Ron Swanson / Nick Offerman Impersonation Cosplay Costume - Parks and Recreation

[joberg]

1. Brows: unless you hide the middle of your brow with make-up and re-shape it like his, or cut it and do another arch one...or put tape on you forehead and stretch it to lift your brow (could be hidden with the hat). A swimming cap should be worn to make sure the tape stays in place Your call
2. With the tape trick you'll lift the eye...but his are really bigger than yours and it would help, but not perfect...
3. For the nose I would enlarge my nostrils with clear tubes, or cotton tubes painted black (breathe by the mouth)
4. Well, comes down to that mustache and the challenges of getting the right "faux 'stache" together with yours.
5. You've done false ear lobes before; you're a pro on that one
6. Skin color + base make-up color will do the trick.
7. Side and top of the head will be, partially covered by the hat.
8. Sideburns? Nothing to see here; move along

 

[greenmachines]

1. Brows: unless you hide the middle of your brow with make-up and re-shape it like his, or cut it and do another arch one...or put tape on you forehead and stretch it to lift your brow (could be hidden with the hat). A swimming cap should be worn to make sure the tape stays in place Your call
2. With the tape trick you'll lift the eye...but his are really bigger than yours and it would help, but not perfect...
3. For the nose I would enlarge my nostrils with clear tubes, or cotton tubes painted black (breathe by the mouth)
4. Well, comes down to that mustache and the challenges of getting the right "faux 'stache" together with yours.
5. You've done false ear lobes before; you're a pro on that one
6. Skin color + base make-up color will do the trick.
7. Side and top of the head will be, partially covered by the hat.
8. Sideburns? Nothing to see here; move along

I saw a trick on Mrs. Doubtfire with the swimming cap and strings ending in sticky pads on the forehead.... reminded me of that exact trick you describe. So, of course I have practiced in the mirror and found the precise point that will raise it correctly. The brow will still need to be plucked or shaved (I opt for shaving now that I have found plucking can be permanent loss). Add in the right color brushed on and I think I can do a match.

Stach' is still the deciding factor......

I realized that tipping my head forward brings on the correct eye white exposure (now actually looking up) and the right nose tip. Add in the flare you mentioned and some makeup shadowing for thinning and another match.... but practice needed.

I am now seeing some chub on his lower extreme outside cheeks and am looking for resolution.

As for the base skin color, I am calling in the pros and having a passle of my daughters friends coach me on full face tone change prior to nose shadowing. I hope to report that process in detail once successful.

 

[joberg]

I saw a trick on Mrs. Doubtfire with the swimming cap and strings ending in sticky pads on the forehead.... reminded me of that exact trick you describe. So, of course I have practiced in the mirror and found the precise point that will raise it correctly. The brow will still need to be plucked or shaved (I opt for shaving now that I have found plucking can be permanent loss). Add in the right color brushed on and I think I can do a match.

Stach' is still the deciding factor......

I realized that tipping my head forward brings on the correct eye white exposure (now actually looking up) and the right nose tip. Add in the flare you mentioned and some makeup shadowing for thinning and another match.... but practice needed.

I am now seeing some chub on his lower extreme outside cheeks and am looking for resolution.

As for the base skin color, I am calling in the pros and having a passle of my daughters friends coach me on full face tone change prior to nose shadowing. I hope to report that process in detail once successful.

Chub in cheek? Go the Marlon Brando trick: again, those cotton tubes on either side of your jaw (upper or lower or both) should do the trick

 

[greenmachines]

Chub in cheek? Go the Marlon Brando trick: again, those cotton tubes on either side of your jaw (upper or lower or both) should do the trick

I will try this.

 

[greenmachines]

 

[greenmachines]

Cotton rolls did add some lower cheek bulk but I have also found that Offerman pulls his head back, causing his cheeks and neck to bunch up theatrically.

The eyelid droop is a bit harder but I can manually droop them and then paste them with a stiffener. They previously used eggwhite for this. Creping.

The eyebrow lift had some interesting twists in my research. I found the perfect spot for the lift and have facelift tape and string combo coming in the mail, this week. However, my wife noticed his half brow and said, "Thyroid issues do that." So, I guess this is a known thing where half the hair on the brow goes away. I will be coating mine and doing a makeup match to hide the blocker.

I received 3 mustaches and am nearly done with trial shaping on the first one. It was the closest match to color without reworking any stains.

I did a few trial face poses (without the facelift tape, one with just pulling it up with my finger) and here are my split face comp shots:

His mustache changes between episodes so there is no gold standard Ron Swanson mustache shape. This makes it difficult to get more than one episode where it is a match but I am leaning into the one episode with the coonskin cap.

Enhancements still to come are darkening the eyebrow while lightening the trailing edge, placing the eyebrow lift tape ( this allows me to open my eye like his while still raising the brow, and placing the mustache with real adhesive paste. I had only been using double sided tape in these test poses so I could not get the downturn at the outside edge.

The nostril flare is doable. I only remembered to do it once out of three of these photos.

 

[joberg]

Looking close; with the proper make-up color for your 'stache and brows, it'll be a perfect match. The eyes are good and the tubes-in-the-nostrils-trick will add to the closeness of his facial features. Great work so far!!

 

[greenmachines]

Looking close; with the proper make-up color for your 'stache and brows, it'll be a perfect match. The eyes are good and the tubes-in-the-nostrils-trick will add to the closeness of his facial features. Great work so far!!

Wow, yes, the tubes. I keep trying to remember to flare but the tubes just make it a non issue. Putting them on the list.

 

[greenmachines]

I received two varieties of the facelift tape. The first is the conventional tape pad and cord combination that was displayed in Mrs Doubtfire. These allow a minimal tape area near the hairline but require an anchor point on the other end. Some of the cords wrap completely around the head to an opposing tape at the mirror point on rhe other side of the face. These are elastic cords. I believe the originals, from Mrs Doubtfire, were cords that tied and were not elastic.




The second kind is a more recent innovation. These look like bandaids without the cotton center section. Quite genius, really, as they are applied very similar to an adhesive bandaid but include a stretching action required before attaching the second half.




Both can be applied in such a way as to hide them rather well.

Because my hairline is receding and I will be wearing a hat, both versions would be completely hidden.

In this next picture you can see my intended purpose, the reshaping of the brow (one side only to demo):

These are cheap and easily removed, lending to their versatility in effects makeup. I plan to apply these wherever I would have been forced to remember to flex facial muscles for a pose. Downturned mouth, tucked back ear, the possibilities just pile up.


The only application caution is to apply to freshly cleaned skin. I used alcohol to prep the tape site and be careful to avoid touching the adhesive with your fingers before application.

With my demo, I overshot the mark and am too high but I do intend to darken and extend toward the nose with mascara brushed faux hairs. Ron's is raised on the outside and lowered on the inside.

Number one most important disguise rule:

Keep the silhouette correct.

And because eyebrows are a major portion of that, it must be right.

 

[greenmachines]

1. Brows: unless you hide the middle of your brow with make-up and re-shape it like his, or cut it and do another arch one...or put tape on you forehead and stretch it to lift your brow (could be hidden with the hat). A swimming cap should be worn to make sure the tape stays in place Your call
2. With the tape trick you'll lift the eye...but his are really bigger than yours and it would help, but not perfect...
3. For the nose I would enlarge my nostrils with clear tubes, or cotton tubes painted black (breathe by the mouth)
4. Well, comes down to that mustache and the challenges of getting the right "faux 'stache" together with yours.
5. You've done false ear lobes before; you're a pro on that one
6. Skin color + base make-up color will do the trick.
7. Side and top of the head will be, partially covered by the hat.
8. Sideburns? Nothing to see here; move along

I see the big eye issue and can compensate a little by opening the socket. However, what would you gauge the iris size difference is? There are Iris enlarging costume contacts that I could throw at this.

 

[joberg]

I see the big eye issue and can compensate a little by opening the socket. However, what would you gauge the iris size difference is? There are Iris enlarging costume contacts that I could throw at this.

Be sure that you can get contacts that are good to wear long term (more than 4 hours). Some are cheap and can damage your eyes in less than an hour Because the tape "opens" your eye lid also, I think that the pic you've posted looks good in terms of eye position and white surface compared to Nick's

 

[greenmachines]

Be sure that you can get contacts that are good to wear long term (more than 4 hours). Some are cheap and can damage your eyes in less than an hour Because the tape "opens" your eye lid also, I think that the pic you've posted looks good in terms of eye position and white surface compared to Nick's

This saves me the step of contacts. Eye color is close enough matched that the ten foot away pose will eliminate any serious contrasting difference

 

[greenmachines]

Ya, so where did I put all my mobile photography lights?

now in the shed..... still no lights

 

[greenmachines]

 

[joberg]

View attachment 1944706

Very, very close I would add a little bit of heft on your middle to fill the coat better

 

[greenmachines]

Very, very close I would add a little bit of heft on your middle to fill the coat better

Honestly, I swore I would remember to pooch it out but that just goes on the list of physical temporary alterations that should actually be prosthetics. I actually have another of the same pose where I remembered but didn't like the face pose in that one

 

[greenmachines]

I have yet to put the build thread portion together. I have all my pictures of supplies and steps from the day of the final build but I am wiped out. Really hoping it isn't this flu everyone is getting. I truly hate summer flu. So, I am kicking back, eating snacks and just leveling down on the motivation kick that got me over the last day. This particular costume was hours of makeup and effects and it was all self applied. It went from 430pm to 4am with getting it all back off again. Which, Ha!!!, now that I think about it, is the actual reason I am burned out to the core.......3.5 hours sleep since....
Might post some other final pics tonight and save the build instructions for last.

They are really cool though as I had to use some new effects.....make up some new effects, for this build. So, at least new-to-me techniques that I want to share in the realm of disguise and impersonation effects.

 

[greenmachines]

I threw the main pose into the likeness app and was shocked at the 95 percent on the first try. Those numbers only come up if it is two pictures of the same person. So, I thought of trying two photos of Nick at slightly off angles...... 93.... I am totally stoked! This means the computer is seeing this as the same face at only the slightest change in angle.

 

[joberg]

Yep, there's close similarities between you and the actor for sure! You should be very happy with the rating
I think that, with the Warp Speed you've used to make the costume and the different tweaks and tricks to alter the details of your face, you've nailed it as close as possible!! Another high water mark after your Adam Ant one

 

[greenmachines]

Near zero free time so still dragging on getting my process steps documented. For now, a photo dump of all my runner ups; pretty close but not uncanny close, poses.



and a higher res final favorite that I used in the meme: