Facepaint UK Blog

Jinny already has two DVDs available, and is planning a third. We have had a look at the first two, and wanted to let you know what you're missing if you haven't got them yet.

Volume 1
Never having put a DVD into the "coffee holder" before (Technophobe? No, just happy with the way things were.) I had a bit of a struggle with mastering the machine. No! Of course I didn't look at the instructions, my kids don't need to, so why should I? However, I recommend that you do look at these instructional DVDs. I wish this kind of thing had been around when I started painting faces, there was very little back in 1990, a few French books with pictures and absolutely nothing to tell you how! This takes you through your kit with the sensible advice that more products don't necessarily make you a better artist!
Jinny is of course promoting Paradise, the product she developed with Mehron for face and body painters. As she had a hand in it, one feels that she truly believes that it is the ideal product to use. Her techniques lean towards this, but are adaptable to any product, and if you've ever had difficulty using Paradise, which is somewhere between a "cake" and a "cream" this will enlighten you.

Paradise have some fabulous colours that are unique, and the products will work with others, so you can mix and match quite happily. The paint has an unusual opaque quality that she uses to full advantage.
All the clear handled Paradise brushes are demonstrated, all are synthetic, but I have found them to be excellent for certain "strokes", and very controllable. Her enthusiasm for Detailz is everywhere, it is a fantastic little tool for achieving perfect dots, a Jinny signature! They also effect great little flower petals. I don't think there was one 'full face' on here, but it's refreshing to look at designing a little differently, without the need to cover the face.
There are plenty of designs to suit very young children, without going over the eyes which they tend not to like. The designs are all very effective, and don't look as if you would be cutting corners at all. Seeing the designs develop from very simple beginnings gives everyone the confidence that they could do it too! It is the details at the end that really lift the designs, and these are not too difficult to complete as demonstrated. However, I felt inspired, and wanted to add my own twist to the designs rather than to just copy, which I am sure is what Jinny intended.
All the subjects covered are useful, Leopard, Butterfly, Jewellery, Roses, Monsters, small muzzles for young ones, whole creatures to paint around features, so something for all customers, young and old! There's a section called Black Only at the end which is useful for just creating cool stuff.
The voice over diminishes as the DVD progresses, which is probably a bonus. The sound quality isn't good, Jinny sounds like she is in a box and, whilst her voice is a delight in French, her English is stilted, my son said she sounds like a female Stephen Hawking, cruel but quite observant! It is difficult to know what to do as a soundtrack for something like this, it's pretty slow action and just what is the perfect music for watching paint dry? I think Jinny works with more confidence now than when this video was made, but it's a great start.

So on to the next, Volume 2 - Creative Ideas.
Thankfully this all happens a lot faster and I didn't have to use fast forward! It starts with Jinny painting herself in extraordinary colours, well she is lovely!
The DVD is divided into Ideas for Girls, Ideas for Boys and Techniques. As it says on the tin - 'This section contains detailed information on brush handling and manipulation, sponge handling, blending, double loading' and it's true. It is a bit more advanced than Volume 1, as one would expect, but nothing a novice couldn't attempt, and learn some good habits along the way.
Jinny's style is completely her own, but the principles she adheres to are valuable. Her 'beautiful nothings' work time after time because, not only is the colour and brushwork well chosen and executed, but the placement enhances features perfectly. Whilst she does not fully explore this verbally, it is worth paying attention to the 'formulas' she uses, they work! We are encouraged to be creative, and there is less to copy here, each design is inspired by the work of the stylist, and there is an infectious freedom implied.
Some unusual colour combinations are used encouraging the viewer to move away from 'safe' choices with exciting results. There is a truly gorgeous flower face that I immediately took on board, and which went down a storm the very next day! Her technique of double (and triple!) loading a sponge for fast effective bases is clearly explained, and a real time saver.
There is a quick section on "funny ideas" injecting a touch of humour before we get onto the boys' stuff. Here you might imagine that the queen of twirls and swirls might falter, but no, there is a masculine boldness in her African design, and a knight in a confident painterly style that would grace any swordsman. As ever, costuming helps enormously, and this is something the average job doesn't allow, but by being inspired to develop the confidence in being creative with what you have in front of you, great results are possible. There are a few adult men thrown in for good measure, with a fantastic 3D shading technique on 'clawman' and finally a section on bodypainting using the body chisel brush for fast, effective application.
The techniques section is truly instructive (when I finally managed to get it in English, still not au fait yet!) and takes you through some valuable tips with clear close ups of brushwork so you can see exactly how those strokes are done.
The gallery reveals her Cirque du Soleil style origins, and even Neil, her demonstration model at Warpaint last year gets featured with his real tattoo enhanced Jinny style!
All in all, both Volume 1 and Volume 2 have a lot to offer. Both have been well constructed and progress the viewer carefully through the techniques demonstrated. They are expensive at £40 each, but definitely worth it. If you've ever watched Jinny paint this will add to the sense of magic rather than take it away, and even if you've done a workshop with her, I think this would be a great reminder of what you absorbed. Definitely an 'Add to Kit' item!

SEE MORE ABOUT JINNY ON HER NEW WEBSITE

Bibi Freeman