Christmas Face Painting Tips and Animal Painting Techniques

As Christmas is approaching faster than Santa can harness the reindeer to his sledge, many of you will be already creating and practising your very own fabulous Christmas face painting creation. There will be those among you that would love to follow suit, but have yet to apply their first brushstroke.

FIRST STEPS: Take things easy at first with simple to do designs. Cheek art is a perfect starting point with basic little patterns featuring holly, berries, snowflakes, stars, Christmas crackers, Christmas trees with a little bauble at the end of the branches, and even little faces. Remember that the theme is Christmas so red, white, green, silver and gold are essential colours. Painting animal markings on the cheeks, eyes and forehead can also look very effective, and because animal markings like tigers aren't straight you will get away with so much whilst perfecting your creation.

TIGER MARKINGS: Use a round brush with a pointed end and black paint. Tiger stripes are best done in groups of three. Always think big to small. Lay your brush down flat (for a thicker start) and while doing your stroke give it a very light wiggle and taper it off at the end. Each stroke is going to have a curved effect to it. Do a group of three one under the other. This effect would be ideal for cheeks with the markings starting on the outside working in towards the eyes. Doing a similar stroke on the forehead, a group of three on either side and tapering downwards towards the eyes would give a great look for an animal face painting.

PAINTING WHISKERS: If you're face painting any animal fancy dress enthusiasts this Christmas try using a small fine pointed brush, working outwards across the cheeks for a whisker effect. For any fine lines you may be painting, you will find that liquid paints will work the best.

FUR EFFECT: When trying to create a fur effect, use a medium-sized brush, working from the centre outwards. That way the edges taper off. Have a go on paper or a face painting practice pad first until you get to grips with the motion needed for your required effect.

ADVANTAGE OF SPONGES: These will play an important part in your face painting kit, being perfect for applying base coats, large areas of paint on the face and body, and great for blending colours. TIP make them go further by cutting them in half

COLOURS: Don't make the mistake that many learners make and rush out to buy every colour under the rainbow. All you need are your primary colours which are blue, yellow, red and black and white. From these you can mix any colour and shade you want, and it will keep costs down.

GLITTER AND STICK-ON JEWELS: Depending what design you are doing, stick-on jewels, diamante and glitter can be used to stunning effect. However, as with face paint, you need to remember to use only glitter and stick-on jewels that are safe to put on a person's skin (eg body glitter). NEVER use aluminum glitter - polyester only. Aluminum glitter can really hurt the eyes and skin.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Use your family and friends to practise on, trying out different ideas. If you begin practising now, you'll be confident enough by Christmas to paint a whole face and there are some quite spectacular and highly popular choices to have a go at. The Ice Queen and animals will always be favourites along with the traditional Santa and Rudolph.

Using Liquid Latex As Body Paint

The main advantages of using liquid latex over other kinds of body paint are duration and durability. Other body paints tend to rub off and smudge against fabric, often leaving dirty and possibly even stained clothing. Once liquid latex has dried on the skin it does not present these issues. Clothing will remain unblemished by the latex for as long as it is worn. Whilst perspiration and body heat may encourage the latex to separate from the skin slightly, the latex will not smudge or run but remain intact until the wearer removes it by simply tearing or peeling it away from the skin. Again, this does not leave a residue on the skin like many other body paints. Depending on your activities and the thickness of the applications, latex should last many hours before it begins to separate from the skin. If latex is painted entirely around body or body parts it will continue to cling to the body and can still be worn for an unlimited time. Generally, it can be worn out for an entire day or night, can be worn in water, and will last many hours through photo shoots, performances and many other activities.

There are however some minor disadvantages, nothing that should discourage the use of latex, more the need for a little common sense and preparation. Before applying latex to the body it is necessary to patch-test a small area of the skin to check for any allergic reactions. It is quite rare, most people are not allergic to latex, but a small percentage of users have reported skin irritation after coming into contact with this kind of body paint.

