How To Get Started With Face Painting

How To Get Started With Face Painting

So you've decided you would like to learn how to paint faces. You want to see your painting bringing joy and delight to young children, maybe at your child's birthday party. Or maybe you want to be a professional face painter.

Face painting really can be a very fun and fulfilling job, but it can also be a lot of hard work.

But if you're a beginner, how do you get started? This is what I'm going to answer for you in this article.

One of the best ways of learning is to take a face painting class. It's hard to say where to find a face painting class near you. Sometimes you can take face and body painting classes at college. Sometimes you can get free face painting classes at certain events. If you were to search Google for "face painting class + your area" you may be able to find someone who can give you some tuition.

If you want to learn advanced face painting techniques, classes are one of the best ways of learning, especially if you want to improve your painting skills quickly.

If you can't find face painting classes in your area (they aren't always many around, so it's certainly no crime if you can't fine one) then you may like to learn from face painting instructional books.

If you search a popular book site like Amazon, you'll be able to find a whole host of books to do with face painting. Read the reviews to find out which is best suited for you.

Another good way for a beginner to learn face painting, is with instructional videos. The obvious benefit over books is that you can actually see how something is done in a video, as apposed to just reading about it.

But sometimes, if you've already got some face painting skills, all you need is a little experience to help you build your confidence.

Would you like to know the quickest way to get lots of practice?

It's simply this: Contact your local children's school and offer to do free face painting for an afternoon. Now you may get turned down... but most likely, they will be very keen to let you do this if you aren't charging anything. This is a powerful way to gain experience fast.

Simple and Contemporary Face Paint Designs

Simple and Contemporary Face Paint Designs

Painting is all about discovering the magic of colours, patterns and designs. Face painting is all about painting magic that can alter faces of people or children into something totally different from what they actually are.

Face painting has been a part of human culture since the evolution of mankind. Tribal groups introduced face painting and body painting to show their concern and faithfulness to a particular group. American Indians, the first inhabitants of the USA, also practiced face painting culture, for identification of the tribal group they belonged to.

In modern times, unions and associations groups had symbols on their faces, to show their union for a cause. Theatre actors often get their faces painted, as it is an occupational requirement. Artists and jokers use face painting designs to make their facial expressions more noticeable while performing on the stage. Sportsmen also colour their faces with face painting designs of the national flag or the colours of the team lucky charm. Every year in Europe, there is a body painting festival, and lots of people take part in face painting.

There are countless practical uses of face painting. In the army, commandos in the fields, often paint their faces with green, black or brown colours to camouflage themselves and dissolve in the landscape at some stages in stealth operations. Face painting designs are immensely admired by kids; they enjoy getting their faces painted at parks and fairs. Therefore, painting designs can be used for camouflage, for representing faithfulness and most importantly, for the sake of fun. Some of the most popular and simple face-painting designs that are fun to paint and carry around are as follows.

A cat, tiger or any cat like face-painting designs are extremely popular and quite simple to paint. First of all, you should decide the background colour, depending upon the type of feline face you are painting. Background should be consisting of colours like yellow, brown or orange. Among kids, Tiger faces are very much liked and appreciated. For making your face-painting prominent, you can make outline of eyes with black liners, nose and whiskers with black dots. If you are painting a tiger face then draw black stripes around the eyes, nose and face.

Clown face designs are the most popular face-painting design worldwide. First of all, give a full white wash to the face. Paint the nose red or stick a red round nose and outline the lips with a red outline to make a continuous smiling face. Last of all, colour the eyebrows and outline the eyes with a black eye liner. You can colour the cheeks with any colour that gets tinted on white. Painting can be further improved by trying out different colour combinations.

You can try out several other unusual face painting designs like the faces of comic book characters like Spiderman, batman or wolverine. You can also make scary faces like witch, warlock or a zombie. Animal Faces can be made like Chipmunks, Zebras, Parrots and other birds. You can also paint your face by abstract designs with splashes of colours, by making unique colour combinations.

These were some of the most popular designs, but one should always keep in mind the choices preferences of boys and girls. Girls are inclined to enjoy imaginative themes, such as the popular yet challenging designs of unicorns. They also prefer butterflies, fairies, flowers, ladybugs, rainbows, cats and other animals. Boys prefer designs, like spiders, skulls, robots, monsters, pirates, dinosaurs, snakes, bats, tigers etc.

Auto Paint How To - A Basic Guide

Auto Paint How To - A Basic Guide

Whether you are just interested in re-spraying a small area to cover up some paint chips, or want to treat your car to a custom paint job that will let you enjoy envious stares from every pedestrian you pass, you will need to follow a few basic rules, and have the right tools to hand in order to carry out the work to a high standard.

