Once I decided I was going to pursue makeup I knew I couldn’t stop at YouTube. I mean YouTube is great and all, but I’m still an old fashioned girl who likes to pick up a good book. I wanted books that were simple to understand, had lots of pictures, and were recommended by other special effects makeup artists.

I was ecstatic when I found out about The Monstrous Make-Up Manual Book #1. I am so, so glad I bought it. If you’re thinking about buying this book, let me tell you what I think about it, coming from the standpoint of a newbie.

Disclaimer

I am in no way affiliated with the author Mike Spatola, and I get no commission for promoting his book. My goal is to let you in on resources that are most helpful to you, and this review is given with that in mind.

So, on with the goods.

It takes me a loooong time to commit to spending my money. I’m frugal, so anytime I buy something I want to be sure it will help me be a better artist. I’m trying to be on the level of at least a FaceOff finalist. You know what I mean? Well, this book is a real winner. And it’s recommended by the likes of Robert Kurtzman, Todd Debreceni, and countless other artists.

Is it easy to read and understand?

Hell yes. There are so many pictures you hardly need to read the words (though I recommend you do). One thing I’ve found that makes other books fail is not enough pictures. I want to be able to see what my results should be like. How to accomplish it. I want to see different angles, close up shots, and examples. That is exactly what this book delivers. There’s a picture for almost every step of every project. It’s the next best thing to being in a workshop with Spatola. I never felt like I needed a dictionary by my side while reading the book either. Spatola uses language that makes you think he’s talking directly to you.

What do you learn?

There are some really awesome tricks taught in this book. Before I bought it I read through the long list of things the book has to offer. Here’s an excerpt direct from the book”s website:

What Will I Learn?

LOTS!! Everything from where to get your supplies (with embedded hot links that will take you directly to the supplier’s web sites in the digital versions) to basics, paint and powder make-ups, a ton of 3-D Out of the Kit techniques, full 3-D construction make-ups, to taking face casts, sculpting, making molds, and creating prosthetic appliances out of foam latex, encapsulated silicone and even the latest technology of Prosthetic Transfers. And finally, finished Prosthetic Make-ups using the different types of appliances.

There’s over 26 different finished make-ups in this pdf book, and about a bazillion techniques to learn! And, best of all, it’s written in plain English without a lot of technical jargon, and over 750 photos to illustrate the techniques used.

So, as you can see, there are so many techniques taught in this book that you can use it to do all sorts of looks. I also learned some things from my personal wish list like hair laying, using gelatin, using modeling wax, and sculpting techniques.

How much is it?

I’ve had mine for a minute, and I believe I paid upwards of about $50 USD for it. Since then, though, Mr. Spatola has promoted PART 2, which I am DYING to get my hands on! As such, the first book is now much less. For the sake of keeping this post up to date I won’t post the price here, but you can go here to see what the current price is.

Still not convinced?

Visit the book’s website and read what it has to offer. Be sure to read the testimonials too. That’s what convinced me to spend my own money. Seriously, everything written on the website, all the testimonials and positive reviews, really does do the book justice. It’s all true. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. All who buy it are in danger of becoming an extraordinary artist.

Do you have a copy? Got any other questions about the book? Leave a comment.