A Day of Firsts

I painted today at two birthday parties. The earlier, in Wayne, was a first birthday, and it was a slow start. Lots of kids wanted to get painted, but no one wanted to be first. I find that every now and again. Well, this brave girl decided to run with it, and became a puppy.

She was great, and the face was a hit That prompted her friend to join in, but she was more or less undecided as to what she wanted. She started talking around a fish, but didn't see how I could do it, so I suggested a fishbowl.


My first ever fishbowl! She loved it, as did everyone else there. Both girls took cards, and one told me that her dad said they might want me for her birthday too.

Meanwhile, a mom and dad of one of the kids each separately came over to book me for a party in early June!


After that, I got a couple of superheroes. Batman blinked, but they look great together.


This boy had been afraid to get painted initially, and then pulled together the courage to do it. He was ecstatic with his train, and kept wanting to look at it, either in the mirror or just by looking down at his nose as best he could.


My next victim originally wanted to be a Power Ranger, but no one had Google access to get me a photo to follow. I admit that's one cartoon I've never watched. So he came up with a bear idea, and dad asked me to do a ferocious bear, rather than a cute teddy. I did my best to comply, right down to the snarling teeth and fish dinner.


Last, but definitely not least, grandma wanted a bluebird on her collarbone.



The shimmery blue I used was one of my new Fardel liquid paints, the ones I got from my Secret Santa in the UK. Now I'm truly addicted to them. It looked amazing in person, with a coppery shimmer that I loved!

It was just such a great party. Yes, it's a business for me, but more than the cash, I love it when everyone's into the painting and having fun. I love it when kids who are shy at first finally get up the courage to get painted and really enjoy it. I love it when adults are willing to join in the fun. And of course, I love it when people love the work I do. I won't lie, the ego boost is nice and I left the party feeling really happy and full of adrenaline.


The second party, in Lincoln Park, was a referral from the mom at this party last year! In fact, my Gene Simmons was at the party too, as was last year's birthday boy, who I'd painted as a pirate. He wasn't into getting painted this time, but his mom was.


I got to play with my new Fardel paints again, too!


The birthday boy chose one of my favorite things to paint - a tiger.


How cute was he? He loved it, and promptly became a tiger, growling and baring his claws at the other kids. Some other animals joined him in the jungle, though. Like a leopard.



And a lion.

And even a mini tiger. I love it when the littles get painted!

Once that cutie got painted, of course, other parents wanted to see if their kids would sit for me too, and they got even younger! Like this puppy, who was about 7 months.

After that, the parents of this 4-month-old had to see if he could be painted too. I think he might be my youngest customer to date!

And I'm not sure that record will ever be beat.

Of course, not everyone was a jungle animal or tiny. We had a kitty.

And a Giants fan, despite their current standing as 10th place in the NFC.

Gotta respect that!

Another great party for a bunch of great people. All in all, it was a terrific day!

Hermitage Craft Show

On Saturday, I had a booth at the Hermitage Craft Show in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. It was a beautiful day, and I had high hopes. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of foot traffic, but I did get some great painting in, sparse as it was.

This was my first customer of the day, a fellow vendor who's very talented sister is an artist and a singer. I'm jealous of the singing talent, for sure. All she asked was that I match the purple eyeshadow she was already wearing. I love it when someone picks "artist's choice!"

This next cutie wanted a Batman face, and let me take a photo, since I've revised the way I do it in recent months. The common element between the face below and the one above is the use of shimmer powders; they really just make a face work.

I brought my temporary tattoo kit with me in case of inclement weater when the water-resistant tattoos make more sense than face painting.

As it turns out, we had a beautiful, sunny day, but I did end up doing a few tattoos anyway, like this one.

While I had time to myself in between customers, I couldn't resist doodling. First, I tried out a more delicate design...

And then I had a little fun inventing this monster...

Again, the shimmer powder came through for sparkle and shading. I know I'm being too self-congratulatory, but I'm excited about this guy. How cute is he?

My last customer of the day was a terrific young man who decided on a dinosaur.

All in all, I was just glad to be out in the sun and painting, and even more glad for the smiles I got in return. There's just nothing like it.

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...