The first thing to mention about auto paint jobs is that you should always work in a well ventilated area. Paint fumes can include a number of solvents that can leave you feeling light headed and even poison you if you inhale them, so make sure there is free passage of air through your work shop when you are painting. You should also wear a respirator mask during painting or preparation to avoid inhaling any paint and loose dust that you release.

To get the best effects when painting, you also need to make sure that you are able to keep dust to a minimum. You can achieve a good environment by hanging sheets from floor to ceiling in the area where you are working, and wearing overalls. You should also vacuum clean the area where you are painting at the beginning of every session.

When you apply auto body paint, the main thing is to get a good even finish that looks good, and the key to getting a good finish is having a good start. Preparation is everything in paining. Get it right, and you will be able to enjoy a fantastic smooth finish that will last for years and look great, skimp on your preparation, and your finish will look shabby straight away, and then get worse over time.

Before you paint, you need to strip off the old paint job. You can do this with a solvent based paint remover, or do it the hard way by sanding back the panels to bare metal using a sander. Whichever method you choose, you need to make sure that you have a very smooth base. To achieve this, use the finest grade abrasive paper available, and be prepared to put serious time into the job.

Once you are satisfied with your base, you can start applying the primer. Use a HLVP spray gun connected to an air compressor, as this is much more even than an aerosol, and will be much cheaper in the long run. You should use long sweeping strokes in a single direction to get a good base to paint onto. After every coat, allow the paint to dry, and then sand it back to a smooth surface. Then apply the next coat in strokes that go at 90 degrees to the previous layer, as this will produce an even color.

There are two types of auto paint that you can use on a car, cellulose based and Two Pack auto paint. Most painters now use Two Pack because it gives a better finish, and metallic colors are available, whereas cellulose paint can be tricky to deal with, and is best used on classic cars where you are trying to recapture an older style.

As with the primer, you should apply the auto paint in coats, spraying in a single direction, then sanding back to a fine surface to remove any imperfections, before applying the next layer at right angles to the previous one.

In between coats, it is imperative to clean the nozzles on your HVLP spray gun, as otherwise, small flakes of dried paint can be caught up in the spray and cause imperfections that will spoil the final effect.

Once you are satisfied that you have got a good covering and applied enough coats of auto body paint to create an excellent finish, apply one more coat for best effects, allow it to dry, and then sand back for a smooth finish. You should leave the paint to dry completely for 24 hours and then apply a wax polish to the whole body in order to protect your new paint job and give it a shine that will certainly catch the attention of anyone you pass on the road.

Painting - Some Technical Aspects

Painting - Some Technical Aspects

Painters must be aware of all the intricacies of painting but for the novices, we bring a snapshot of certain technical aspects of painting which will help them out in developing this art.

Media
This refers to the medium used in paintings. It is the color type which is applied on the canvas. The choice of media depends on the solubility, viscosity and miscibility of the fabric or base used. Some examples of painting media include oil paints, pastel paints, spray colors, water colors, enamel paint and wax paint.

Styles
Styles of painting vary from person to person. It depends upon the comfort and interest of the painter. It may also include the use of brushes and paints. In fact, every painter is famous for a particular style of art. Some common forms of painting styles are:
Western: folk, graffiti, body painting, abstract figurative, Oriental and primitive.
Eastern: ink and wash, Persian miniature, madhubani, samikshavad and mughal.

Modern forms
Paints are a thing of past. Now, almost each and everything is used in painting. Be it paper pieces, sand, dust, cement, wood or any other material, they are widely being used in giving texture and extra look to the paintings.

Digitization has also brought various software in the market like Adobe Photo shop, corel draw, image maker and many other which can insert any design, shade or style which you can ever imagine of.
Recent time applications

Gone are the days when painting was done on canvas through brush and paints, exhibited, sold and over. Now it finds its applications in a host of other fields also. The basics and studies of painting are being used in interior designing for decorating houses. Painting provides an insight onto various color combination s and contrasts which enables interior designers to make heaven out of homes.

Another application of painting is in fashion designing where designers create aesthetic and graceful dresses of beautiful color combination s. Here also, the fundamentals of painting come handy in deciding which color or shade suits best on a particular complexion and figure.

A final word
Painting is a universe in itself and you will get more engrossed in it if you will delve deep into it. There are treasures to be found in this area but it requires patience and long years of hard and sincere work. It can be opted both as a hobby and as a profession. The difference lies in the commitment and pursuit.

World Cup 2010 Body Paint

World Cup 2010 Body Paint

The 2010 World Cup started last June 11 2010 and will end July 11 2010 in South Africa. This is the first time that the tournament will be held in an African Nation. The FIFA World Cup is the sport that is most watched internationally. The soccer tournament is the most significant sporting gathering not only because of their well skilled popular team or country players, but also because of each National Team's hot female beauties that took part in the current 2010 body paint.

The beautiful hot female beauties that took part in the current soccer games 2010 body paint used impressive art as way of body make up. The hot female beauties have their body only painted while exposing themselves in the World Cup 2010. These hot female beauties with their bodies only painted have contributed much to the success of the worlds most prestigious and sought football tournament or the FIFA.

The World Cup 2010 work of art on the sexy female models features sexy outfits that quite resemble the different jerseys of the FIFA soccer tournament 2010 players depending on the country they represent. Some soccer tournament 2010 body paint features sexy swim suits underneath the skimpy FIFA soccer games 2010 jerseys. The way that the jerseys are painted in each of the body of the hot female beauties is an artistic feat that is out of this world.

The soccer finals 2010 body paint is truly artistic and something to look forward to when watching the FIFA soccer games 2010 aside from its breath taking FIFA matches. There are a couple of artistically impressive grand soccer finals 2010 body arts photographs in the internet which are a sneak peak of what the World Cup 2010 body paint has to offer.

Different Types of Body Art

Different Types of Body Art

These are the different types of body art:

Jewelry is the most common type. This is a temporary type which almost everybody wears (sometimes) like a ring or necklace.

Tattoos are a type of body art which is permanent. Tattoos are created by colored materials inserted beneath the skins surface. The most common reasons to get tattooed are:

* Wanting to show your individuality and uniqueness
* Belonging to a group that has tattoos
* Pleasing your partner
* Identifying with a (known for tattoos) subculture

Piercings are a temporary type (which may leave a scar when removed). Body piercing is the creation of an opening in the human body in which jewelry can be worn and the word piercing refers to this opening. The most common piercing is an earring, but you can get a piercing in almost everybody part of your body.

Nail art is another temporary type which is applied on your nails. It is really nice and affordable. It exists of (colourful) decorations on your (natural or fake) nails. It can be anything from stones and sparkles to tiny feathers.

Body paint is also a temporary type. It is painted on to the skin, and only lasts for several hours.

Nowadays body painting is becoming very popular in the use of TV an film projects, advertising, media, sporting, modeling events, runway, and much more.

Airbrush is a temporary type as well. Ink is sprayed on to the skin by an artist (sometimes through a stencil). The resulting design usually mirrors the look of a real tattoo, without any pain. If you use the best inks, the tattoo can last up to at least two weeks.

Henna is another temporary type. Henna the paste of a flowering plant which is used for body (and fingernails) paint and hair dye, especially in various festivals and celebrations. The paste is left on the skin for a few hours to overnight and the stain lasts a few days to a month. How long it will last depends on how long it is allowed to stay on the skin, the quality and the individual skin type.

Tooth Art is also a type of body art. The are different types of tooth art, some are permanent, some are temporary:

* you can replace your tooth (or teeth) with (a) gold one(s)
* you can get a (removable) cap for one tooth
* you can get a (removable) grill for all of you (upper)teeth
* you can get a diamond into one tooth (or in more teeth)

Scalpelling is a type of body art, which procedure is similar to piercing and it is also for the creation of decorative perforations through the skin and other body tissue. It is most commonly used as a replacement for or enhancement of ear piercings.

Implants are a temporary type (which may leave a scar when removed). Implants are devices placed under the skin for decorative purposes. You can get them in different shapes through an incision.

Branding is a permanent type of body art in which a mark (usually a symbol or pattern), is burned into the skin,

with the intention of creating a scar. This is performed using a hot or very cold branding iron.

Another permanent type is Scarification. This involves etching, scratching, or some sort of superficial incision or cutting as a permanent body modification, etching pictures, words or designs into the skin. During this process, scars are formed by cutting the skin.

Definition of Painting

Definition of Painting

A basic definition of painting is to use colors in order to portray a picture on a support base structure. However, many different forms of painting and styles of painting have evolved over the years. The first portrait in the world was created over thirty thousand years ago. Since then, the history of this form of art has gone through a number of major changes. In the world of today, there are many diverse meanings to the word "painting". Needless to say, there are also loads of coloring compounds that someone can utilize; depending upon the particular art form that they are creating. Water colors, oil paints, acrylic, fabric paints and tattoo inks are a few of them.

