Zombie Makeup Ideas and Tutorials

Zombies are probably the most popular characters of dystopian storytelling, and being ubiquitous and enjoying longevity in the public eye makes them a terrific choice for makeup experiments for cosplay, Halloween, or when you just want to scare someone at a party or event.

Now someone may argue that point, as vampires and werewolves are part of pop culture and storytelling as well, with vampires almost assuredly being the top competitor of zombies for most compelling characters.

The only difference is I'm thinking in terms of dystopian novels, TV shows, or films, which in most cases, precludes vampires.

On the other hand, vampires are a part of the past, present and future in many stories, so have a larger canvass to be painted on.

Werewolves have become more of a supporting cast in stories lately, although they have had times in the ebb and flow of Hollywood trends when they were stars in their own right.

The one thing zombies do have going for them is the nature of their very existence, which generates all sorts of creative ways of expressing them via makeup.

All of them are great makeup themes, but we'll focus solely on zombie makeup in this article.

In order to get your creative juices flowing and ideas bouncing around in your head, there are several zombie photos, along with a variety of zombie makeup tutorials in the article to give you all sorts of ideas concerning the many avenues you can creatively take to get that desired zombie look.

With the videos there will be some taking you through the beginners stages, and others coming close to professional zombie makeup results.

Either way, you'll be able to learn a ton about how to create an awesome zombie, and you can use that skill not only for yourself, but for your friends and family if you want to become the local zombie makeup guru.

What's particularly compelling about choosing a zombie makeup theme is the amazing number of tools and props you can use to generate the particular look you're trying to create.

There are kits you can buy to provide the gory face we are all familiar with, or you can get an entire kit and apply the makeup according to instructions.

Some people like to use the combination of a kit and their own creativity to make a satisfying zombie face they're proud to have made.

Both work fantastic, and will provide some good squeals and screams from unsuspecting and delighted viewers.

Immediately below are a few video tutorials on how to apply zombie makeup.

This first photo of a zombie is one of the grossest, mainly because of that protruding bottom lip, which definitely creates an awesome effect that will have people seeing it reflexively cringing.

Having said that, it does have a few problems, mostly with the way the makeup was applied, or possibly, fell off.

If you look to the right of the picture on the left cheek of the young man, you see bare skin which was supposed to be covered by the gray makeup. It's possible the blood that is seen on the lower part of the face was supposed to fill in that blank part, although it seems the makeup was breaking off on the cheek above it.

One thing going for this zombie face is the lip is so in you face, it's unlikely many people would notice the little gaff.

The rest of the zombie makeup is terrific though, and works really great.

We have a really unique zombie makeup creation below, with a totally different yellow or palish skin tone.

There is such an authentic look and feel to this zombie, it would make you a little disconcerted to come in to contact with him, even if it's in a cosplay type of event or atmosphere.

Also really done well is those eyes, meaning those dark circles around them that make you believe he is dead. Add to that the really great stare he is giving you, and it's definitely a scary, living portrait to come into contact with.

The pocks on the face and dark, reddish lips that appear to have just fed on someone, finishes off this very compelling and believable zombie.

Now how cool and awesome is this female zombie with the bullet hole still in her head. The way the makeup is put together creates the amazing zombie face.

If you look closely, you'll see a white base with black and gray layers, finished off with the red blood in the midst of the peeling and broken skin. It doesn't get much better than this.

The dappled blood around the neck and eyes looking upwards as in death, makes this quite a makeup accomplishment.

I really like zombie makeup that has the appearance the flesh has been torn from, or dropped off parts of its body, as shown below.

Very cool with this one is the inclusion of the protruding parts of the face. I'm not sure of the zombie connection in this case, but it does give a sense of dread and fear from this obviously evil creature.

That bridge of the nose and raised eyebrows add even more to the emotionless zombie face which looks like it cares nothing for mercy.

The open teeth also look great, but a little too much white base shows from underneath.

Now this is what zombie makeup is all about. I don't know if it could get any more realistic looking than this, if in fact zombies were real.

The texture of the face makes it look like little flakes of skin are falling out, and that yellowish skin base looks amazing, giving the sense she has been reanimated from death, making her one of the living dead.

Also making her ominous looking are those blood-red eyes, reflecting little but hunger for human flesh.

But the best to me is the way the area below the nose is made to look crooked and unable to be controlled, as the decaying flesh distorts the face.

This is just an extraordinary piece of zombie makeup art, displaying the living nightmare she has become very well.

I don't know if there's anything more fun, challenging and satisfying with makeup than to create your own zombie face.

With all the tutorials and inspiration from the many zombie faces here, you should have no trouble getting ideas from and creating your own face of the living dead.

At most, all you need is the right makeup and maybe some additional accessories to make the flesh look peeled, dead, and red.

Practice a little with the detailed zombie facial features and you'll soon be creating great zombies.