text: The work of Abi Gordon-Cody is certainly not for the squeamish. Her Instagram posts of severed fingers, rotting flesh and impaled limbs may seem like the work of an extremely violent (or extremely clumsy) person but Abi's injuries are, in fact, all a clever illusion. Abi, 26, from Droitwich, Worcestershire, works as a special effects make-up artist with the daily challenge of trying to find ways of slicing off fingers and impaling bodies in a completely pain-free way. Scroll down for video . Make-up artist Abi Gordon-Cody creates gruesome injuries using special effects . Abi often stars in her own pictures, taking selfies of a bloody pencil seemingly impaled through her nostril and emerging from the bridge of her nose, or a shot of a foot that has trodden on a long rusty nail. In one picture, her toes appear to have been chopped off, while in another, a bloody ear has teeth marks where skin should be and in another, her forearm is covered in a huge iron 'burn'. One of her most inventive is a zombie rictus grin which she made by building up layers of toilet paper, latex and fake blood on her face. However, Abi's talents stretch beyond mangled makeovers having worked in theatre and helped out on film sets and she says that her work can involve beautifying rather than horrifying a client. She told Movie Pilot: 'I am constantly building up my portfolio as a make-up artist. It includes what I like to call, 'pretty make up' such as bridal and special occasions, but more importantly from blushing bride to bleeding eyes I specialise specifically in special effects creation of realistic wounds, injuries and traumas.' Abi's gory recreations of wounds have earned her a loyal following of almost 3000 on Instagram . Abi says that she was inspired to go into stage make-up by her family who worked in showbiz . As well as her gory recreations Abi works as a general make-up artist for weddings and events . Yet while Abi's love of re-creating serious injuries may seem ghoulish, the make-up expert's interest is informed by her unusual background growing up in a theatrical family. Her grandparents owned a circus, her father was a real life cowboy, stuntman and prop maker and her mother started out as a stylish stage hypnotherapist and went on to become the first female escapologist. Abi watched her father transform himself into different characters and she studied her mother while she applied stage make-up. Now her gory Instagram profile with its uncanny depictions of horror scenarios and hideous household accidents has attracted almost 3,000 followers as users take note for possible pranks or Halloween inspiration. Abi titled this post 'day-dreaming nightmare' as she replicates a finger being severed by a potato peeler . Abi says that she used to watch her mother apply stage make-up as a child . Abi says that her busiest time of year is Halloween... unsurprisingly . And yet Abi admits that some horror films terrify her. She tells Movie Pilot that even though she finds the Saw films 'hard to stomach', the special effects are incredible. She said: 'I’d have loved to have been in on those early planning sessions. The make-up team must have been in their element and I can only imagine how fun and rewarding working on such a film was, now something like that is where I want to be!' So far she has put her skills to good use creating realistic injuries from a derailed train simulation to for an emergency service training exercise. In fact, she watches gruesome flicks for inspiration rather than thrills. 'Horror films do inspire me, and now when I watch them I zoom in on how the make-up was created instead of just what it is,' she said. And everyday life provides plenty of fuel for her over-active imagination. 'I look at everyday objects and think of the bad things that could happen,' she said. Abi often incorporates kitchen props to replicate household accidents . Abi uses prosthetics to create convincing injuries such as these severed toes .
target: Abi Gordon-Cody creates gruesome injuries using special effects make-up .
  Her gory creations have earned her almost 3,000 followers on Instagram .
  26-year-old from Droitwich watches horror films for inspiration .