It would not be inappropriate to say that a painter lives in his own world of thoughts where he connects with his inner soul. Without a doubt, it would be very difficult for an ordinary person to surmise just what motivates a good artist. Anything and everything can become an inspiration. Over the years, the environment has been an important stimulation for them. There is an incredible beauty to almost everything that is in nature. A small dandelion flower can suddenly come into view as a beautiful blossom; if the artist sees it that way. It is all in the way the painter interprets the subject.

Body painting is one of the most famous forms of sketching that has become popular in the past few years. This includes everything from whole body tattoos to simple face paintings. People just seem to be entertained with it. As a matter of fact, face and body adorning are used in a variety of dance forms also. The use of a multiple colored palette forms a very important part in the whole process.

Body Painting

Body Painting

With the World Body Painting Festival (and of course the Body Painting Award) coming up on the 17th of July, it's about time to get you all fired up in your body painting know-how.

More about this festival coming soon, but first a short introduction in the art of body painting.

Body painting is a form of body art, and has probably been around since the beginning of civilization. In almost every tribalist culture, body painting was performed during ceremonies or merely just for the beauty of it. Back then they used clay and other natural pigments.
Body painting still survives in parts of the world, and especially 'Mehndi', the form of body painting that uses henna dyes, is now very popular in the western world. The henna tattoo is semi-permanent.

Since the 1960's, body painting emerged as an actual art form. However, there is the never-ending discussion about it's social acceptability because body painting practically always involves nudity.

But no art without paint of course, and you'll be happy to know that the paint is restricted to guidelines: the body paint has to be non-toxic and non-allergenic. The paint easily washes of with water and soap.

As for the henna dyes, which Mehndi uses, there's a difference between the synthetic black henna, and the natural brown henna. The natural henna dye is completely safe when body painting, but the synthetic black henna dye could cause allergic reactions. You should have yourself patch tested before using these at body painting.

This should get you started, next time, more about the festival!

The Body As A Canvas: Body Art

The Body As A Canvas: Body Art

The human body is the tool through which somebody experiences life and his surroundings as well as interacts and communicates with others. To some people, however, the body is another piece of canvas through which they could express themselves, their beliefs and their traditions.

Drawing a Picture, Telling a Message

Just as paintings hanging on walls make a room more beautiful, body art can enhance a person's good physical attributes. Some ladies have a sunflower tattooed on their backs so that they can wear backless dresses that will reveal their flawless skin adorned by the tattooed flower. In this sense, body art is worn the way diamond necklaces are - it is meant to adorn and enhance the wearer's beauty. However, there are other much more complex reasons for the proliferation and practice of body art. These reasons can be cultural, political, or spiritual.

Body art is extremely common in jails. Tattooing and branding are some of the most common rites of passage for inmates who wish to be part of certain groups. Body art can also be used to declare personal beliefs and political stand. In this case, body art can be compared to graffiti on the wall; it declares what the person wearing the art believes. People in ethnic groups also used tattooing extensively as a form of ornamentation. In some cases, tattoos were used to mark how many people a warrior has killed in battle.

Body Art Types

Widely known types of body art are body painting, tattoos, shaping, scarification, branding and body piercing. Body painting is usually done by painting on the body, usually covering the whole body completely with water-soluble makeup or paints. Body painting is very similar to painting on canvas, however, it can be more difficult to accomplish as the body has contours that makes painting pictures and scenes on the body more complicated.

Tattoos, probably known by all, are permanent decorations on the body applied through the use of an electrically ran needle. Body tattoos usually cover a relatively small portion of the body. Favorite places for body tattoos are the chest, the upper arms, and the back of the shoulders. Body tattoos are relatively permanent, too, as the picture or the letters are etched onto the skin.

Body piercing is accomplished through the use of materials such as beads and precious stones and metals. Ear piercing is probably the most practiced by women and some men for accessorizing. Today, piercing is performed on almost all parts of the body such as the nose, the lips, the tongue, the eyebrows, the bellybutton, the nipples, and others. Shaping, on the other hand, is done to permanently shape the body according to a person's preference. Methods of this type of body art are foot binding - common among Chinese women.

Scarifications are more unconventional methods of body art. There are religious groups that deliberately scar their body (usually with pointed objects like knives) using a prescribed pattern. Somewhat similar to scarification, branding is another type of body art that involves a whole lot of pain. This was originally done to farm animals (cows and horses) and originally used for identification purposes. This is accomplished through placing an extremely hot piece of metal with a certain design on the body until it burns the skin and leaves a mark that may last forever.

Whatever form of body art is practiced, it is certain to elicit varying reactions. Body art can be beautiful, captivating, or disturbing depending on the beholder's point of view and set of values.

