Malnutrition - The Skull - Experiment

As part of my research in to the effects of self neglect Miss Havisham may have encountered, i decided to look at malnutrition.

What is malnutrition?
Malnutrition is a condition resulting from an inadequate diet. it most commonly occurs when someone does not eat enough.

The effects
- Reduced muscle and tissue mass (would explain why Miss Havisham has a sunken in, skeletal appearance)
-Decreased mobility (Miss Havisham doesn't venture out, he skin would be stiff and sore)
- Wounds take longer to heal (Any rashes, bruises, scratches would could still be visible)
- Slower immune response, increase risk of infection (This would explain her yellowed wax-like appearance)

(m.nursingtimes.net/5001811.article)

Personal sketch of the human skull
Pencil of paper

I decided to take a look at the human skull to help underneath how light and shadow would act on the face as a result of reduced muscle mass caused by malnutrition. I notice areas that would appear most sunken in occurs around the outside of the face, around the forehead down to below the eyes in particular. The skull sinks in possibly most notable below the area below the cheekbones and aside the jaw, an area in modern beauty we highlight as a way of emphasising a more slimline face.
However, to emphasise the look of malnutrition and a 'sunken in' nature I would really need to emphasise these shady areas.

As a mini experiment, I tried to emulate what I had learnt about malnutrition and the anatomy of the skull on to the face.

- I started with a clean base matched to my skin tone, I added a little yellow to the mixture to give the appearance of illness

- I buffed my base on to the skin making sure to go right in to the hair line and down the neck

- I then applied a mixture of black and white supra colour to areas of the face I wanted to shadow using my sketch of the skull as a reference

- Using a small blending brush I then blended this in to the skin to give a seamless finish. Areas I concentrated on included the nose, eye sockets, forehead and jaw line.

Im fairly pleased with the overall effect, I just wish it was a little more noticeable, but when I tried this it ended up looking 'muddy'.