Creatures, carnage and stunning body art with S.African FX makeup and prosthetic artist Jurine Erwee

**article contains images that may disturb sensitive viewers 

Jurine Erwee has been obsessed with makeup effects since she was a teen. “We used to make these silly YouTube movies,” she recalls, “and one time we did a zombie movie—the budget was probably about R50, haha!—and I was thinking we can make it scary. So I found Pritt, tissue paper and lipstick and went to town!” 

That scrappy, spirited experiment sparked a lifelong fascination and passion for body art, prosthetics and special effects (FX). From that moment on, she fell in love with the idea of monsters and wounds used in film—whether in gritty action flicks or full-blown Marvel blockbusters. “I’d start picking out the makeup,” she says, describing how every on-screen creature or injury became a point of fascination.

The decision to go professional came later, sparked by a different kind of transformation—cosplay. “I would enter competitions or dress up for conventions,” Jurine explains, “and so learned with household materials and later on proper materials on the making of specific pieces.” 

That hands-on curiosity soon turned into a full-blown study spree: first college, then online schooling. Once she was ready, she began marketing her way into the film industry, where she continues to work and take commissions to this day - operating out of her home studio. Since 2016 she has been building up her equipment and products. 

“Creatively, I definitely have done some competitions with time restrictions that challenged me. In film I am mostly known for fight scene wounds, gunshots, etc. so when doing big fantasy creatures it would be part of a competition. Making sure the concept works, that your model/actor is always comfortable and making sure your ‘creature’ works anatomically while garnering reactions could be quite a feat. I would love to get into more monsters and giant creatures.”

If she could redesign the makeup or prosthetics for any iconic character, she exclaims the Navi in Avatar. “They live in an enchanted forest with amazingly lush and interesting plants and animals. They are, in my opinion, too similar to humans. I guess the idea was to make characters more relatable to viewers. However, I feel they could have pushed the design elements further by adding some of the interesting animal and plant designs to them to make them blend in a bit more with the surroundings. The movies were incredible though.”

“A favorite SFX movie of mine is The Fly! Chris Walas did an absolute stellar job of creating the creature back in the 80s. It was grotesque, it evoked disgust and feelings of nausea and reactions like that is what makes me excited for my own work.”

When it comes to designing makeup effects and prosthetics, Jurine’s process is a mix of research, instinct, and a splash of beautifully chaotic improvisation. 

“Sometimes I would go on (I know, it’s terrible) medical pages or find journals with images showing wounds, trauma, videos on how blood runs if that is required, etc. to start drafting pieces for fight scenes. Knowing anatomy, veining, tendons and how they move is so important. When I do more fantasy based characters, I’m one of those people who are terrible at planning so I love going with the flow while creating. It also very much depends on the brief of the theme.”

“My signature touch when creating makeup effects and prosthetics is that I always strive for perfection in both the colouring and flawless application and blending of the product. This may not be a style, but some artists do not take everything into account. When making prosthetics, I always make sure the piece is thin so it won’t stand out, and that my blending edge is super thin to give a perfect blend every time, regardless of the artist applying it.”

Designing prosthetics requires a deep comprehension of anatomy and structure. Jurine's approach to achieving the perfect balance between realism and artistic expression in character design involves prioritising the fidelity of anatomical accuracy.

“From there you can add your creative ideas or turn it into more fantasy creatures. Know how a bone breaks and how the body reacts to it, or having a leg cut off and creating a fake stump, you’ll need to know exactly how it happened before making creative choices around it.”

She says that there are surprising things about making gory prosthetics that many people won’t immediately think of, such as that not all wounds bleed!

“A pet peeve of mine is that some people like being blood-happy on their work when sometimes a wound only bleeds minutes after the injury occurs,” says Jurine. “The same goes for bruising. Not all areas bruise until a day or two later, which is where knowing anatomy comes into play. And thirdly, anatomy again! For example, if you create a monster or evil entity with horns coming out of their forehead. What area of the skull does it attach to? If the horn got damaged or pulled off, would it have nerves? How would the skin be built around it to ensure a solid foundation? Small things can have a BIG impact.”

