The wonderful world of fake blood
Fake blood can be used to create many different effects. It can make a fake wound look fresh or make your character look pretty blood-splattered.
Depending on the desired effect, there are different ways to apply fake blood to make it look realistic.
Always make sure that no fake blood gets in your eyes. It's best to avoid the area around your eyes as much as possible or cover your eyes if you're splattering on your face.
Bloody wounds
To make a bleeding wound look realistic, the basic foundation needs to look like a real wound first. This can be done with a prosthetic or with, for example, liquid latex and modeling wax.
Use a sponge to dab some fake blood around the wound. Make sure you can still see the skin underneath, so it looks realistic.
You can also fill the wound with fake blood and let some blood run out of the wound. To make flowing blood look real, apply the blood with a large eyedropper or syringe. This makes it easier to let the blood flow naturally.
If you want the dripping blood to look a bit thicker, you can mix in a small amount of liquid latex. By applying thinner and thicker consistencies, you can make the blood look more realistic.
Scab blood can be used for realistic scrapes and abrasions or to make a larger wound look somewhat crusty.
For scrapes, apply the scab blood with the edge of a spatula.
For abrasions, dip a coarse sponge in the scab blood and lightly drag the sponge across your skin.
If you want to add some scab blood to a larger wound, you can use a toothpick or a small brush to apply it to the wound.
Blood splatters
There are two ways to create blood splatters. One will result in larger splatters, while the other will result in fine splatters.
To make larger splatters, dip your finger or the end of a pencil/brush in the fake blood and flick it toward the spot where you want the splatters.
You can create fine splatters by dipping a coarse brush or toothbrush in the fake blood and pulling your finger across the brush bristles. You can also use a blood spray for this effect.
Splatters are always hard to aim. Cover surrounding surfaces with plastic to prevent blood from getting on them. Or make sure you're standing somewhere where you can't accidentally stain other surfaces.