Western Painting - Tribal Art - Native Art From the West

Western Painting - Tribal Art - Native Art From the West

Tribal Art - The Concept
Tribal Art refers to the artifacts and objects, the tribes of rural areas create. Produced mostly for religious reasons, rather than as a model of artistry, its myriad uses differ from tribe to tribe. Right from the decoration of the objects of daily use to spiritual ceremonial functions, Tribal Art can be witnessed in several life events. Tribes are often isolated from civilizations, with no tradition of literacy. Therefore, art is a potential means to represent and preserve tribal traditions, mythology, and history. In the Western Art scene, the most well known Tribal Art genres are from the tribes in the remote areas of Central and South America.

The Details
While the geography and the climate of a region primarily influence Tribal Art, the social and religious needs of a tribe and the availability of resources are also other important factors determining its evolution & proliferation. Due to the lack of technology access, artisans mostly employ hand-tools made of natural materials, such as stone, wood, tusks, bones, skin of animals, dyes made from minerals, baskets woven with natural grasses, pottery made of clay, and sand for painting, to mention some. The designs and symbols used relate to favorable weather, good crops, successful hunting, illness cures, and other natural happenings common to the tribe. The most creative works of Tribal Art are the images of dream and supernatural visions. Tribal Art is unchanging in style, owing to the limited influence from the outside world. They usually sustain on the internal trade exchanges among the tribes.

Genres
o Inuit - It refers to the culturally similar group, residing in the Arctic region of Canada, Greenland, Russia, and the United States. The art forms here include from ivory & bone sculptures and figurative works on soft stones, such as soapstone & argillite. Hunting, whaling, and other everyday activities are the commonest subjects.
o Navajo Folk Art - It refers to the Tribal Art from Bluff town in Utah, US. With significant exposure to the civilized world, this art form has diverse whimsical creations, such as vibrantly painted wooden chicken, cowboy riding buffaloes, dog in business suit, etc. Horsehair, wool, and leather are primarily used. Their pictorial rugs, pottery, and sand paintings are famous across the world.
o Hopi Tribe - It resides in the high desert plateaus of North Arizona. Art is inherent in this deeply religious tribe, varying across hand woven kilts & sashes, baskets & pottery, jewelery, Katsina carvings, and Kachina dolls, & toys for children.
o Iroquois Confederacy Homelands - They are in the upstate New York and across the border into Canada. With a culture rich in tradition & history, their motifs span across animals, sun, moon, and other natural elements. The myriad art forms of this tribe include basket weaving, beadwork, pottery, cornhusk artifacts, stonework, woodwork, and metal carving to mention some.

Conclusion
The uniqueness of each form of Tribal Art comes from the history and culture of the respective tribe. The recognition of tribes by the Federal Government and the rights granted to the civilized world to interact with tribes had significant influence on Tribal Art and culture, giving way to Contemporary Tribal Art. With the given exposure, the artifacts are commonplace in museums and souvenir outlets, across the globe.

Body Art Painting - Tattoos No Longer Taboo

Body Art Painting - Tattoos No Longer Taboo

It was not too long ago that tattoos were considered taboo and were frowned upon by the majority of society. Such entities were only found on bikers, ex-convicts, and miscreants of all forms. However, today body art painting is considered a valid art form and is steadily gaining popularity. The artists have training much like the artists who create on canvas or with clay; the only difference is the medium. Some tattoo artists can recreate masterpieces and portraits on the skin of their clients that could rival Picasso or Da Vinci.

Popular Tattoos - Body Art Designs
Tattoos are a very personal matter. After all, the chosen design is going to be a part of your body for the rest of your life. However, as with most things, there are trends that exist. Many love the tribal tattoos with their flowing lines. The traditional tattoos of anchors and birds are making a comeback. Celtic symbols are now very popular because their meanings are generally common to most races and universal in nature.

Many women tend to get tattooed on their ankles, wrists, and lower back; this is where the curves are! Men will generally prefer it on their fore arms, biceps, and upper back.

Body Art Painting
Unlike tattoos, body art is temporary and painted onto the skin. It can last for a few hours or up to a few weeks. It is said that body painting is one of the most ancient art forms. Now, body painting is quite popular in both amateur and commercial arenas, and not all "pieces" involve nudity. Many body artists will include small designs on one area of the body. There are numerous festivals held each year in New York and New Mexico where thousands flock to see the vibrantly coloured participants. The modern revival of body art painting can be dated back to the 1950's when artists would cover a model's body in paint (typically female) and have her roll on a canvas to transfer the paint. The results were intriguing - all the curves of the female body in either monotone or mixed coloring.