On occasions where liquid latex has been applied to the skin over hair it can be both difficult and painful to remove. Wet latex will bond permanently to hair as it does to fabric. The only way to remove latex with hair stuck to it is to pull it off, which of course also rips the hair off the skin. Anyone who has experienced body waxing will be familiar with the level of discomfort. The best preparation when applying liquid latex is to first remove hair from areas of the body to be painted. However, it is not always necessary as liquid latex can be removed from moderate amounts of body hair with little effort and minimum discomfort. Body hair may also be trimmed very short instead of shaving.

When buying liquid latex it is important to read the label and avoid any brand that does not specify 'for cosmetic use' or 'suitable for use as body paint'. Liquid latex is used in many other industries and you need to make sure you buy latex that does not contain toxic chemicals. Purchasing from a reputable body paint supplier is the safest way to ensure you're getting non-toxic latex suitable for skin application.

For the reasons stated above, children should be supervised by a responsible adult at all times when using this type of body paint.

10 Ways to Make Money With Body Painting

Are you considering making a living (or at least a little money on the side) doing body painting? Is it even possible to make a living doing body painting? Yes, you can make good money as a 'pro' body painter, and even kids as young as twelve have made good money (like $500-$400 in an afternoon) doing simple painting techniques like airbrushed temporary tattoos at fairs and festivals.

It may be difficult to believe that there are so many different ways to make money doing body painting. I know that when I first discovered the art of body painting, I thought maybe you could make some temporary money at a party or fair. But there are many, many more possibilities, as you will see.

Here are just 10 of the ways you could get paid to do body painting:

1. Doing body painting at parties. You could hire yourself for a night or a day and get paid either by the hour or a flat fee for the event.
2. Painting party-goers before they go to a party or event. Themed or holiday parties would be a good opportunity for this. Make sure you mention that you could body paint their friends, too!
3. As a professional body painter for the theatre. You could do one show for a discount to get in the door and get some recognition, if you don't have a track record yet.
4. Travel with the circus as their 'in house' makeup artist.
5. Become the official body painter for a dance company. Again, you could work for a low fee or even free to get in the door.
6. Face painting alone opens up several opportunities: parties, festivals, fairs, and special events all are possible places for you to set up shop. Just make sure (as with all these options) that you are using proper, non-allergenic paints meant for face painting alone.
7. Special events like graduations, celebrations, fundraisers, and reunions.
8. Sports events: painting fans in their team colors and symbols has had a long tradition.
9. Festivals around the world. There are several festivals specifically for body painting around the world, but there are many more that would be a great place for body painting. Look up the festivals in your area and find out how to become a vendor and what their requirements and rules are.
10. Teach others how to do body painting. You could hold a one-time workshop, give ongoing group classes or even do an online body painting course (as I am doing).

I hope this gives you some good ideas about how you could make money as a body painting artist. Maybe you have even thought of some ways that I didn't include...great! Choose one method, research what you need to do to get started, and go for it!

Bonus Tip:

Here's a secret hint...as you are considering one of the possibilities above. Don't choose what you think would make you the most money...choose what you think you would happiest and best at doing. You will always make more doing something you love doing, in the long run!

Body Art - How it is Sold Through Dropshipping Suppliers

Body art is one that involves the human body. When sold to clients, the human body is not included but only serves as advert. It is important for a client to understand what the product is, and that they are not like other products which can be counted quantitatively. Body art is all in the mind of an artist.

Sometimes called body painting, body arts have different forms. Painting and tattoos are the most common ones. In political protests, painting is used in order to gain attention. The following paragraphs will describe the product and informs the clients how they are sold through drop shipping suppliers.

Body arts are commonly used on kids or jesters. This art involves painting the whole face or the whole body for the purpose of entertainment. They don't damage or harm the skin of the wearer. When the products are sold, they include packets giving instructions on their proper use and some suggested designs that may be copied. A tattoo kit includes inks and a tattoo machine, among others.

