for Prosthetic Makeup, master FX hair artist Aimee Macabeo (Avatar, Iron Man, The Avengers) reveals easy-to-follow, budget-friendly techniques on how to create ultra-realistic character hairwork for your prosthetic makeup projects that will raise a few eyebrows—literally!
Jump To Section
- Applying Glue to the Brow Bone
- Blending Hair to Create Eyebrows
- Laying Eyebrow Hairs
- Repeating the Process
- Styling and Setting Eyebrows
To watch the complete instructional video, click the player above!
In this lesson, Macabeo demonstrates how to lay eyebrows for Bruce Spaulding Fuller’s grotesque Hag character. Will your character’s eyebrows be bushy and unkempt, sparse and unsightly, or maybe meet in the middle to make a unibrow? No matter the brow, you’ll learn pro tips on how to give your character an eyebrow makeover that’ll enhance their overall look.
Applying Glue to the Brow Bone
First, take a chalk marker to indicate the direction of where you want to lay your eyebrows.
Next, apply prosthetic adhesive (Pros-Aide) to the brow bone with long cotton swabs.
(Aimee Macabeo uses a chalk marker on the brow bone of actor/model Cynthia Garza to show where she wants her hair strands to go before applying Pros-Aide and blow drying it.)
To speed up the glue drying process, use a blow dryer to apply heat to the area in circular motions for about 20 seconds. Be mindful to keep a safe distance from your model to prevent overheating or damage to the prosthetic.
Blending Hair to Create Eyebrows
Next, it’s time to make some beautifully bedraggled brows!
Blend some long silver mohair (a fabric made from the hair of an Angora goat) into human hair to give the eyebrows a different texture and color. Macabeo suggests using several types of hair to give a natural variation.
(Aimee Macabeo tends to her blend of mohair and human hair while master prosthetic makeup artist Bruce Spaulding Fuller and makeup artist Ana Gabriela Quiñonez work on The Hag.)
Take a pinch of the blended mohair and human hair in your hands. Then, brush, trim, and comb the blended hair.
Laying Eyebrow Hairs
For this lesson, the Hag character’s eyebrows will be sparse. As you lay the brow hairs, it’s best to apply small amounts of strands to control the density. (Pro-tip: If you want to create thicker eyebrows, simply use more hair to give the brows a fuller look.)
Apply the brow hairs using the bottom end of a rat tail comb to set the hairs into the adhesive.
(Aimee Macabeo lays a small amount of hair onto the dried adhesive slowly but surely with the “tail” of the comb, trimming to spruce them up as needed.)
Push the hair down into the Pros-Aide to create a basic shape that you think will match your character’s overall look.
(After laying just enough hair for a sparse look, Aimee Macabeo has finished one eyebrow.)
As you’re laying the hair, trim excessively long hairs to your liking.
Repeating the Process
Before starting on the other eyebrow, keep in mind that facial asymmetry is completely normal. Don’t worry about making both eyebrows match perfectly—remember, eyebrows are sisters, not twins!
Next, repeat the process by applying Pros-Aide onto the other brow bone, blow drying, and carefully pressing the hair onto the brow bone.
(Aimee Macabeo repeats the process for Garza's other eyebrow.)
If you’re ever pressed for time, you can use a hair styling iron to work more quickly. Here, Macabeo is using a digital hax iron by Hakko. Though more expensive, the heated tip allows you to work more quickly.
(In a race against the clock, Aimee Macabeo uses a hax iron to quickly style the eyebrows.)
Styling and Setting Eyebrows
To make finishing touches, use a spoolie or disposable mascara wand to brush the eyebrow hairs and trim as needed. Working around the eyes requires very careful and controlled movements, especially with sharp and hot objects. Safety first!
(Aimee Macabeo styles, trims, and brushes the eyebrows until she's satisfied.)
Spraying hairspray onto the spoolie allows you to style and set the brows so they stay in place.
(For the final step, Aimee Macabeo sprays a spoolie with hair fixative spray to set Cynthia Garza's new brows.)
And just like that, your character has eyebrows!
(The Hag's stunningly sparse set of brows.)
“The glory of this, of course, is that it's a hideous swamp witch, and the hair can look like anything,” Fuller says. “…She doesn’t have to worry about it being coiffed or styled. It can be ratty, which is beautiful and helps us in this case.”
WATCH THE “CHARACTER HAIRWORK: HAIR LAYING FOR PROSTHETIC MAKEUP” COURSE WITH AIMEE MACABEO: