EXCLUSIVE'The Bear' makeup artist Ignacia Soto-Aguilar reveals how she expertly covers Jeremy Allen White's tattoos before applying his character's ink
Jeremy Allen White's character on The Bear has eleven tattoos that the 33-year-old actor helped design with tattoo artist Benny Shields.
'It was interesting to kind of get to a know a character through tattoos and really discuss where and why he got these things and make discoveries about a character through that process,' Jeremy shared with GQ.
Adding, 'I've never done that before. I think for Carmy they're sort of an armor and I don't think he felt that tough all the time and that got him here,' said Jeremy about the chef's ink.
In real life Jeremy has five arm tattoos that need to be covered before Carmy's can be applied.
'Due to copyright, we must cover art by other artists and that includes tattoo artists,' The Bear makeup artist, Ignacia Soto-Aguilar, tells Daily Mail.
Jeremy Allen White 's character on The Bear has eleven tattoos that the 33-year-old actor helped design with tattoo artist Benny Shields
'We can get clearance, but a lot of the time the character would have a different tattoo journey than the actor in real life, so covering and adding original designs is the way to go - as I do on Jeremy Allen White for The Bear,' she shared.
The artist who also worked on TNT’s Claws and The Heist, recently posted a video of the lengthy process on Instagram.
She captioned the post '5 tattoo cover, 11 tattoo transfers, 5 scar transfers. Season 1- 1hr 26mins, Season 3- 24mins.'
Want to temporarily cover your ink? Ignacia breaks down her pro tips.
Start by creating a clean surface
To cover a tattoo correctly, the skin needs to be in optimal condition.
'Make sure the skin is hair free and prepped with a skin protectant,' says Ignacia.
'I like using Skin-Prep wipes by Smith and Nephew. They protect the skin whilst helping the product adhere smoother.'
At the start of the video Jeremy, wearing a white sleeveless tank top and blue jeans, can be seen shaving his arms before Ignacia gets to work.
'Due to copyright, we must cover art by other artists and that includes tattoo artists,' makeup artist Ignacia Soto-Aguilar tells Daily Mail
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The proper products are crucial
A foundation that is sheer, buildable or translucent will not cover a tattoo.
'I always use alcohol activated makeup. My favorite is EBA (European body art). It dries almost instantly, it’s pigmented, water proof,' shares Ignacia.
'I like to apply it with a paint brush. I cut the bristles shorter to flick the color on. The alcohol activated paint has a latex like consistency, so applying it this way will help it from cracking.
'There are cream formulas of this alcohol activated technology, I have found them not to be as durable on screen, but they’re a great option if you aren’t comfortable with flicking at first, or if you’re covering your own on a daily basis.'
To prevent smudging, makeup needs to be set. This last step is one of the most important.
'For setting I love RCMA translucent powder topped with PPI’s Zero Marble Spray. It never fails me.'
There's nothing worse that smeared makeup on clothing.
'To avoid rubbing the makeup on clothes on a summer day, put some anti-chaffing cream on it. You can get it at any drug store!'
Ignacia shares her product selects here.
In real life Jeremy has five arm tattoos that Ignacia needs to cover before applying Carmy's ink
'We can get clearance, but a lot of the time the character would have a different tattoo journey than the actor in real life, so covering and adding original designs is the way to go - as I do on Jeremy Allen White for The Bear,' shared Ignacia
Her three-step process
There are three layers to Ignacia's process: correction, skin tone and flush tone.
'The first is the color correction layer- this will be a combination of a correcting tone for the dark tattoos such as a peach or an orange tone, and a color slightly lighter than the skin tone.
'This makeup dries darker depending on the skin type. So always wait for it to dry to decide what color to add next.
'Second layer is the skin tone.
'Skin has blood flow and texture. So for the third layer I flicker a little wash of flush tone (important to figure out what your flush is - a good trick is to look at the palms of your hands to find it).'
Achieving a flawless finish
To ensure perfection, Ignacia recommends one last step.
'Take a picture of yourself before you leave and see if the camera picks up anything your eye isn’t.'
Just position yourself in front of a mirror in good light. The mirror selfie will provide a true reflection of what others will see.