How to Paint a Guitar Body

How to Paint a Guitar Body

There are many ways to paint a guitar body, some are simple, some are multi-staged and hard to follow. I'm going to try to keep this tutorial simple and hopefully you will be able to paint your guitar body without wanting to kill me.

The truth is you should not expect your first guitar painting job to be any good. You might have to do it a few times before you get to the stage where you have the confidence to paint the body of a guitar you really treasure.

You can buy aerosol cans of paint for car bodies that will do the job on your guitar or you can buy guitar paint in cans that will duplicate your popular Fender or Gibson colors. You will do well to get a face mask and goggles unless you plan on your lungs and eyeballs matching your guitar. The alternative to cans is a spray gun in which case you will get a better finish that needs less sanding.

Wherever you choose to do your painting, make sure you remove the neck and hang your guitar from a taut wire so that you can walk around it concentrating on spraying without having to stop and move the guitar.

For more information and more tutorials in painting your guitar body, you must visit The Guitar ReRanch website. This is the place to go if you need some more info on whatever stage of repainting you are at.

Your guitar will already have a coat of lacquer on it and this must be removed totally before you can begin to add a new coat of paint. There are lots of chemicals that will strip the paint off your guitar, many of which will have no hesitation in killing you if you go near them with your mouth open. Get advice on which lacquer removal product is best to start with on your particular guitar.

If you have experience in painting, which I hope you have, you know the kind of surface you need to get down to. The guitar, if it is getting a complete repaint, should be a nice sanded down palette waiting for your artistic interventions. Any holes and dents should be filled.

The final coat of paint for your guitar body will look as good as the layers of primer beneath it. You took great care on your sanding and now you need to do a careful priming job. Now you can give your primed guitar a nice light sanding. Your surface should be smooth. At this stage, if you are a beginner to this kind of work, you will be starting to want the job to hurry up and get finished. Don't be tempted to rush. If you are sick and tired of all the effort, take a day off.

Keep applying coats of paint till you are happy with the color you have achieved. This means maybe six coats. Then a clear coat of lacquer. Hang the guitar up to dry for a month so that the lacquer is hardened.

Body Painting: Henna Tattoo

Body Painting: Henna Tattoo

Henna tattoos are an ancient custom in India: girls and women are body painted before ceremonies, like marriage. They painted complicated patterns on their hands and feet to symbolize their fertility.

Henna (or 'Mehndi', the Indian name) is made from the henna plant (Lawsonia Inermis). The leaves of the plant are dried and ground. The powder gets mixed with water and you get a sort of green-brownish mud. If you put that mud on your skin, let it harden, and then peel it off, you will notice it has left an orange color.

You can get your henna at an eastern shop or a 'souk' in many different colors. There's orange, mahogany, brown and black. The orange one is the traditional henna. The black henna is synthetic. It contains PDD (P-phenylenediamene) and can cause allergic reactions. Even if it doesn't cause irritations, it's still unhealthy. Moreover, in the past, black henna at your wedding was considered a disgrace.

Henna Recipe

With one pack of henna, you'll have enough to body paint the entire football team. Put the henna in a bowl and gently pour some lemon juice and boiling water in the bowl. Don't use too much water, the mud has to resemble the thickness of sate sauce. The purpose of the lemon juice is to help the color hold better on your skin.

Your skin should be clean, dry and not fat. If you want to color your nails too, they shouldn't have nail polish on them. Make sure you really want this, because your nails will be orange for about 2 months. It doesn't come off! When the henna is cold, you can get to painting.

If you want to paint your foot soles, which is a traditional custom in Marokko, make sure you have a pillow of some kind to keep your feet off the floor, before you know it, the henna mud is everywhere! You can apply the henna with all sorts of instruments, what works best is a syringe (without the needle of course).

Symmetric and geometric shapes work best. Don't make the lines too thin, the color won't come on to your skin very well. The bigger the surface, the brighter the color will be.
Now: the annoying part: Waiting...

Let the henna dry in the sun, the warmth of the sun will get your color deeper into your skin. You can also use a hairdryer.

If you make a mistake in the picture your painting: ACT QUICKLY! If you wipe it off too late, the henna will leave a red spot.

After a while, the henna will start to burst. Don't peel it off yet! The henna has to stay on for at least two hours. Then you can start removing the crusts of mud.

DON'T remove the henna with water! Just scrape the crusts of your skin, you can do this with a bold knife. Don't let your body painting get in touch with water for the first couple of hours. Right after you scraped off all the crusts, rub your skin in with olive oil. It will make the color brighter and help keep the color on as long as possible. Your henna painting will survive for about a month or so.