Clay and other pigments are used by tribes of Papua New Guinea. Wet charcoal, huito and annatto are used by natives of South America. Henna is used by the Middle East and India. What the clients purchase are the different dyes used in body painting. They can be simply drop shipped by any supplier.

Body art is the most ancient form of art. If the painting is only on the face, it is called face painting. If it involves more than the face, it is called body painting or body art. Body art is still worn during ceremonies in most tribalist cultures. The brides of India and the Middle East wear body arts during wedding ceremonies.

Our movie actors and actresses around the world continue to do body painting today. They use the gentlest form of face paints known today as cosmetics.

Well-known drop shipping suppliers of body arts products will take the job readily and will not even pose a question as to the mode of shipping the client requires. Dropshipping this kind of product is a common activity for them and selling the products is a usual business.

Tattoos, Body art, Body Painting-Self Expression-Friend or Foe

Now personally I don’t have a tattoo although I have been thinking of getting one. My wife has a small heart just above her right breast that you normally can’t see. I like it there and if you are wanting to get a tattoo, there are many things to consider.

First you need to be tattoo smart. By that I mean you need to do a little research on them. There are many resources across the internet that can give you ideas about placement, coloring, style, design, and pro’s and con’s. From personal observation, I have noticed that certain places on the body can add to your appearance and seductivity and other places can be distracting. Depending on whether you are in the spotlight or just behind the scenes, you need to know how a tattoo will affect your everyday activities.

Most of society has begun to accept tattooing and generally don’t make a big deal about them. I myself, think they add a certain flair to your personality. They are a way of expressing who you are and how you feel about yourself. Remember, they are a permanent part of your body afterwards. They can be very enticing or they can be ridiculous. Some people have made it their objective to completely cover their entire body with tattoos. I don’t really care for this type of practice but, if that is what you want to do this, then go for it.

When and if you decide to get a tattoo, by doing the research first you will be able to make a well informed decision as to where and how you want to display your new form of self expression. Whether they are in the form of flowers, butterflies, animals, and even people, they can add to your self worth. Many of us would like to express ourselves everyday but, we just don’t how. You can through the form of a tattoo.

If you decide to go ahead and purchase a tattoo, please remember that they are expensive to install and remove depending on the size and location. Although they can be removed, there is the possibility of some tissue damage and discoloration.

I am no expert on tattoos and if I was going get one I definitely would research the subject first.

Painting Nude Females - A Perspective With Natural Beauty

Painting the human body, especially female nudes, has remained a favourite model for the artists since the primitive age. While choosing a model for the art, the artist of various fields do it for many purposes. The painters choosing human bodies as their models keep certain theories in their minds. Take the case of the radiating paintings of Venus. The nude paintings of Venus, the Goddess of love, personify love and harmony. In many a paintings she is shown with Mars, the God of war. The idea behind such depiction is to show the effort of love and the sense of harmony to restraint the impulse leading us to war. The purpose of the artist here is to pacify the warmonger living within us.

By selecting the female nude as model for their art-pieces, the artists desire to connect themselves with the viewers emotionally. The painters wish convey the exact feeling they encounter while looking at the nude object. During the ancient time, whether it may be the paintings of Venus or work done on the alters of churches, the artists' primary motive remained the adoration of the beauty of human body, especially of the female body.

But by selecting the body of, mostly as the base for depiction of their art, the painters always encounter difficulties attached with the complexity and stigma attached with figurative painting in general and painting women in particular.

The master painter have tried depicting stories, mainly mythological through such paintings. Once we know the story depicted through the painting, the imagination that a painter had in mind becomes identified or clearer to our minds. After that the details of a paintings function as written words in a book.

The artists of the western countries, mainly European, seem unusually preoccupied with the painting of nude persons, women and men alike. They have made the human body an important, a key building block of their art. In Eastern countries, barring India, the nude paintings are still a taboo.

