It took close to three hours for the makeup experts at Canberra Makeup Academy (CMA) to transform Illana Davies from a gorgeous model to a horrifying zombie. So much for the myth that models and makeup artists only live for fairy-tale weddings and glam fashion photo shoots…

Illana, from Haus Models, was at CMA for a makeup trial for the upcoming Zombie Walk; a charity raising funds for the Brain Foundation.

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For the first time, a group of stunning models from Haus will participate in the walk. The work will be led by two senior makeup artists who recently attended a three-day ‘blood and guts’ workshop in Sydney where they mastered the art of creating realistic, gruesome looks that turn your stomach. Just ask Illana how she felt when looking at her final makeover in the mirror.

Illana, who has been in Italian Vogue online and a model at Fashfest, is dead keen to be part of the Zombie Walk to expand her horizons and seize the opportunity to ‘get into a character’. She barely moved while senior makeup artist, Dove Hamilton, and recent CMA graduate, Taylor Perrin, painstakingly applied lacerations, bite marks and decaying flesh prosthetics to her face and upper body.

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Founders of CMA, Deb Pobjie and Nina Schilling, say their aim is to ensure graduates are among the ‘best of the best’ with the creativity and state-of-the-art techniques needed to work in theatre, film, television and on complex shoots. This includes attending workshops, including this latest one at the Australian College of Make-up and Special Effects, taught by award-winning special effects artist, Brian Sipe of Star Trek and Terminator fame.

“Anyone can throw some fake blood on their face, but to get the skin tone right, the eyes right and the veins looking ‘real’ is the complication with this type of makeup,” says Deb.

“The challenge is to create a gruesome look while making it realistic and natural at the same time.”

Prosthetic moulds are made out of gelatin by CMA students who first research wounds so the final moulds are as real as possible.

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“When training, students work to briefs,” says Nina.

“So they have to research what wounds look like when they’re fresh and then when decay starts to set in. They might work in the Zombie world but they also work to many other briefs, including for motorcycle accidents or domestic violence situations.”

The proesthetics are applied to the skin and carefully blended in so they don’t look ‘stuck on’. Illana’s wounds were the filled with yellow tattoo colouring (the colour of flesh) and then fake blood. She had veins airbrushed on to her neck and arms and special makeup applied for a bruising effect. Black was first applied to her luscious lips to make them look sunken in and hollowed out before blood-red lipstick applied. Even her nails were painted with tattoo ink to make them look old and death-like.

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Zombies are wildly popular these days, owed in part to modern television shows like The Walking Dead and even Michael Jackson’s ground-breaker Thriller music video.

Despite the horror of the looks, the Zombie Walk is a free, family-friendly event designed around having a whole lot of fun, says its organiser Jae Burns.

Zombie infection started to spread in Canberra in 2013, the first year the walk was held in the nation’s capital. Around 600 participated, wildly exceeding the initial target of around 150 and raising close to $6,000.

This year, Jae believes more than 800 zombies will shuffle, slither and limp their way through city streets to raise money and awareness for the Brain Foundation. All donations will go direct to research conducted by neurologists and neurosurgeons.

The Zombie Walk operates in every major city in Australia, with funds raised going to different causes. Jae says Canberra chose the Brain Foundation for its work in a range of disorders affecting more than 2.5 million Australians, including those with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, head injuries and brain tumours.

Everyone is welcome to participate (just register online) or just watch the Zombie shuffle, with gold coin donations encouraged.

The essentials

What: The Zombie Walk & Zombie Invasion After Party

When: 3.30pm Saturday 1 November

Where: Begins at Regatta Point and finishes at Garema Place

Web: www.canberrazombiewalk.com

Photos by Doug Hall, Studio Vita.