Also nice to know: Swimming, body peeling, scrubbing your back, and bodyscrub products will make the henna tattoo deteriorate faster.

Body Painting - Nude Female and Male Body Painting

Body Painting - Nude Female and Male Body Painting

Body painting is an art that uses the human body as a canvas. It is a form of painting pictures or spreading colours on human body to look is pleasant to the eyes of the viewers. It is an artistic application of exotic colours over the parts of body. No part is now a day safe from body painting! But the most of the work is done on the face.

When a person desire to show his or her desires on his or her face, he or she approaches a professional body painter. These painters paint and draw figures on face. Among young boys and girls, such face painting is in vogue when attending a party of a celebration. Festivals are preferred places for the body painters.

The History: In fact the human race as a whole is very fond of painting the bodies. This form of art is beloved to be a prehistoric one. In past we were used to paint our bodies with materials like natural dyes, paints and pigments. In some cases we use ash, vegetable colours and clay, too.

The Beliefs: It is believed that the paintings that we do make on our bodies have some extra sensual powers. Some of these paintings are thought to have magical powers with which one could ward off evil spirits or the tribal enemies. Such was thinking many races in past. However today, the painting of bodies is coined with celebration of auspicious occasions like New Year or a dance party. Same practices are prevailing in the indigenous populations of the countries like New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and certain parts of Africa.

Henna - An Alternative of Body Painting

Henna - An Alternative of Body Painting

For many years, tattoo and piercing have become two popular ways of body painting. Although many people like these, they actually do hurt, so we must be totally ready to do this. Now, there is a new popular way of body painting. It is favored because it creates a beautiful look to our body without giving such a pain. This way is called henna.

If you like watching Indian movies, you will see it painted on women's hands, especially in wedding scenes. Those films might be the ones which spread the popularity of henna to all over the world. Actually, henna plants have been used for thousand years for medicines, cosmetics, and hair colorings. They can be used as an anti-fungal and a preservative for cloth and leather. The flowers are used for perfumes.

Henna plant grows in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, Northern Australasia, and Southern Asia, such as India, Morocco, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Somalia, Bangladesh, Libya, and Sudan. Each region grows a different variety of henna. The powder is made of the leaves. Each plant has its own characteristic, so it influences the colors.

If you believe that henna is black, you are wrong. The pure black color is not the natural color. The pure and natural ones are khaki, dark green, and brown. When being applied to skin, they can produce some colors range from orange to red, to black cherry, and near black color. Some factories usually blend different types of henna taken from different parts of a country or even from different countries to get perfect colors.

You can apply henna on your hands, legs, and arms. For simple designs, you only need to prepare 10 to 15 minutes. For the complex ones, several hours are needed to get the best result. After the painting process, dab it with a lemon-sugar solution in order to preserve the paste. How long the painting will last depends on the quality of the paste and individual skin type. The best quality ones can last up to a month.

Body Painting - A Look at the Top 6 Festivals in the World

Body Painting - A Look at the Top 6 Festivals in the World

Dragonmen, Alien Mermaids, Fantastic Fire Dancers, Barebacked Santas, and even a Painted Labrador Retriever; you can see all these and more at the fantastic body painting festivals now occurring annually around the world.

There is a wide range of body painting festivals today. All include painted bodies, of course, and all include some kind of competitions; however there is a quite a range of skills and size among the different festivals, and some are more 'family friendly' than others.

Here's a quick look at the top 6 body painting festivals, where they happen and what you can expect to find there:

1. The World Body Painting Festival

This festival includes some of the most stunning professional body painting to be seen in the world today. A 3 day program includes dance, music and fireworks displays, as well as many competitions. Many of the body paintings here should fall under the category of 'fine art' with some of the dancers body paintings simply defying belief. A very large event and certainly worth traveling for.

Where: Seeboden, Austria
Duration: Three days
Events Include: World Championships in 3 categories; night contest for UV effects, Special Effects awards; classes and workshops; BodyCircus (fantasy ball); music and dance performances; an international photo contest; and a huge fireworks show.
Artistic Range: One of the very best, with stunning range of styles and surprising themes.
Family Friendliness: Not clear, but it is in Europe, so not likely to ban under 18. However this body painting festival does not advertise itself as family friendly, as some others do.

2. The Canadian Body Painting Festival

This is another body painting festival that showcases simply stunning artists and finished work. The quality of the art here is similar to that seen at the World Body Painting Festival. The Festival is themed from year to year, with the recent theme being "It's A Jungle Out There." Also includes the Canadian Body Painting Championships.

