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Dick Smith’s Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up is a practical special-effects handbook, not a general history of horror. The 1985 Harmony Books edition runs 108 pages and explains how to build makeup effects that transform a face into 15 monsters, from homemade eyes and wax teeth to bald caps, hair work, advanced character makeups, and molded gelatin appliances.
Readers searching for “Dick Smith’s do-it-yourself monster make-up handbook” or “How to Have Fun Creating Your Own Monster Make-Up” will find a project-focused guide shaped by one of film and television makeup’s most influential practical-effects artists.
What the book is
Dick Smith’s handbook is a hands-on introduction to constructing monster effects with accessible materials and progressively more demanding techniques. Goodreads identifies the 1985 paperback as a 108-page book first published on June 1, 1985, with instructions for transforming the face into fifteen monsters. Open Library records the 1985 Harmony Books edition as 108 pages.
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- A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup
The emphasis is on making and applying effects yourself. Instead of limiting the reader to paint-only designs, the book covers false teeth, bald-cap construction, hair and wigs, and molded appliances.
What you learn inside
Homemade eyes and false teeth
The opening projects address high-impact changes to the eyes and mouth. Smith explains how to create and color homemade eyes, then covers false teeth, including suitable materials and methods for making and attaching wax teeth. These chapters establish the book’s practical approach: alter the face with constructed pieces rather than relying only on surface color.
Bald-head caps
The bald-cap section follows the complete process: choosing materials, making a head form, constructing the cap, and removing and cleaning it. That removal and cleanup coverage matters because a convincing cap is only useful if it can be taken off without unnecessary damage to the actor, the cap, or the surrounding hair.
Hair, beards, and wigs
Smith then moves into hair work. The contents list hair substitutes, coloring, application, trimming, and dressing, followed by beard techniques and wig construction. These details support character designs that depend on silhouette and texture as much as facial paint.
Rank #3
Advanced character makeups
The advanced projects include Derelict, Werewolf #2, Quasimodo, Mr. Hyde, and New Frankenstein. Their inclusion signals a progression from individual components toward complete character makeups that combine several effects.
Molded gelatin appliances
A separate section covers molded gelatin appliances, introducing a material-based prosthetic approach. The book therefore reaches beyond flat makeup and into dimensional pieces that change facial shape.
Why Dick Smith’s method still matters
Smith was a pioneering film and television makeup-effects artist whose practical work influenced later generations. His handbook preserves the logic behind that work: understand the materials, build the effect in stages, and make the construction serve the character.
Time reported Smith recalling Laurence Olivier’s response to one makeup: “When I finished the makeup,” he said, “he looked in the mirror and said, ‘Dick, it does the acting for me.’” The line captures Smith’s central idea that successful makeup is not decoration; it helps an actor inhabit a role.
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Who should read it
- Beginners: The book starts with discrete projects such as eyes, teeth, and bald caps before moving to larger character designs.
- Cosplayers and haunted-house artists: Its construction-oriented chapters are relevant when a look requires caps, hair, teeth, or appliances.
- Film students and makeup historians: It documents the practical-effects thinking associated with a major pre-digital era artist.
- Experienced artists: The advanced makeups and gelatin-appliance section provide a compact historical reference, though modern materials and safety practices may differ.
Edition and ISBN guide
Edition records are not identical, so identify the copy before buying. The New York Harmony Books edition is associated with ISBN 0-517-56270-7. A separate 1985 Imagine, Inc. handbook record carries ISBN 0-911137-02-5.
| Edition record | Year | ISBN | What is established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harmony Books, New York | 1985 | 0-517-56270-7 | Open Library records a 108-page edition. |
| Imagine, Inc. handbook | 1985 | 0-911137-02-5 | A separate handbook edition record; page count is not stated in the supplied bibliographic record. |
For a listing or library search, use the exact title Dick Smith’s Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up together with the ISBN, because “1985 edition” alone can refer to more than one record.
Using the book safely today
The handbook is a historical and practical guide, but its original material recommendations should not automatically be treated as current safety advice. Test any product on a small area only when its modern labeling permits skin contact, avoid unapproved substances near the eyes or mouth, provide ventilation, and follow current manufacturer directions for adhesives, pigments, waxes, gelatin, and removers. Check contemporary cosmetic and theatrical-safety guidance before recreating a process, especially for children or anyone with allergies.
Also expect variation in surviving copies. Used editions may have missing pattern pages, notes, stains, or brittle materials supplied with a kit. Confirm the listing’s ISBN, pagination, and condition rather than assuming every copy is identical.
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Dick Smith’s Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up is valuable because it teaches the construction of an effect, not merely the appearance of one. Its 1985, 108-page format moves from homemade eyes and wax teeth through bald caps, hair, beards, wigs, advanced monster makeups, and molded gelatin appliances, covering fifteen monster transformations in all. Buy or borrow it as a period practical-effects manual, and pair its methods with up-to-date product-safety information.
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