As for WHAT makeup - well it's not a matter of WHAT but rather a matter of HOW.  Again you MUST begin with an actor who looks enough like EL to impersonate him.  Elvis was part American Indian as I recall and had high cheekbones.  JAWLINE was strong and sculpted.  Always seemed to be well tanned and "healthy" looking, with deep dark eyes.  ALL his features were very masculine even though (often thanks to airbrushing and gauze filters) his skin tone was smooth and clear.  STRIKINGLY handsome features - beyond the norm actually, but rugged, manly and powerful looking.  A LOT of it is attitude, style, imitation which is ENHANCED by similar looks and body shape (he was usually always in pretty good shape physically) which would require minimal makeup to achieve.  I SUGGEST that you get some photos of Elvis - straight, head on and even profile if you can find any, and get someone who knows how to manipulate photos in Photoshop, overlay Elvis' photo on the person who is the impersonator and see how the two match up physically which REALLY REALLY helps to give you the idea of what has to be done to what features to get them to look like the person they're portraying.  That's a REAL tell-tale process.  I suspect you're NOT talking about using prosthetics to achieve what is NOT there naturally.  Prosthetics, done by a professional and done right, CAN help.  But that's a temporary thing that becomes a process.  Straight makeup will do NOTHING more than alter or diminish what is LEAST like the features of the original on an impersonator but often only works directionally.  I've seen impersonation makeups done that look GREAT head on - like a photographic portrait shot.  But turn to either side in profile and the illusion is totally gone.  THAT is a real consideration.

 

It would take a GOOD makeup artist quite a bit of time to get the makeup to a point that takes it from being artificial to believable BUT ONLY on a face that is as close to the original as you can possibly get.  I can't recall who it was now that played him in a movie some years ago - Kurt Russell maybe - who looked a lot like Elvis but is so distinctively recognizable that you knew it was Kurt, but he had the style, the attitude, the moves, the "look' down enough with minimal makeup work, as to be acceptable.

 

This guy you show photos of - if that TRULY is him in makeup, then I suspect that he looks enough like Elvis in basic look, general bone structure and form, to pull this off with just simple makeup work - well not simple....but minimal, enhancing with wigs and costumes.  We've ALL seen too many BAAAAADDD Elvis impersonators I'm sure.  But makeup can only do so much.  And as I said, at the BASIC it's about enhancing and pronouncing those features that are MOST like Elvis' and hiding or diminishing those features that can never be close to his look.  The rest is performance.

 

HARD to say what is done or how it's done.  I'd LOVE to know if the guy shown uses prosthetics or not.  THAT CAN be employed but only if you have a professional makeup artist who knows how to work with the most believable of tools available to give the most realistic and believable finished product when applied.  THEN you have a LOT of factors to deal with when using those as well but that's another whole book.  I'd say a lot of it is trial and error to "get" the look needed - not so much WHAT to use, but how to use what you have to make that work.

 

Good luck with it though. Research is good - look for impersonators who do these kinds of transformations and see if you can find tutorials (I've never seen any but who knows).

 

TonyDi

 

P.S.

Meant to also say that THIS guy shown is one of the very best I've EVER seen for Elvis.  Looks just like him - trusting he has the voice, the moves and the body for it.  A red head with a goatee, and he transforms into THIS version of Elvis?  Amazing.

 

For actual make up courses & specific needs try theses sites in the UK, the 3 Kings especialy. I'm sure Mike will help you out.;- http://www.threekingstheatrical.com/