gz-Body Painting or Going Away

No, not me. Ha, you're not getting rid of me that easily!Someone else... and so there was a big kids' going away party yesterday afternoon at Tribeca Cinemas. I was hired to face paint at the party, and because I knew we'd have two hours and a lot of kids, I brought my friend Emilie with me.The party was great, with balloons, a DJ, food, and drink... and of course, us. When we first got there,

gz-Body Painting or Improvements

Tonight was another meeting of the northern NJ Face & Body Art Guild, and I was finally able to make it again. I've missed several meetings because of the show and rehearsals. Now that we're out of rehearsals, and in fact there's only one weekend left, I've got time.And I am now, quite literally, a card-carrying member of the guild!How cute is that?This month's meeting was especially valuable,

gz-Body Painting or What an experience!

Wow. Friday night was opening night of the show I'm in, and everyone went out after, so I got home late. And then of course I was wide awake and couldn't sleep right away.I got up on Saturday at around 9 a.m., leaving for Tribeca at 10, to get to the Film Fesival. I found my place in Washington Market Park, and set up while Eric went to find parking - it took him an hour! Tha'ts how crazy and

gz-Body Painting or Go, Rangers!

OK, I'm from NJ, I know. And I'm really a Devils fan. But I married a Rangers fan, and since we met, he'd been talking about me painting a Rangers jersey on his all-white cat, Neptune. Neptune, in addition to being all white, is a lump. He's a sweetheart, snuggly, and likes to lie around. You can mush him to bits and he doesn't care.So we figured it'd work fine.Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell... we

Practice, Practice, Practice

I can draw.  I know this.  I forget it sometimes, because as a face painter, I don't always need to actually draw.  Yes, I use elements and techniques from my zillion years of art classes to turn your child into a tiger like the one on the banner of this blog, but there's a difference between turning someone into something and drawing it.When face painting, I've focused on the former and avoided

gz body paint or Autism Awareness Day

A fellow face painter, Daniel Lasris, also known as Katmandew, has decided to do his part for World Autism Awareness Day, which is today, April 2, 2010. The color of awareness is blue.Therefore, Daniel has asked that we face painters paint some part of ourselves or each other blue and upload it to the Facebook Fan Page he has created. He's going to take all of the photos he receives, upload

This past Saturday, I painted faces at a 5th birthday party in River Edge, NJ. It was a great party, but I didn't have time for photos, so there aren't any of those. Sorry!It did bring up an interesting issue, though, so I thought I might want to give you some pointers for when you're having an entertainer at your party. This is relevant for hiring face painters, magicians, caricature artists,

Wicked Faire Revisited

I know that I mentioned in my Wicked Faire post that I was hired last minute to do a full body painting on a cat for a fashion show that was schedule to occur at the Faire.  The request was not to make her look like a cat, but to take my cues from the mask she'd be wearing with her ears and tail.  I had just over an hour to complete the look, from shoulders to shoes.  I did it!The model, Nicole,

gz-Body Painting or LA Fete 2010

I have had the most amazing time this past week, at the Louisiana Living Arts Festival in New Orleans, otherwise known as LA Fete.LA Fete started in 2006, when I was offered a pot of gumbo. No, seriously. I'm a member of some international face and body art discussion groups, and I mentioned in one that my favorite food was Cajun. Susie Pierce, otherwise known as Susie the Crazy Cajun, told me

Norouz Bazar

I painted yesterday at the Norouz Bazar, a Persian Festival at the La Quinta Hotel in Secaucus, NJ.  This is my second year in a row at this event; I have been hired both times by Hirbod Azmi, a Financial Services Representative with Met Life to draw attention to their table.Draw attention I did!  With a background of dance-inducing Middle Eastern music and the smells of amazing Iranian food, I

A Saturday Evening Party

I was hired to paint at a birthday party this evening, only it wasn't a children's party.  Some couples were getting together for the adults' birthdays, and wanted to keep the kids entertained.  I'd painted these beautiful girls before, at the McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff, when I was there for Bergen County's annual Cabbage Night Festival.  Their mom showed me a photo from that day, and

Body Painting: Alice in Wonderland

In my last post, I showed a bit of the body painting I did on Toni at Wicked Faire. Well, yesterday I received a CD of photos from one of the professional photographers, and my biggest problem has been figuring out which ones to post because they're all so great!All photos in this post were taken by Phillip Makselan.Toni met me in the Green Room with her bra cups already on, and while we were

Wicked Faire 2010

Wow, what a weekend! Jeff Mach's Wicked Winter Renaissance Faire was even bigger and better this year than previously. Eric and I were kept so busy that we didn't even have time to see it all.I was doing face and body painting, as ususal, but this time we also had our soaps for sale with us. Unfortunately, that meant that Eric didn't get to travel with me when I took my face painting cart to my

It's Not Just Faces

For a face and body painter, all skin is canvas, not just the face. On this blog, I've posted photos of arms, necks, and chests I've painted as well, but that's not the long and short of it either. Body painting is an art form, used all over the world in television commercials, print ads, and even an annual issue of Sports Illustrated!This weekend, I'll be doing face and body painting at the

What a Party!

I painted this evening at a christening that could've been a bar mitzvah or wedding. It was at Macaluso's in Hawthorne, and the proud parents were hosting a big crowd. The DJ kept everyone busy, but as soon as I started to set up, the kids gathered. I didn't even put my table up before they were jockeying to go first.The hit face tonight was the puppy, just like one I did at the birthday

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

I love face painters!

I'm a member of several worldwide face painting discussion groups. One is small enough, though international, and close enough, that we've become good friends. So a couple years ago, someone suggested a secret Santa exchange, and of course I wanted to participate. I love gifts - giving and receiving!Our version extended past the holidays, into mid-January.Yesterday, I was feeling really blech. My

A Win for Face Paint!

Kryolan Professional Make-Up, a quality face paint and theater makeup company out of Germany, is now the first producer of a range of color makeup products to receive the Seal of Quality Approval from the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation.With the increase of the prevalance of allergies in industrialized countries, the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation is working to

gz-Body Painting or First Birthday... and Selflessness

I painted this afternoon at a first birthday. While the birthday boy didn't want to get painted, his friends and family were certainly willing... but then, I've painted several of them before! Remember these guys?Well, you might recognize two of them from today's party.The kids at this party were great. Even the ones who started out reluctant, like this girl who wanted a tiny butterfly on her

Tips When Hiring a Face Painter

I've just read an article by Anders Eriksson, located here.I don't know Anders Eriksson, but he makes some very good points I thought I should highlight for my readers.If you can, know your face painter before hiring him or her for a party. You do want someone who's good with kids, who can interact with them well, and who is neither bouncing off your walls nor standoffish. You want someone fun,