Lift your eyebrows, partially close your eyes, smile, and then return to neutral. These brief expressions demonstrate where the skin naturally bunches up and how groups of muscles work together. The transient lines formed during these movements provide hints for theatrical aging makeup, since they show where lines are likely to be seen as continuous with the facial anatomy. Ignoring these patterns tends to result in wrinkles that appear as decorative elements, rather than part of the structure, which is particularly problematic on the forehead, around the eyes and around the mouth.
It is best to treat aging lines as subtle variations of light and shadow rather than as dark lines drawn across the skin. Wrinkles on the forehead generally result from the frequent motion of the eyebrows, while wrinkles at the corners of the eyes result from the action of squinting or smiling. Wrinkles around the mouth can be caused by various expressions, resulting in lines radiating outwards from the nose towards the corners of the mouth. However, everyone’s facial movement is different, so it is important to study the individual, rather than relying on a generic template of wrinkles.
One challenge is determining the amount of definition to give each line. A single dark line may look too harsh up close, but if a line is blended so much that it becomes invisible, it will not register well from the audience. Use a small brush or pencil to draw a narrow shadow in the location of the natural fold, and then blend one side. A lighter color placed next to some of the shadows can enhance the illusion of depth. The interplay between shadows and highlights will appear more realistic than having all lines rendered in the same level of darkness.
As an exercise, select just one part of the face to work on. The forehead is a good place to start, since the movement of the brows is quite visible. Lift your eyebrows several times and observe the direction of the creases. Relax your face and lightly trace two or three of these lines using cream makeup or a pencil. Add a thin highlight adjacent to part of each shadow instead of tracing the whole line. Look at your face from a distance to determine if additional layers of color are required.
Once comfortable with this, experiment with expressions around the eyes and mouth. Smile and observe where wrinkles appear next to the eyes, how the cheeks rise, and where deeper folds form near the nose. Relax the face again and mark only the most prominent structural lines rather than tracing every minor crease. Character makeup for the stage is often about simplification. A few strategically placed aging lines, combined with shading on the cheeks, eyes and jaw, will convey a stronger sense of age than a face full of uniform wrinkles.
The rest of the character design should help sell the aging effect. Subtly changing the shape of the eyebrows, applying shadow to the lower part of the cheeks, adding wrinkles around the eyes and altering the lip line can all make a significant difference in how the face is perceived. View the design from the front and from three quarters. Then step further away. If the aging lines stand out but appear as though they have been applied over an unaltered face, examine the surrounding facial planes before deciding to darken the lines.
Before wiping off the makeup, mimic the expressions from the beginning of the exercise. Note whether the painted shadows continue to relate to the folds that now appear beneath them. Lines that follow the movement of the face are likely to appear as though they belong there. Lines that cross the grain of the face will become obvious as soon as the expression changes. This last test is a valuable technique for determining which parts of the aging makeup to retain, soften or relocate in future studies.