In modern time, the subject of 'Painting The Nude' has undergone a gradual liberation from academic constraints. However there were master painters in past, too, who painted both male and female nude figures and adorned the beauty of the human bodies.

Face Paint Recipes

These easy face paint recipes show how to make homemade face paint using common household ingredients. Mix and store in baby food jars or discarded film canisters. Be ready for your next kids party or dress-up event.

HOMEMADE FACE PAINT RECIPES

Facepaint Recipe #1

1 tsp. Cornstarch

½ tsp. Cold cream

½ tsp. Water

Food coloring (variety of colors)

Mix together cornstarch and cold cream until well blended. Add water and stir. Add food coloring one drop at a time until you get the desired color.

Facepaint Recipe #2

3 tblsps. Cornstarch

1 tblsp. Flour

3/4 cup Karo light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

½ tsp. Liquid food coloring

Mix cornstarch and flour together in a bowl. Gradually stir in Karo syrup and water until smooth. Divide mixture into individual containers as needed and tint each one with the food coloring of your choice. Leave one batch untinted.

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Clown Make-up

Blend on a paper plate:

2 tblsp. shortening

5 tsps. cornstarch

1 tsp. flour

Dab of Vaseline

Add food coloring for various colors.

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Fake Blood for Halloween Party Make-up

Karo brand corn syrup

Red and blue food coloring

Milk

Add some red food coloring to the corn syrup, then just a drop or two of blue to get a more realistic dark color. Milk will make the blood appear more opaque and more realistic.

Note: This mixture is sticky and can stain clothes.

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More Fun Make-up Tips:

To lightly blacken faces, carefully burn a cork and when cool, rub on the face.

For a ghoulish look, add a dusting of flour to already made up faces.

For a stubbly bearded look, sprinkle tobacco over a thin layer of vaseline.

Nude Art

Scandalous! Shocking! Without modesty! Nudity has been portrayed without shame throughout history and has been met with varying criticism depending on the time and culture.

Early Nude Art

Ever since early cave paintings the natural human form has been portrayed in its full unclothed glory. This was just how the artists saw his fellow people, and depending on the region, people wore very little anyway. Since then societies have presented the nude form in paintings, drawing, photography, and any other media. This either demonstrates humanity's strong sexual nature, or just a propensity for making aesthetically pleasing artwork, or perhaps a combination of the two.

Perhaps no society was more naked in its art than Pompeii. This ancient Roman city would meet its doom at the wrath of Mount Vesuvius when the volcano erupted and wreaked havoc on the city below. The city would be covered and ruined by the lava flow but an 18th century find would uncover remnants of a forgotten world, including the remains of many of its inhabitants exactly how they met their fiery demise.

The society shows no sign of bashfulness in its many frescoes and surviving statues. In them you'll find depicted sexual acts, more sex, sex, and just plenty of nudity. Being an ancient Roman city, they often depicted gods and goddesses in their art. The most risque probably being Priapus, the god of fertility. Also of interest are the many statues from early Pompeii, which today may raise a few eyebrows. These are no Michelangelo's "David," if you know what I mean.

Erotica

Further through art history, namely long after the invention of oil painting and when art drifted away from a dominant religious tone, nudity was a common thing. Retouching on the ancient themes, pederasty in Roman mythology in paintings and sculpture, carnal love, and in general sexuality (sometimes not so delicate) were painted time and again. This was perceived usually as good taste. Of course, that wasn't always the general consensus.

In Michelangelo's career, he painted the human form realistically and without apologies. The subtle homo-erotic tones of the Sistene's ceiling probably went straight over the head of the pope and any other religious leader for that matter. The musculature of the male form painted in detail and the poses of the many male figures probably would have been omitted from a religious painting. The olives resembling certain parts of anatomy were perhaps there as a joke or subtle reference.