As she tells us about some of her undertakings, she reveals that her most challenging one was her third project, a commission from an FX lab in Cape Town for season 2 of the television series Warrior. 

“It was one of the biggest productions I have ever done. The sheer amount of work that was required was incredible. My biggest obstacle was finding my own strength. - I went through many mental challenges to find that person in me who can handle anything. One thing I was taught by my HOD, that I will never ever forget, is that you either hate film and never go back, or you fall in love with the stress and adrenaline. There is no inbetween. That quote has stayed with me my whole career.

In another production I had to improvise a leg being sawed off on camera. So I used a packaging tube, a condom filled with fake blood, and a piece of silicone skin I had sculpted the previous night. It worked brilliantly!”

In the special effects industry, staying current isn’t optional—it’s essential. Luckily, Jurine thrives on the hunt for new knowledge. “Social media is a very powerful tool,” she says. “Many great artists enjoy sharing new things they find or figure out. I started going through crew lists on IMDb and following them online. I also study constantly and sometimes I find a trick or a new technique by accident!”

When it comes to the future of special effects and prosthetics, Jurine is optimistic—and energised by the possibilities that new technology brings. “Technology is incredible and using it as a tool instead of seeing it as an enemy can help you so much. For lifecasting—making a copy of your face using silicone or alginate then using plaster or stonelike products over it to keep shape while the person sits in a chair for two hours—we now have the means to scan a person’s head or even body in detail within minutes. We can then 3D print them, clean it up with clay and make a proper mould without the actor sitting there.You save time, not only for you but for your actor, your production, and the time you have making your prosthetics. I am very excited to see new technology being brought into the industry.”

One of her biggest dreams is to establish a school aimed at nurturing and educating aspiring makeup and prosthetics artists in South Africa.

”I would love to have a warehouse fully stocked with all the necessary equipment, where artists can access facilities for a small fee, as not everyone can afford a full workshop. Being able to teach, collaborate with other professionals to share expertise, and have all machinery and products under the same roof would be absolutely incredible.”

“A major challenge faced by professionals in my industry locally is the difficulty of importing necessary products into the country, resulting in increased costs. The local FX industry isn't as recognised internationally, making it harder for businesses to start selling specialised products here. Access to proper products is limited, with only a handful of places offering them. While international or large-scale productions shooting in the country often handle imports or provide budgets for them, establishing big stores dedicated to FX supplies locally most likely won’t happen for a long time.”

She notes the rising demand for international beauty makeup brands, which has led to the emergence of specialty shops. By demonstrating similar demand for FX products, she hopes to catalyse the growth of the industry and eventually see dedicated stores catering to FX artists in South Africa.

Growing up, was she ever seen as the weird girl for loving everything bloody and strange? “I am still the weird girl and I'm 30 (years old). I’ve been called all kinds of names—someone on a livestream of an eNCA interview called me a devil child,” she laughs. “I don’t really care, because if my art evokes a feeling, I did my job.”

Having done many live demonstrations in front of thousands of people, there’s been no shortage of memorable questions about her craft. 

“I have many fun ones!  “Whose blood is that?”  “Can you make me a wound so I can get off work?” “Will it hurt when I touch it?” One time a little girl, about 3 years old, wanted bloody dripping hands on her arm. (This kid is my spirit animal.) During demos I have also done live interviews for news stations, and at times have gotten lucky and film productions offered me work. I absolutely love the genuine reactions and emotions on people’s faces when they see my work. It is what drives me to become better every day. You can never stop learning in a creative world that is ever evolving.

“This truly is a job I will never be able to give up. I enjoy every stressful second of it, even if I have to work through the night sometimes. I truly love what I do and will be absolutely happy to answer any other questions if anyone wants to get into the industry or even just to learn!”

You can check out more of her awesome work on her instragram