"Lip Stick vs. Liquid Latex?"

Now when we think of a make-up artist, the first thing that would come to mind when it comes to materials, would probably be lipstick, foundation and eyeliner, right? For the most part those are the basic tools a make-up artist may use when dealing with models, actors/actresses, etc... Then again, it also depends on what is needed to be done. In the movies, make-up artist are there to do touch-ups and maybe even special effects. One good example of that would probably be Michael Jackson’s music video for Thriller. There were many examples of special effects in the make-up done in that video.  When it comes down to it, a make-up artist is there to make over, cover up, enhance and even hide a person’s facial features. They are there to make you look your best for the camera. It’s an art form. Although, there is another art form and another type of make-up artist that people aren’t too familiar with. It takes us way beyond the lipstick, eye shadow, and foundation. This art form is what we call, Body Painting.

Mark Greenawalt of FutureClassx.com, shares with us, what it’s like to be a body painter. Though we all know the obvious differences, He let’s us know what the major differences are between a body painter and a make-up artists. Let’s see what he has to say…

Stepping into the body painting (makeup artist) field…

What made you decided to go into the body art field?

Well I must admit that there are the obvious reasons.  Who wouldn't want to paint beautiful nude models?  But on a professional level there is a lot more to it than that.  I had reached a point in my career where I felt like I had plateau'ed as an artist on canvas and paper and I had become very interested in photography.  The body art field was an opportunity to take these two passions and combine them into one art form that isn't very saturated at the moment.  The true turning point for me was when I saw the painted-on swimsuits in Sports Illustrated in 1998 and I knew that that was a field that I wanted to be a part of.  It seemed very intriguing to me to have my evanescent artwork on display on a live model, but only for a brief period of time before being washed off.  Of course, the pictures capture the moment, but the original painting has become extinct.  The initial fascination with what it would be like to paint on a nude model's skin was a driving force to getting started, but the real glory seemed to be the reactions of people who couldn't believe that they were looking at a model wearing nothing but paint.  That is the main reason that I was completely drawn into this field;  people reacted very emotionally to my work, to a much greater degree than they had for my canvas works or photography.
 

What do you enjoy most about your job, and what do you enjoy least about it?

The shock value of the final images is what I enjoy the most.  I once heard an analogy about how graceful a swan looks as it glides over the mirror-like water, but underwater her legs are kicking at a feverish pace to keep her moving.  Similarly the process of body painting is strenuous at times and completely un-glamorous, but the final photographs make it all worthwhile when the model becomes art.  The models sit, stand, lay, and crouch throughout this lengthy application of paint, then they are subjected to the full-fledged photo shoot.  Try as they might, it's hard to keep their spirits from becoming dampened hours into the project, but their eyes light up when they see the fruits of their labor. Another saying that I like is the one about a bad day fishing still beats a good day at work.  I'd have to tell you that all the things that I have come up with what that I don't particularly like about body art, none of them are really that bad.  There are some unforeseen things like a clogged up air-brush, latex paint that sticks to itself instead of the skin, and paint drips that come to mind.  Coordinating a location, a model, a photographer, a make-up artist, an idea, and a timeframe is always challenging, but I mostly enjoy that too.

Do you ever get frustrated or run out of ideas?

I have a backlog of ideas so the frustration hasn't been from running out of ideas.  My frustration lies more so in the fact that there are so many ideas and so little time to work on my craft. There are sometimes long droughts where there just isn't time to do projects or the right models aren't available and it seems like there is little progress in my portfolio.  That is frustrating.  Ideas are not a problem at this point in my career.

Do you have a certain style you use? Or do you come up with ideas while you do the work?

Body painting is an unbridled genre and I don't feel any limitations to style in my works.  Many painters on canvas are renown for the genre they work in whether it is southwestern, sci-fi, or flowers.  I feel that my genre is mostly defined by the fact that I paint on living canvases.  Some of my paintings are southwestern, some are sci-fi, and some are flowers, but they are all painted on gorgeous models.  I also don't limit myself to one painting style.  For some projects I use airbrushed body paints that give a smooth transition of colors and in other projects I use sponged-on liquid latex that gives the appearance of shiny rubber or leather.  Even within a project I combine those techniques with hand painting with brushes, gluing on body jewelry, and even splattering paint from a tooth brush.  I incorporate many of the techniques that I have learned in my formal art training and apply them to skin for very interesting results.  Much of the process that I go through is rehearsed in my mind prior to the day of the project, but ironically many of the ideas and techniques are improvised and invented during the body painting session.  I don't close my mind to experimenting and I therefore do not limit my style.
 

