Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1256324
48 • THE ARTISAN SPRING 2020 A s a creator of realistic prosthetics and props, I was surprised to hear from Star Trek: Picard production, but quickly found that that's exactly what they were look- ing for—they wanted the aliens to blend into the scene and look as though they belonged instead of standing out. I immediately said yes and 8-year-old me watching Next Gen with my stepdad was very excited about this project. I knew from my fi rst few meetings that we were in for high volume, as well as incredibly detailed work. The team has to be strong. For my department heads, sculptor and painter Daniele Tirinnanzi, mold shop supervisors Carl Lyon & Rob Freitas, silicone casting: William Thornton, prosthetic transfer casting: Jason James, lab tech & fabricator Gwen Ramsey and hair artist & supervisor Sasha Camacho Van Dyke. With my department heads in place, I needed to open a 5,000-sq.-ft satellite shop and have coordinators ensuring there was constant communication between both shops and set, so Brian Walsh, Richard Courte and Cody Wilkins had the task of keeping the machine oiled and running on time. Picard was a fun project where we were able to create new aliens like Mr. Vup (played by Dominic Burgess), with his reptilian scaly earth tone skin. Vup's head was made completely of pre-painted foam latex and his gloves were silicone; 80 percent of his painting was done in shop with the fi nal painting done by Alexei Dmitiew on set. We also created some of the most iconic prosthetics with Jeri Ryan's character, Seven of Nine. This was a make-up I looked forward to making, and when she came in for her life cast was when it hit me that I am working on Star Trek! We outsourced our 3D printing for Picard Season 1 with the sheer volume of Borg parts needed, and that opportunity to step out of my comfort zone to develop new techniques made me want to add a 3D printer to the VVD effects arsenal. That experience really made me grateful to my mentor Tom Burman who always taught me to put ego aside and learn new things, or you will get left behind in this ever-changing industry. Neville Page redesigned Romulans, differentiating between northern and southern Romulans STAR TREK: PICARD B Y V I N C E N T V A N D Y K E P R O S T H E T I C D E S I G N E R 'MAKE IT SO'