One of the Ways Acrylic Paints *Should* Be Used.

Which obviously means this isn't about face painting, since you should never allow face painting with acrylic paints.

When the canvas is an inanimate stretched canvas canvas, on the other hand, well, that's another matter entirely.  I was with face painters, though.  On Wednesday night, we took a "class trip" to Brushes & Bisque in Denville for a "Canvas & Cocktails" party.

It was a blast!

I've got a background in fine art, so I'd never done one of these classes before, but it was so much fun, even if the supplies you're given are really limited to what you need specifically for the painting they're teaching that night.

The teacher was very nice, but I don't think she knew what to do with a room full of raucous face painters.  She was good, though, kept her cool and kept us on track.  More or less...

I refused to stay in the box.

You can get an idea from the group photo what we were supposed to paint.

And if you notice, there I am smack in the middle, and my canvas doesn't look quite like the others.  Yeah... I'm kinda the type who doesn't like to stay in the box.

And is also a fan of Salvador Dali.  I did have to touch it up at home, since I wasn't given any paints that could make orange and I'm better with my own brushes.  Eric likes it.  Whatcha think?

When is face paint not face paint?

When it's craft paint!

When is it dangerous even if it's not craft paint? When it's not FDA-compliant or used improperly!

There's a good article in Monday's USA Today, that you can read here. It explains the allergic reactions - red rashes, etc. - that can result from using craft paint or face paint that's not the good stuff.

Face paint, after all, is not all created equal. That stuff you get at most Halloween stores is usually from China. Remember all those issues we had a while back with products from China? The pet food? The paint used on children's toys? Yeah, same country, similar issues.

The products I use are all labeled as makeup, not paint. So that's a start. If you're looking for face paints, look for makeup. Something to note: Face paint (as other cosmetics) are not FDA-approved. Under the law, the FDA does not approve cosmetics. What they approve is the pigments used in the cosmetics. This makes the makeup FDA-compliant, if one is being accurate. If someone tells you that the face paint he or she is using is FDA-approved, s/he's wrong.

Now, I'm going to assume that anyone reading this is bright enough to never, never, never use craft paint on his face or the face of his child. That means no acrylics, no temperas, no watercolors, no markers, no Sharpies. Non-toxic doesn't cut it. As a good friend of mine in Minnesota likes to say, habanero peppers are non-toxic, but you wouldn't want to rub them all over your face!

So... what about those Halloween kits you see at the stores this time of year?

They're... potentially OK. But pay attention.

If you buy a great-looking kit to do your son up as Darth Maul, and there's an awesome photo of just such a face on the packaging - read the entire package before you buy. If the label or packaging says to avoid the eye area with certain colors (like red or black, which is very common), listen to the packaging, no matter what the photo shows. The packaging and labeling trump the photography every time. Take it seriously.

If the makeup smells funny, ditch it. Do not try to use it, since it could be infected with bacteria or simply old and past its shelf life.

Your best bet? Hire a professional. Even if it's not me (there, now you know I'm not biased). Ask him or her what's being used. If you hear Snazaroo, Grimas, Paradise, Mehron, Fantasy WorldWide, or several other brands (do your research if you hear something unfamiliar), you're OK. If it's craft products, run. Run like the wind. Run like they're trying to give you the Swine Flu.

And the same goes for face painters who won't tell you what they use. If they won't tell you, it's because they have something to hide.

Renaissance Faire, Take 32

The NY Renaissance Faire is 32 years old this year, and on Sunday I attended for my thirty-second consecutive summer. Two years ago, I bought Rennie garb, which has allowed me to do face painting, temporary tattoos, or henna at faires, as well as appear at parties in that costume.

This year, I expanded my costume wardrobe yet again; for my birthday, my husband got me pirate garb! You know what this means... I can now appear at your parties as a pirate! I already had a hat that I'd left home, so I'm not wearing it in this photo, but it's perfect; a buccaneer hat complete with feathers.

A note about the NY Ren Faire. Please, if you are going to attend and feel the need to get painted, demand that the artists not use acrylic paints or craft glitters. They do have some proper products with them, but they tend to use them for only part of the design, then using acrylic paints for the majority of their designs, and putting craft glitter near eyes. I've already remarked on the dangers this poses, here. They are good artists, and nice enough people, but they refuse to listen to anyone who tells them that FDA-compliant cosmetic products are a must.

My, How You've Grown!

So... the first face painting kit I used, the one I suggested my friends purchase, was this:

And then when I went professional, I splurged on this:

Nifty, right?

Since then, things have changed. I've discovered and become part of a worldwide netowork of body artists, who have directed me to a plethora of other products to try. The key, readers, is that every single one of the products I use is FDA-compliant. While I say "face paints," because that's what is commonly understood and known, I do not, under any circumstances, at any time, use actual paint.

In my kit, you will find no acrylics, no temperas, no watercolors, no oil paints (A mom actually recently asked a friend of mine if this is what she used! On faces!), no markers, and no craft glitters.

[OK, to be accurate, there are two Sharpies in my kit, but they're for sign-making, numbering, and other administrative purposes, not for use oh humans. I also have scissors, plastic ties, clamps, packing tape, and other things I may need while working at a fair. But we were talking about my face painting supplies.]

Never, and I do mean never, should you allow anyone to use craft products on you, your children, your friends, your neighbors, or anyone else. Want to know why craft products are such a bad idea? Go here and here.

I still use Snazaroo face paints, albeit in greater quantities than when I began. Don't get me wrong, I still have that original 18-color kit, that I've refilled many times over the years. In addition to that, though, I have three larger palettes filled with Snaz. What you see here, though, are also Wolfe Brothers, Kryolan (not to be confused with Krylon, which makes the well-known spray paint), Mehron (both Paradise cakes and Starblends powders), and Fantasy WorldWide creams. I have cosmetic loose glitters from Modern Magick Body Art and Amerikan Body Art. My glitter gels are also from those two companies. My cosmetic shimmer powders, housed in those brushes in the tub, are from Modern Magick.

The kit's grown a little bit, huh? I go nuts over new colors, and I find that different products work best for different circumstances. And so it just keeps growing... and growing...