In the case of Caravaggio, his pubescent cupid displayed in "Amor Vincet Omnia" or Love Conquers All , would in these days be met with hostility, and the artist considered a pedophile. But in those days, the nude form young and old was nothing to shy from, and the boy was simply another model paid to pose. Caravaggio's painting is characteristic of his work, steering clear of the idealized subjects, instead showing a common street boy, crooked teeth and all.

Much modern debate has come over Amor's primary owner keeping the painting behind a curtain. While some say that he was embarrassed of the supposed eroticism and kept it hidden, others say that covering a painting is meant to keep it as a piece de resistance, to be uncovered only after the rest of the artwork was shown, as the best of show.

Borderline Pornography

It probably wasn't until the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, particularly Victorian times of the 19th century when nudity in art started to seem inappropriate. In an age when even in the summer one must cover themselves with layer upon layer, and sexual matters altogether were strictly taboo, its no wonder the paintings were more G rated. This isn't to say that the subtle was absent. Take the Fragonard painting The Swing. It was also called "The Happy Accidents of the Swing." Humorously showing a glimpse up a dress, an unquestionable infidelity, and a cupid statue with a "hush" gesture all show this French painting's sexual symbolism.

Tame by today's standards, The Swing was quite sultry in its day. Going further into the beginning of the nineteenth century, Goya would make a breakthrough in erotic art and paint the first showing of pubic hair. Take "The Naked Maja" which was the complement to the Clothed Maja. Both paintings are wrapped in mystery, as to who the model is and who the intended recipient, but most people conjecture Fransisco was romantically involved with the sitter. Either way, it would get the artist into much trouble. It even got him fired from a lucrative court position, as a result of the Spanish Inquisition deeming the painting obscene.

Later we continue to have scandals resulting from a repressed mass of people. This John Singer Sargent painting called "Madame X" was originally painted with one shoulder strap off and on her arm. Mothers cover your children's eyes, they'll be scarred for life! Sargent later had to repaint the strap in it's correct position, to appease the prudish public.

In the nineteenth century, the "Father of American Painting" Thomas Eakins would be in hot water for removing the loincloth of a nude model in an art class. One of the girls promptly told her parents of such a horrible thing, which would lead to Eakins' removal from professorship at the Pennsylvania Academy. Eakins wasn't ashamed of the naked human body and frequently shot many nude photos, even posing nude himself on the other end of the camera as well. His paintings sometimes had nudity in them as well.

Subtle Undertones?

Modern photography is rife with naked forms ranging from the sexually charged to the artistic erotica. Modern advertisement also has subliminal sexual undertones for its psychological value, portraying people in borderline explicit poses and gestures in an effort to maximize effectiveness. Sex sells!

Speaking of sex selling, the paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn have been known to contain subliminal messages to reach the subconscious. The Dutch word for sex has been found in the underpaintings of several works written in large, barely visible letters. The painting of the Militia of Captain Cocq could possibly have a deep subconscious image. The shadow of a hand on the other man's crotch? Captain who? Interesting.

Modern and Contemporary Nudity

Painting in the modern day, especially at art schools involves the female nude for a variety of reasons. Besides its classical and/or romantic value, the female body is generally a good subject to paint for its curves and contours, giving the student valuable practice in form and shape. One may say that society has come a long way since Fragonard's Swing painting. But at the same time it is not that probable that a painting of a school teacher skinny dipping with his students would be generally accepted, at least not in modern America.

So times change, as well as views on sexuality, nudity, and the human body. Each society and culture has its own views, and inside each has subcultures with differing views and values, such as nudist camps. It also matters which part of the world you're from, as a nudist beach in France is more the norm than a nudist beach in New Jersey.

No matter what day and age, boys will be boys and seek the naked drawings in art books, erotically charged paintings will turn us on, subtle sexual undertones may touch our subconscious and we will always have nude paintings on our walls for whatever the perceived value.

