Practice Quesitons

Hi Everyone!

I have been practicing on my kids and neighbor kids, but mine especially only want me to paint certain things... i.e. tigers and puppies! LOL! I tried drawing, but it's not quite the same. I am trying to get a mannequin head from my sister in law who is in beauty school. Should I use my fp paints (I only have one paradise pallet for now) on the mannequin, seems kind of like a waist of paint. Also, thought about practicing on paper, but don't want to waste the paint that way either. How do you guys practice?

Also, I was at the store the other day looking at makeup and they have some pretty cool cream shadows out, lots of sparkle in them. Does anyone ever use makeup products for face paint?

Thanks much!
Tia

I stick to face paint. Makeup has to be removed with makeup remover and my 'parents' would throw a fit. just soap and water for me.
also, i like to practice with my paints. to see how they will work for certain designs, i dont think of it as wasting them since Im practicing designs that I need to...well practice. other paint may work differently and the shades may be off. but to each his own.

Why would you view it as wasting paint? An artist must practice with their chosen medium or they'll never improve.

You will be surprised how far a pot of facepaint will take you. So practice, practice, practice- and you probably won't even dent it. As far as using regular cosmetics for face painting... You could I guess- but really sticking to your favorite paints is probably your best bet for a number of reasons- first, like I said they stretch pretty far, so they are probably your most economical choice. Also, as you're just starting out, you want to use every opportunity to get to know your products. Get comfortable with all the ways to use your paints then start experimenting with other products.

Stick to your paint. Instead of eyeshadow, metallics and pearls make fabulous lipstick and eyeshadow.

Tonight I used myself! It is much harder to paint on myself than I thought it would be. Here is a sugar skull- I used a white clown paint, which covered good, but was very thick and sticky! I felt like the finished product was shiny, I don't know if that is normal. I obviously need more practice [img][/img]

I bought a big bottle of acrylic black to use on paper to practice tear drops, swirls, basically all brush work. I would only use it on paper but it helped me. I bought some colors thinking I would practice sponging but it's not the same...but the brush work on typing paper (that has a pretty smooth finish) is pretty good.

I feel that teardrops and line work make all the difference in face painting. It can elevate a smear of paint into a wonderful eye design or a tiger face.

D.

hi,

i use my regular face painting make up to practise.

i don't really like using a practice head either.

i use wax paper over the drawing of a face. that way you can wipe away mistakes,...and, you get to keep the finished product;)






ttfn,
rebecca
www.artybrushstrokes.com

Wax Paper! What a great tip! Thank you! Rebecca: I checked out your website and your work is so beautiful!!!

I especially love your red mask, rebecca... and the way you mock up designs on wax paper. I came across a youtube tip last night, and the artist said she used magazine pictures (generally of faces) to mock up designs. I thought that was an interesting technique, but I don't buy magazines.

Partia, my kids are no longer willing models and although I have done a few practice designs on myself, it just doesn't look cute. So I use a practice head and that allows me to figure out a design's dimension and placement on the face. I take photos of every single one, so I never feel like it's a waste of paint because if I like them I use them in my gallery/display, and if I don't like the result, well I hope I can look back one day at my early efforts and see how far I've come.

I also like to practice on hubby's back, when he lets me, and my own arms and legs.

I have noticed that paint dries faster on skin... which is one of the key differences between the synthetic skin and the real thing. But my model/practice head never complains, sits very still and quiet, and is willing to be painted whenever I have the time and opportunity to unpack my paints, so I am happy I got her. Even if she looks a bit funny and I have to repaint her eyes every time I paint her face.

re: cosmetics, I admit I had a similar thought, but I'm not sure it would be applied in the same way, and may be less versatile and more expensive. I see no harm in using it, perhaps a lipstick palette would be useful? But I think using the same colours as in your design would probably be nicer... personally, I would rather invest in the professional quality face/body paint.

Practice a lot of swirls and curls, dots and teardrops on your arm, thick and thin lines,just with black and/or white. You can do that on your own arms and just wash them and go again... For me it works just fine, I also have a practice head and I love it, for new ideas that I first just draw and then want to see for real on a face, and if my kids don't feel like helping me out, then I use the practice head.

ps. also blending you can practice on your arms perfectly with colors though...
Take Care, Love Jantien

Don't worry about wasting paint. you probably will only need to replace one or two colors in a palette. They really do go along way. You will probably use more black and white for line work then anything.

A good way to get your name out there is by going to a park and offering free face painting. Then give each kid a business card

You will find that painting teardrops with acrylic is a lot different than painting teardrops with face paint. There are things to consider with face paint that can only be leared through practice- how much water to use to get a good blend; the right paint consistancy for linework, dots; painting one color over another while minimizing bleed. And all of these things are different depending on what you are actually painting on! big difference between a practice head, waxed paper, and real skin. I suggest to practice with your paints on real skin till you get really comfortable with how they work.

I'll use matt black eyeshadow for shadowing sometimes (to get the 3D) effect.

Rebecca how do you not let the black in a cake take over the other colors. You must not be using DFX, Wolfe or TAG black cause they turn all the other colors to mud. What is your secret? Pretty Please!