SPOILER ALERT!
For those who haven't figured out how I did my last shot, this post will 110% give it away! I take pride in the fact that everything you see in my photos is always there, and this is no exception! I also love answering questions, and while knowing may somehow take some magic away for some, I think it's just as magical to know what can be done with what you have! So. If you don't want to know, now's a good chance to skip along! <3
Like most weeks, it started with a sketch! Sometimes my brain doesn't quite know when to quit while it's ahead, and before I knew it, I was getting into something I would either need to figure out in post, or I would have to get super good with effects and latex super fast. Of course I'm too stubborn to attempt to learn photoshop faster than my current rate, so Latex was the only apparent solution (to my sleep deprived brain!). After come consulting with my lovely friend Tara who is a master of all (legit, she's insane), we decided that it was indeed liquid latex I would need, and then I turned to Stephen at Stage & Studio Supply to hook me up! This isn't the first time I've used S&SS for my crazy antics, and it certainly won't be the last. He's gotten me out of a pinch when I've needed 3 different body paint colours on 3 separate occasions with only a moments notice, he also helped me with the great elf ear shortage of 2018, and this time, a mere 3 days before I was set to shoot this bad boy, he worked me out of a pinch again with a quick tutorial & walk through, and of course the supplies! So huge shout out to you guys, cause I wouldn't have stood a chance without all the guidance <3
So, the tummy pouch was made of latex, and it was an adventure. I made many mistakes along the way, and in the end, we had 2.5 fake tummy pouches created. Drew created most of the final one, while I the other 1.5 (one was too much liquid, the other was too small in the end). If I had my time back, I would have used my brain and created the pouch on my actually tummy instead of a flat surface, cause things made on a flat surface don't tend to fit non flat things, HOWEVER. Because I was pulling mine apart anyway, it worked out okay. I also need to work on blending/edges, as they were super rough, and did require a fair bit of touching up in post.
Of course we had this prepared the night before, and it didn't occur to me to think about how I'd get the leaves & vines to actually stick inside. Quick fix of wax paper and hot glue to keep them all in one place, and then that was tucked inside the flaps (so strange to say!). The leaves & Flowers poke out of the tummy a little more than I had originally planned based on the sketch, but then I told myself that if I truly had flowers and leaves and a butterfly within me (more so than usual), there would likely be so many that they would have no choice but to explode outward!
So, here you are!