Okay, here's how I actually made those blue people photos last weekend. Started simple 'cause I'm no pro either.
Grabbing My Stuff
First, I raided my kitchen and bathroom for things to make people blue. Found some blue food coloring, cheap blue gel body paint my nephew left, and even a bottle of blue sports drink. Also grabbed my old DSLR camera and a plain white bed sheet for the background. Didn't wanna buy anything fancy.
The Messy Experiment
Mixed a tablespoon of blue food coloring with two tablespoons of water in a spray bottle - totally eyeballed it. Made my friend Greg stand against the sheet. Spritzed his face with the mix. Looked more like smurf puke than proper blue skin! Water dripped everywhere too. Pathetic.
Next try: scooped globs of that sticky blue gel paint onto Greg's arms. Rubbed it thin with my fingers. The color was better but patchy like a bad fake tan. Wiped it off - took three towels! Greg started complaining about stained shirts. This was failing hard.
Finally Nailed It
Got frustrated and poured blue sports drink onto a paper towel. Dabbed it on Greg's cheeks and hands lightly. Weirdly, that liquid soaked in just enough to tint without dripping! Held a desk lamp close for lighting. Took the photo quick before he moved. On camera? Actual blue skin tones showing clearly! Even got weird vein lines from the drink's sugar - looked alien-ish. Perfect accident.
For clothes: dunked Greg's white t-shirt sleeve straight into undiluted food coloring. That soaked dye deep into the fabric fast. Squeezed out extra goop over a bucket. Shirt dried splotchy dark blue in 10 minutes. Put it back on him and shot more pics. Boom - head-to-toe blue man on camera!
What Actually Worked For Me
- Face/Arms: Cheap sports drink dabbed on skin dries semi-fast. Looks blue without dripping.
- Clothes: Undiluted food coloring straight on fabric soaks permanent blue fast. Bleeds color everywhere though - wear trash bags!
- Camera Tricks: No fancy editing needed. Natural light + lamp gave cool shadows making blue pop.
Biggest lesson? Stop overthinking it. My expensive gel paint failed but a $2 sports drink worked like magic. Let stuff get messy - splotchy hands and stain disasters turned into the best photos. Just laugh when fails happen!
