Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

"Perfect practice makes perfect" - Marcela Murad

I was putting together some designs for ¿PINTAMOS? Magazine, a spanish-language face painting magazine. I wanted to do several fairy designs and I figured out a great way to practice the standard designs. I sponged on the rainbow base on the face template first, let it dry and THEN put it in report covers (you know, the ones we used to use in school with the plastic spines. I had found a whole box at a thrift store and hadn't used them until now.)

They are a little easier to use than the sheet protectors because you can open them, but sheet protectors would work great also. And I also found out that you can nest them again (like when I did a fancy stencil and didn't want to have to re-do it) and go over the top of that and I could still see the design to paint. It's fabulous for trying different kinds of line work patterns or trying different paint color combos. It's kind of like those overlays that cartoon illustrators do.

Using overlays to try different aspects of a design...AND save paint

I created these blank faces from a template I got in Marcela's class when she came to Salt Lake City. I edited them to have open eyes and closed eyes and have different skin tones. They are available in several face painting Facebook groups like New Face Painters & Face and Body Painters. If you would like a PDF with all of them, email me. It includes a white version if you don't have a color printer, you can it to a copy center and print it on different skin tones. I like having different tones so that I can see my white line work and it makes it seem more realistic.

Face printed on color paper

I've also laminated a few faces for quick line work practice. It works surprisingly well if you have your paint consistency right. If you don't, it will bead up if it's too wet and streak if it's too dry so that is helpful too. If you are on a tight budget, you can get a tube of white and black craft paint and cheap paper at the Dollar Tree (or recycle some paper or even magazines) and practice your tear drops, tiger stripes and swirls with that. It's also good for practicing brush calligraphy....BUT NOT FOR REAL FACES!!! You wouldn't do that, now would you. :)

Stenciled Branches

I got this stencil from a fellow painter who was selling a few things and I hadn't used it. I think it's supposed to be for cracks in skulls. Well, I saw it with new eyes tonight when I was digging through my stencils and realized it looked an awful lot like the branches I make for cherry blossoms. I love the randomness of it and the knots and spiky branches...perfect yin & yang for blossoms.

Gold Rush!

Every painter is on the look out for a good gold face paint. I started with TAG Pearl Gold and it's actually pretty good  and I LOVE it mixed with Pearl Copper in a split for leopards and girly tigers. It's only drawback is it seems a little light on the skin because it's a bright gold. I got some Mehron Gold powder after I took Pashur's body painting class, which is amazing mixed with mixing liquid and I used that with my TAG for awhile and liked it. It is a little messy and I'm a little afraid I'm going to dump to much or it will tip over and make a big powdery mess.

Then I tried the FAB Gold Shimmer because another painter sponged it on my arm and it really shined...however, on the job I've had a really hard time using it with a brush and it seems to have a hard time leaving my sponge...I know, so scientific..but that's what it feels like. I usually end up laying it down and then having to go over it but it is a great shimmer when I finally get there...but it feels tooooo long.

Recently I'd heard good things about the Paradise new Brilliant line. I loved the silver when Lizz Daley let me try hers at a jam. I wasn't impressed with the Gold...so why did I buy it? PEER PRESSURE! :) I don't think they changed the original recipe from the original. It reminds me of the gold I dug out of the Paradise 30 pot palette I bought. I have to dip my brush about 3 times just to make it liquid enough to use with a brush and then there is too much paint in the brush.

When I was brushing I tried to stay pretty consistent. I would dip my filbert or round, tap on the towel and load until I got smooth paint. I had a hard time with Paradise and had to add a lot of water and brush a little wetter and goopier than I'm comfortable with. When I added the Mehron powder, I would tap off the wet brush, dip it into the powder to pick up a touch and then work it up as usual. It usually required a little more water. The powder would also give the golds a slight tint so it looked more like Paradise gold.

So, here are the golds in the pot:

Here's a collage of the results:

My Conclusion:

TAG Gold and FAB Shimmer had about the same shine brushed on. TAG is a little easier and smoother when wetted and FAB would poop-out on my brush. The last upper teardrops became almost non-existent. All of the paints were shinier with the Mehron Powder but surprisingly, FAB behaved the best with it added in. It seem to make up for FAB's failings. My wish is that Mehron will do to the gold what they did to the silver which is put the powder in the paint so there is no additive stage.

D.