Blood, gore, makeup: Exit Velocity Design will teach you how to make zombies

Since we last visited him, Justin Siebel has pushed forward with his design company, Exit Velocity Design. Now he and Ashley Hudrick have started a new venture that takes a deadlier turn.

Siebel and Hudrick will set up shop in Siebel’s space in the Bok Building, the former South Philly school that’s being converted into a massive hub for artists and makers, for a series of three-day courses on different techniques in special effects (SFX) makeup.

Day one focuses on demonstrations, while the remaining two days see participants paired up and testing out their newfound skills and techniques on each other. They catered to the “at-home” artist, and amateurs to professionals are all welcome.

“I don’t believe in natural talent,” Siebel confidently told Technical.ly. For Siebel, it’s crucial that artists understand exactly what they’re putting their models through to improve their form.

Ashley Hudrick creates bullet wounds on model. (Photo by Nia Dickens)

Last Thursday, Siebel opened his studio doors for an open house and Hudrick showed off her arsenal of tools and skills in developing injury-style prosthetics.

As the courses continue, however, both hope to highlight more of the intersections between SFX makeup and technology, including building prosthetics with 3D-printing and laser-cutting techniques.

Plaster molds and other tools used by Hudrick. (Photo by Nia Dickens)

As Siebel sees it, the overlap in these two spaces all boils down to one thing: design.

“I love designing for stuff out of this world,” he said. “Even Friends isn’t New York City. It’s ‘Friends New York.'”

For now, Siebel and Hudrick are both focused on “inspiring education” in SFX makeup and creating a space for talented design artists to grow.