Body Paint and Bibles

I love traveling, not the fact of going somewhere else, but the action of traveling from one place to another. My fascination is of being anonymous, and of course the time spent “people watching”. This is often done alone, which I think is more entertaining as you are not distracted from the serious business of observing.

Two journeys this year, one to the UK and one day trip to Barcelona.

The UK bound trip started with the normal commotion I always achieve at airports. This is caused by the habit of wearing as much as I can to avoid carrying it or more to the point paying the dreaded extortionate fees “excess baggage” what an awful term...nothing I carry is excess to my needs! So off go the alarms, I could offer my services to test their equipment because no matter what I remove I always set the systems blaring. After the “pat down” with nothing found to attribute to the noise I always hear myself apologise! With the current state of the world I am not complaining about these security measures I just would like to get through, just once, without this hullabaloo!

Then homeward bound, the UK airport tempted me with Marks and Spencer food outlet just before you go through customs control. Great idea, buy lunch, and a few presents to bring back, a thought of what you are allowed to have in hand luggage I avoided drinks but settle on a sandwich, fruit, biscuits etc plus cheeses and chutneys for friends. So I discover this is a ploy by airport staff to get free lunches, they confiscated the lot. Nowhere could I see on the list of banned items M&S lunch! I wanted to say “stop let me back over the barrier and I will eat it first” but the fear of not being let through to travel was greater than hunger.

The day trip to Barcelona was just as eventful for different reasons. An unscheduled change of trains half way meant a different set of traveling companions. Sitting ourselves by the door, with an empty seat in front and two to the side, the carriage was almost full. Then, three young, smartly dressed men boarded, taking up the only empty seats. The first oddness I noticed they all wore the same jackets and had name badges so without further thought I assumed they were security or police. Then I saw the bibles they all started to read as we started out of the station. With an hours non stop journey to Barcelona in a full carriage, we start to realize that our traveling companions had a mission or should I say, they were missionaries. Within minutes they struck up conversation with us.

Caught off guard, but fascinated to understand why these three young American men were in Spain. To counter their obvious objective to discuss The Lord, we asked them many questions on their background, my friend and I taking it in turn to question them. The first thought that ran through my head was the “good cop bad cop” ploy we naturally adopted. The friend was gentle in the questioning I was not so! Why was I allowing myself to be drawn into this exchange? Not wanting my religious believes to be questioned or was I feeling confronted?

With the journey over, ahead of us the serious task of shopping. We starting walking from the station in the crowds of city folks going about their business. I could not believe what I saw next, as nobody else seemed to notice, I began to wonder if my eyes deceived me. “Did you see that”? “Was he wearing anything”? Not a pretty sight, just a man with clothes painted on his naked body. To add to the amusing spectacle...not a head was turned. Just like the earlier time in the train carriage I felt the day was going to be different, and it certainly was!

Maybe that is the reason I love traveling, you cannot control what you may encounter only how you react to it.

Body Painting: Henna Tattoo

Henna tattoos are an ancient custom in India: girls and women are body painted before ceremonies, like marriage. They painted complicated patterns on their hands and feet to symbolize their fertility.

Henna (or 'Mehndi', the Indian name) is made from the henna plant (Lawsonia Inermis). The leaves of the plant are dried and ground. The powder gets mixed with water and you get a sort of green-brownish mud. If you put that mud on your skin, let it harden, and then peel it off, you will notice it has left an orange color.

You can get your henna at an eastern shop or a 'souk' in many different colors. There's orange, mahogany, brown and black. The orange one is the traditional henna. The black henna is synthetic. It contains PDD (P-phenylenediamene) and can cause allergic reactions. Even if it doesn't cause irritations, it's still unhealthy. Moreover, in the past, black henna at your wedding was considered a disgrace.

