Facepaint UK Blog

This article is from November 2006. Not all facepainting is for kids and parties or even body painting for commercial promotions, there is a whole world out there of extreme make up that you may know nothing about. Facepaint-uk in the shape of Caro has boldly gone where not many women have gone before - And tracked down Neil Hughes - LRP make-up expert.

Neil's work is an exploration of identity and displacement; he mainly works producing characters...

Bibi gets to paint her kids again!

After years of having to pay my children to paint them (went overboard in the early days) at last they are actually asking me to do it again, and asking for interesting things too! And their delicious girl friends are queuing up for punishment as well!

It's all about clubbing, and what to wear. Affording fashion is a bit of a problem, and the risk of getting it wrong (especially...

Spring is here at last, the sun is promising some warmth, it's time to think positively of summer wear. It's hard to remember how warm it can get, but t-shirts are a must, and a great opportunity to market yourself while you show off your facepainting skills. Catriona Finlayson has done extensive research into printed clothing, and generously shared it with us.

Printed Tops Ok, we all wear clothes to paint in. (I hope). But what do they say...

What The Well Dressed Face Painter is Wearing

Caro and Bibi chat about clothes!

Caro: I read that trousers are going to be narrow again and that even leggings are coming back into fashion. Can it be true? I used to have a facepainting uniform of black leggings and a big Face T-shirt that I thought covered a multitude of sins.

Bibi: I remember it well, we all used to go to work looking like Max Wall. Well...

DOUBLE WORLD CHAMPION! After their second win of the brush and sponge category of the World Bodypainting Championships in Seeboden, Austria last month, we have realised that it's long overdue that we honour Body Canvas, and especially Facepaint UK member Raphaelle Fieldhouse with an in-depth article in the Mirror.

Raphaelle Fieldhouse has achieved more than most of us in the small world of face and body painting, however she remains modest and committed to her art. As well...

While summer's still with us, thoughts of sun and glistening sea reminded us of this ocean cool design. Some Face members may recognise this one, but it was in their magazine so long ago that it's worth repeating!

It seems that some painters are still having trouble with dolphins, but once you get the hang of them they are easy, lovely to paint and very popular. So, rather than a step by step, how about a stroke by stroke...

Festival Of Colours - sounds like magic, fun and art - and this is what the organizer René Reiche (known as the publisher of "Creative Facepainting" and "Funky Faces" and his team provided. On June 17th and 18th the first of his facepainting events took place in one of the most scenic towns of Germany - Freiburg. Artists from the Netherlands and Germany competed in two special contests, and proved that facepainting can be art. On Saturday...

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...

JINNY!

Jinny was influential in developing the line of Paradise Makeup AQ from Mehron, and is one of the most talented face and body painters in the world. Her unique style and creativity was featured in every issue of sadly defunct FABAI Magazine. Jinny holds the high honor of being a judge at the Body Painting Festival in Seeboden, Austria. Her talent has opened many doors including body painting at private events for the likes of Bono & Celine...

SPIDERMAN by Caro Childs

Ever popular, Spiderman, is more tricky than the customers realize. Being clear solid colour with fine lines and a design that everyone recognizes, leaves no room for artistic blending of wobbly lines. So here is a fail safe method of getting that super hero onto your wriggliest customer.

1. Start by sponging Grimas cake white over and around the eyes in a teardrop shape. Cake white is white enough to give a good contrast but it...

This Rabbit was inspired by watching an old Bugs Bunny cartoon the other day. It can be interpreted many ways, with different colours, add cute eyelashes for a girl, but we'd never seen one quite like this that changes the shape of the face so effectively.

1. The face was painted with white cake (Grimas 001) first, this gives a good base for the pearlised grey (Grimas 710) that was going to be used later. The white is sponged roughly...

It's about as far...

How it happened is a miracle. The things that went wrong were so many and so bizarre that it began to feel like we really should not be trying to organize a fab day for our students, friends and the lucky pupils and teachers (nice day out) of a nearby school.

We had decided to have a Christmas party way back in the summer, but our chosen venue - The Oval Theatre Cafe, had the builders in for the...

This column is in danger of sounding like Gardner's World with seemingly pointless tasks in the potting shed, but even creative types like you and me can do with a bit of discipline and a clear out once a year, and now is the time. There is not much work about, the days are damp and dull, you have eaten your valentine chocolates, and rather than watching another DVD, even one of Jinny's, it's time to Spring Clean. Relax! I...

Test yourself with the quiz we had at our Christmas Party (held at The Oval hence the oval orientated questions!). No Prizes, it's just for fun.

1. What sport is played at the Oval? 2. What is the title of the latest Harry Potter Film?

3. What is the part of the body between the nose and the top lip called? 4. Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain is an acronym for what...

Can it really be so long since the last Christmas Party? It seems so, and we did it all over again for those of you that could make it. More than just getting into the mood, some fabulous work is always done, and it’s great to get together with old friends and make some new ones too! Bibi and Caro organised a great get together, it's also a great opportunity to get some practice on darker skins. We will be...

The most common question we get asked is "How much should I charge?"

There isn't an easy answer to this as there are so many variables. If you decide on an amount per hour, what if someone wants you for a party 10 miles away for just one hour? Or to paint all day from 10am to 6pm? Your per hour price just won't work, so each job opportunity needs to be looked at in it's own right. After...

Reference Library

We have shelves and disks groaning with accumulated ideas for facepainting and product information. When you're groaning with frustration, let us know - a groan shared is a groan halved and the shelf gets a break too! Even if we don't know the best product to use, we will be fascinated to find out!

Please email your request for an image and we will send a jpeg image to your email address with notes if necessary for...

Reference Library We have shelves and disks groaning with accumulated ideas for facepainting and product information. When you're groaning with frustration, let us know - a groan shared is a groan halved and the shelf gets a break too! Even if we don't know the best product to use, we will be fascinated to find out!

Please email your request for an image and we will send a jpeg image to your email address with notes if necessary for...

London School of Facepainting students were invited to form a team to do make-up for a costume band at Notting Hill Carnival.

Bibi had already done make-up for the wearers of the big costumes for the 'Carnival Splash' event beforehand, but couldn't be with them on the day. So the team had a two day crash course in this specialised area, and loved it!

The theme was "Emotions" with various interpretations in costume design. The challenge...