Where: Nanaimo, British Columbia
Duration: Two days
Events Include: Competitions in overall body painting, brush and sponge, and airbrush; includes the Canadian body painting Championships
Artistic Range: Most stunning, and one of the best overall. Very life-like and fantastic double-take images.
Family Friendliness: Not stated - would be worth making a call first.

3. The International Body Painting Festival

This festival takes place in Mainz, a city with over two thousand years of history. It is located on the river Rhine, has strong Celtic roots and may have been founded by the Romans as early as 13 BC. One can imagine that body painting has a long history here, if you remember the Celtic tradition of painting their bodies before going into battle. Once again, the artistic ability and range is stunning at this International festival.

Where: Mainz, Germany
Duration: Weekend festival
Events Include: Competitions include special effects and face painting
Artistic Range: Very stunning; high artistic skill.
Family Friendliness: Not known but again, it's in Europe. I would call ahead.

4. Welsh International Body Painting Festival
This festival is a bit younger and less established than the top 3, although it has some impressive artwork considering that they are just getting started. Also the atmosphere is more 'fun' orinted, less 'high art' and family participation is strongly encouraged. A good festival to consider if you want to make it a family outing and see some amazing work in the process.
Where: Wales (of course)
Duration: Two days
Events Include: Hands on demonstrations; horror specialists and flower specialists
Artistic Range: High, and impressive for a smaller sized event; not as subtle or creative as some of the others
Family Friendliness: Very good; in fact they encourage families and camping, with an 'all ages' atmosphere and events designed for younger participants

5. The UK Body Painting Festival

This festival showcases some of the least impressive - although most amusing - body painting, although it should be said that it is not presented as a stuffy 'high art' affair, but more a circus or county fair type outing for the entire family. Fun, relaxed and un-selfconscious atmosphere allows for some of the more surprising and purely 'fun' body art to be seen. If you're not a supermodel and would like to get your body painted without worrying about snide comments, this might be a good option for you.

Where: Ashford, UK
Duration: Two days
Events Include: Family-oriented face painting, body painting competitions for professional and amateur categories, craft fair, children's activities, workshops, and a 'bouncy castle.'
Artistic Range: Fair; more of a family outing with a lots to do than a showcase of spectacular art.
Family Friendliness: Very high; advertised as family event. Lowest cost of all the body painting festivals - comparable to a movie ticket.

6. The US Bodypainting Festival (or New Mexico Body Painting Festival/US Bodypainting Competition)

There is definitely some impressive body painting to be seen at this festival, and a lot of creative innovation with hair and unusual designs that you won't see anywhere else. One example that springs to mind is a model dressed in racecar theme with red, white and blue hair sprayed out behind her as though flying in the wind. Also, if you're in the US this festival obviously doesn't require a plane ticket. However this is not a family outing, as it explicitly bans anyone under 18.

Where: Alberquerque, New Mexico
Duration: Three days
Events Include: Demonstrations, workshops, competitions in body painting
Artistic Range: Good to poor - there is a mix of very impressive artistic works and things better left unpainted here; although it's all 'interesting.'
Family Friendliness: Not at all. We are in the US remember; no one under 18 allowed.

So that's my brief overview of the top 6 body painting festivals in the world. Would you like to take a vacation this year that's not your ordinary 'hum-drum' trip? Pick one of these festivals and you can pack light (you know, you could just bring a can of paint and a paintbrush for evening wear)!

Body Painting Art - Nude Female and Male Body Painting

Body Painting Art - Nude Female and Male Body Painting

In fact we are fond of painting our bodies since prehistoric times. In past we were used to paint our bodies with materials like natural dyes, paints and pigments. In some cases we used ash, and clay, too.

The markings that the people make on their bodies are thought to have magical powers with which one could ward off evil spirits or the tribal enemies. Such was the thinking in past. The painting of bodies was also coined with celebrating of auspicious occasions like New Year or a dance party. Same practice can still observed in the indigenous populations of the countries like New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and certain parts of Africa.

In India the women and men are fond of using Henna. It is a colour extracted from a plant of Henna; it is also known as Mehandi. This type of body painting with Henna has been a fashion in India and the Middle East since many years. People paint their hands and legs and other parts of body with Henna during auspicious ceremonies like weddings. The use of henna or Mehandi has become popular in the Western countries, too, since last two decades.

The art of body painting is not a new phenomenon in the countries of South America, too. People here have been using indigenous materials to paint their body and body parts. They use wet charcoal and other materials available in the local surrounding. In some parts of America, a material known as Huito is used to paint the bodies and faces. Huito is a black dye, and it takes weeks to fade away.