Henna Recipe

With one pack of henna, you'll have enough to body paint the entire football team. Put the henna in a bowl and gently pour some lemon juice and boiling water in the bowl. Don't use too much water, the mud has to resemble the thickness of sate sauce. The purpose of the lemon juice is to help the color hold better on your skin.

Your skin should be clean, dry and not fat. If you want to color your nails too, they shouldn't have nail polish on them. Make sure you really want this, because your nails will be orange for about 2 months. It doesn't come off! When the henna is cold, you can get to painting.

If you want to paint your foot soles, which is a traditional custom in Marokko, make sure you have a pillow of some kind to keep your feet off the floor, before you know it, the henna mud is everywhere! You can apply the henna with all sorts of instruments, what works best is a syringe (without the needle of course).

Symmetric and geometric shapes work best. Don't make the lines too thin, the color won't come on to your skin very well. The bigger the surface, the brighter the color will be.
Now: the annoying part: Waiting...

Let the henna dry in the sun, the warmth of the sun will get your color deeper into your skin. You can also use a hairdryer.

If you make a mistake in the picture your painting: ACT QUICKLY! If you wipe it off too late, the henna will leave a red spot.

After a while, the henna will start to burst. Don't peel it off yet! The henna has to stay on for at least two hours. Then you can start removing the crusts of mud.

DON'T remove the henna with water! Just scrape the crusts of your skin, you can do this with a bold knife. Don't let your body painting get in touch with water for the first couple of hours. Right after you scraped off all the crusts, rub your skin in with olive oil. It will make the color brighter and help keep the color on as long as possible. Your henna painting will survive for about a month or so.

Also nice to know: Swimming, body peeling, scrubbing your back, and bodyscrub products will make the henna tattoo deteriorate faster.

Paul Gauguin - Painting Nude Females

Were we to make a list of the main post-Impressionist painters, the name of Paul Gauguin would be on top of the list. He is known for his innovative and bold experimental use of colours.

But the prime thing that made Paul Gauguin such a renowned artist was his capability to understand the inherent meaning of the subjects he painted. He caught the very meaning of the subjects he painted; and then he uploaded that onto the canvas, expressing the same with his impressionist style of painting.

The subject of painting human body has remained the most beautiful and perfect subject for depiction of their artistic prowess. The artists since the ages have exploited this subject and the human form through its depiction in their paintings. The human body, especially nude female body is a subject of first choice among the artists for the element of mysterious allure. But very few of these artists have done perfect justice to the natural beauty of women's body as the master painter Paul Gauguin has done through his artistic nude paintings.

Many painters have spent their entire life painting nude bodies of the female models. They respected and adored the women sitting for them; and they tried hard to beautify their looks. These painters tried laboriously for injecting liveliness into the portraits of the nude females they painted. The great painters from the time of renaissance have done much artistic endeavours to immortalise a simple smile on the face of the beautiful women or the alluring curves of the bodies of those fatal fames. Numbers of painters have used this subject of painting natural beauties of women, but very few have succeeded in the job as Paul Gauguin.

Halloween Face Painting Ideas

Halloween is such fun for kids of all ages, and adults too. Here are some face painting ideas to get you in the Halloween spirit.

Halloween face painting idea 1: pumpkin

A bright orange pumpkin painted on each cheek. Black paint used to paint eyes, nose and mouth. A light grey would be used to show the ridges of the pumpkin as well as its outline.
An alternative would be to do a full face pumpkin with an orange face base (blending a darker orange shade over cheekbones), black triangle shape over the eyes (extending above and below the eye area), a black nose and a large black mouth (need to cover more than just the lips).

Halloween face painting idea 2: skull

A full face design. Has a white face as the base, large black 'panda' eyes, black and white vertical stripes on the lips (with the white stripes wider than the black ones) and a trickle of red from one side of the mouth (to indicate blood).

Halloween face painting idea 3: vampire

A full face design. A white face base, bright red lips, fangs coming out of each corner of the lower lip (outline is light grey, fill is white, and tip is red to denote some blood), eye lids are smoky grey (right up to and over eye brows), eye brow then exaggerated with black sweeping strokes.