Do you feel lucky being able to work with beautiful women everyday? How has that changed your life, or your career path?

Yes, I feel very lucky to be able to work with some of the elite models in the industry.  For my first couple of body paintings on friends of mine, I felt lucky to even have the opportunity to explore a new level of my artistic expression.  With those images in hand, I was able to create a portfolio that was my ticket to working with models and celebrities that I most likely wouldn't have been able to capture the attention of otherwise.  I have considered myself to be an artist since I was in middle school and to date, I only have a handful of drawings and paintings that I have completed.  On the other hand, I have completed well over 100 body paintings in the past four years.  I attribute a lot of my success to these beautiful women who are much more than two-dimensional canvases.  Their curves help to "sell" the image.  In fact, I honestly believe that although my art is getting a fair share of the attention of beholder, the more critical parts of the overall image are the model's photogenic and the photographer's ability to capture them.  I feel very fortunate to have worked with some awesome talent in the modeling and photography world that have made my work shine more that it would have otherwise.

When working with body make up…

How many hours (average) do you spend putting on body paint?

Typically a body painting is a 2 hour event.  Some have gone as quickly as 30 minutes and the longest ones have taken 5 hours.  It really depends on what I am painting, how prepared I am, how patient the model is, and how long I can keep Murphy's Law at bay.  Some of the quickest body paintings are simply airbrushed tops to look like real clothing and my longest body paintings have been the playing card queens.  All four (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs) took 5 hours each to complete.  The toughest thing is usually meeting a timeframe deadline when a model has to either go on-stage to perform or the shoot has a deadline of catching sunlight for outdoor photography.  I reach a point where I have to "quit" whether I really feel like I am done or not.

Are the people you work with generally comfortable, or at times do they seem self-conscious? How do you deal with that?

My models have run the gambit from being completely comfortable in their skin to being astoundingly inhibited.  I have had models have their clothes torn off before I have even opened a bottle of paint and I have had models that have had to tape up their breasts when I am only painting their backs.  In general, I would say that a majority of the models fall somewhere in the middle.  It is interesting to note that even I am a little uncomfortable at the beginning of a session when I have to tell them that it is time for them to disrobe and I can sense that they are slightly apprehensive.  Some twenty minutes into the process though, everyone has gotten over it and any feelings of embarrassment or self-consciousness have been replaced with fatigue, boredom, and anxiousness to get the painting done.  It is my job to make the model feel comfortable at the beginning, but once I am working, they typically realize that it's not a sexual thing, it's not an erotic thing, and it's definitely not a glamorous thing.  I do use humor (sometimes really bad humor) to lighten the mood most of the time and I am also very descriptive of what I am doing and what steps are coming up.
 

What type of paint do you use, and how long do they generally stay on for?

I have used many different types of paints and each has it's positives and negatives.  The paints that I have used the most are the Totally Tattoo brand made by Badger Airbrush.  Their original formula was water based, but required alcohol to remove.  This paint will generally stay on for 8 hours if airbrushed and 4 hours if brushed on with a hand brush.  The colors are awesome and the coverage is wonderful, but the drawbacks are that the original formula had a tendency to eventually crack where the paint was applied thick and the other major issue was that the paints were not intended to be used on faces.  Another type of paint that I have been very pleased with is the alcohol based paints from Temptu and Reel Creations.  These paints last even longer and also look great on skin, but I haven't had any luck painting them on with a hand brush.  They are meant for airbrush application.  I have used Ben-Nye and Mehron liquid make-ups for nearly all of my face painting projects.  These liquid make-ups are about the only things that I trust to paint on faces with.  I'm even a little more careful when I am painting on pregnant bellies and I will only use the children's face paints available at Walmart for these projects.  One last body paint that I keep in my arsenal is liquid latex.  I think that it is absolutely horrible to work with compared to all other types of paints, but it sure does give a great look for certain projects, especially painted on leather.

Is body painting completely different from regular face make up? Or is it the same concept? (Foundation, moisturizer..)

Body painting is a whole other world than face make-up.  I am enamored by the make-up artists that I work with on projects and wish that I could be good at what they do and conversely they see my work and wish they could be doing some body painting too.  The blending of colors to match a models natural skin tones is essential in glamour make-up, but it is rarely even considered in body paintings.  Although people like Kevin Accoin have taken face make-up to new levels, there is still a limitation to what you can do within the parameter of eyes, lips, and cheekbones. With body painting, the limits are endless.