Halloween face painting idea 4: bat

A full face design. A white face base, bat's face painted on forehead above the nose (it's in black with light grey for eyeballs, and for some definition in ears); the bat's body is painted in black on the nose and ends at the base of the nostrils (use different shadings of black; the bat's wings extends out from head and body and covers the eyes curving up towards the temple and down the outside of the eye to mid cheek (again use different black shadings and some fine dark grey strokes to paint some definition into the wings); the lips are painted in dark grey with an exaggerated upward curl at the corners.

Western Painting - Body Painting - A Contemporary Yet Ancient Style of Being a Canvas

Body Painting - The Intricacies

The origin of body painting is unknown, but its use has been widespread - sometimes as an art form, sometimes as a part of tradition, and the other times, as a necessity. The evidence of body painting is found in ancient practices across various cultures and remains a popular fashion statement in the present times. There is no set style or technique for body painting. It can be a localized design or a fuller one, covering the entire body in some cases. The color pigments used can be natural or synthetic. Similarly, it can be a work of an expert or an amateurish hand of a novice. However, unlike permanent tattoos, body paints are temporary or semi-permanent in nature.

The Geographical Spread
Painting the body was prevalent in ancient Egyptian civilization, where Pharaohs and high-class individuals painted their faces in red ochre & white pigments, and eyes in kohl. The Himba group of Namibia also generously uses red ochre. These people paint their entire bodies in the uniform pigment, as a traditional practice. In India, body painting is an elaborate work of expertise, which requires training and a lot of experience. One of the best examples of this art is the make-up of Kathakali dancers that involves the use of white, red, black, and yellow colors against a base of bottle green color, on face.

The use of 'henna,' a natural plant extract, is very popular among the Indian women across the country and is again, done by trained experts. Henna is used for decorating the hands and feet in beautiful, complex designs. Native Americans use streaks, concentric circles, and other patterns of colors, which include red, white, yellow, blue, and black. The indigenous Yolngu people of Australia use detailed and painstaking technique to embellish their bodies. It is an inspiration for many other art forms and a job that only the experts can do.

Painted faces have been a trademark of comedians and mimics, throughout the history of performing arts. Body painting has found as much use in military operations, as in local communities. Facial colors, particularly in nature tones are heavily employed as camouflage by almost all armies in the world. Now days, this art has become a fad, especially among the youth and is treated more as an avant-garde fashion accessory, rather than as a religious belief. Across the US and Europe, body painting is used in theatre, cinema, fashion, carnivals, and body painting festivals. Despite facing criticism and rejection from various corners, this art continued to grow and is still evolving!

Body Painting Art - Nude Female and Male Body Painting

In fact we are fond of painting our bodies since prehistoric times. In past we were used to paint our bodies with materials like natural dyes, paints and pigments. In some cases we used ash, and clay, too.

The markings that the people make on their bodies are thought to have magical powers with which one could ward off evil spirits or the tribal enemies. Such was the thinking in past. The painting of bodies was also coined with celebrating of auspicious occasions like New Year or a dance party. Same practice can still observed in the indigenous populations of the countries like New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and certain parts of Africa.

In India the women and men are fond of using Henna. It is a colour extracted from a plant of Henna; it is also known as Mehandi. This type of body painting with Henna has been a fashion in India and the Middle East since many years. People paint their hands and legs and other parts of body with Henna during auspicious ceremonies like weddings. The use of henna or Mehandi has become popular in the Western countries, too, since last two decades.

The art of body painting is not a new phenomenon in the countries of South America, too. People here have been using indigenous materials to paint their body and body parts. They use wet charcoal and other materials available in the local surrounding. In some parts of America, a material known as Huito is used to paint the bodies and faces. Huito is a black dye, and it takes weeks to fade away.