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Body Painting Questions


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

As I get closer to finishing my Mighella costume, I keep thinking more and more on body painting. I would really like to use an airbrush and the same type of paint Pam does for her Twi'lek costumes, because the results are the best I've come across. I'm afraid of looking blotchy due to uneven paint coverage or the color wearing off half-way through the day!

 

My big questions for anyone experienced with body painting using an airbrush are:

 

* How do you go about painting your face?

* Do you use a makeup applicator on your eyelids?

* How about the nostril region and hairline? Is there a special trick to not getting it on the roots of your hair?

* And would it be advisable to use a stencil and another layer of paint for the style of markings Mighella (and other Nightsisters, for that matter!) has on her face and hands?

 

Any help would be awesome, thank you! :)

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We're going to have to make sure we have a few sprayers @ D*C....Miss Jayne turned me on to a sight that has them cheap....i'll shoot her an email to see which one it was (can't remember) and then I'll PM you the link. It wouldn't hurt for you to have one dedicated....I know we'll be getting one to help w/ Gothiclysm's Maladi.

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Guest Sakara

lol those are a couple of questions regarding bodypaint airbrushing that id love to know too!

Temptu and reel Creations etc are alchol based and i have had that stuff applied to my face, but very carefully with a brush...and even then i found it slightly sticky.

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Guest Anonymous

First, DO NOT use "Temptu" in an airbrush around your face! :evil:

It's alcohol based & not made for that!!! (I used to work for them years ago in Gatlinburg, Tn....)

& yes, DO use a stencil for bigger areas/patterns. :wink:

Our 2 favorite airbrush make-ups are Fantasy Faces & Ben Nye airbrush make-up. Both can be thinned with water. (http://www.norcostco.com/index.asp?Page ... tegory=203)

Be sure & use thin coats to build up your color. As Adrienne found out, a heavy, thick coat will flake! :? (That wasn't her mistake. :wink: )

As for your hairline, you can either work downwards around the hairline, or get a piece of stiff paper (cardboard, posterboard) & cut out a "C" shape to fit around your hairline to block any overspray. Also, you can remove any overspray with a wet washcloth. :wink:

And since you're using a low psi, you can do a couple of "soft squirts" around the hairline & you should be alright.

Also, you DO NOT need a compressor! :twisted:

A tank of compressed air will work just fine for 2-3 medium size jobs. ( say 2 Maladi's)

You can pick up some inexpensive airbrush guns at Harbor Freight & most hobby shops. Make sure you buy some extra needles, as that's what gets mangled the most & easiest. (A bent needle will cause all kinds of problems, from spots to drips to AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!! :evil: )

& 1 of the most important things about using an airbrush, be sure it's clean!!!! A dirty tip will do nothing but give you grief! So after EVERY use (done for the day or even just a few hours) CLEAN YOUR GUNS!!! I can't say that enough!!! Keep your equipment CLEAN!!! :wink:

& the other most important thing when airbrushing make-up is practice, practice, PRACTICE!!!!! Practice on a styrofoam head, as working on paper Vs. a 3D head is entirely different!!! :wink:

 

Airbrush make-up also wear VERY well! It's light & doesn't sweat off, yet comes off with soap & water in the shower! :twisted:

Here's me as Zha'an (from Farscape)....

d-zhaan.jpg

That's at Dragoncon, in the heat, after wearing it for about 6 hours when the photo was taken. After wearing it for 10+ hours, all I'd "lost" was the pads of my fingertips! :shock::twisted: Everything else was still blue! :twisted:

 

I hope that helped! :wink::twisted:

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Guest Sakara

thanks thats great advice. and very handy for the not needing a compressor. If i ever want to do an airbrush character at DC i can safely bring my airbrush gun and buy a can out there...as i couldnt bring the compressor or cans with me of course.

 

The time i had alcohol makeup applied to my face was when i was a model for Millenium FX - Artist Neil Gorton who does all the makeups and prosthetics for Dr Who/Torchwood.

He was using Skin Illustrator pallets, which need alcohol to turn them into liqued. By using a cut brush/or toothbrush you 'flick' paint onto the skin by using your thumb and brushing it over the brush to make paint lightly spatter onto the area. its a tiny amount that applied each time and creates a realistic look to an appliance as skin is not all one tone. You build up layers of different tones and it really makes the appliance blend into the skin.. This technique is a well known technique in film industry.

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* How do you go about painting your face?

* Do you use a makeup applicator on your eyelids?

* How about the nostril region and hairline? Is there a special trick to not getting it on the roots of your hair?

* And would it be advisable to use a stencil and another layer of paint for the style of markings Mighella (and other Nightsisters, for that matter!) has on her face and hands?

 

 

If you want to get a really even coat of paint, then liquid colors are the answer. Cake type makeup is great for blending and such... but it tends to end up looking blotchy if you're trying to get an even coating over a larger area.

 

I've found that the ideal way to apply makeup is to start by putting down a base coat with a makeup sponge. Get all of the skin area painted with a very thin layer. It'll look blotchy, but that's okay. Use smaller pieces of sponge to paint around the eyes, into the nostrils a bit, etc. Let that layer dry, and then apply a second very light layer to even out the color. This can be done with a sponge, but you'll get the best results with an airbrush. Keeping the paint layer thin is very important. I have both propellant cans and an airbrush for applying the second coat of paint, but my propellant cans haven't come out of the closet in years because I find them to have a frustratingly low and uneven pressure.

 

I put some information about the different kinds of paint and how I apply it on the "Body Paint" page on my Twi'lek site, if that might help you any:

 

http://members.aol.com/Mitji/Twilek.htm

 

 

For the eyelids, it depends on what kind of paint you use. If you use a water based paint, then it's best to color your eyelids with eye makeup. Water based paint will tend to wear off and collect in the creases of your eyelids over the course of the day unless you apply and seal it really well. If you use alcohol based paint, then it'll stay put all day long, and you don't need anything else on your eyelids unless you want a bit of color for definition. (Which always looks better.)

 

Stencils are definitely a good thing!

 

 

Pam :-)

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Guest Sakara

for sealing water based makeup on the eyes i totally recommend Benefit She-lac

 

it seals it so well.

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Guest Anonymous

You're all wonderful, thank you!

 

This will hopefully help me make less newbie body painting mistakes ;)

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Guest bassclarinets

i know they do make makeup primers too (i use it when i am doing my amidala.. i have lots of allergies and am NOT allergic to the primer i use (i think its like urban decay or something.. its in my amidala case) but AM slightly allergic to the white face makeup..

 

those help a lot too - but you can get away with "priming" with your regular makeup or with a normal foundation that you regularly use..

 

jen

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Guest Anonymous

Lots of good questions!! I can answer those based on my experience.

 

First off I would not try spraying your own face. The chances of this going in one or both of your eyes is great. So try to find someone who can do this for you.

 

As far as makeup goes anytime I have done airbrush makeup for major theme parks for Halloween events- they always use alcohol based makeup. They use the temporary tattoo inks from

http://www.airbrushbodyart.com.au/airbr ... o_inks.htm

 

When spraying someones face with inks you always want to:

1) Spray in a well ventilated area. When we did the makeup in the theme parks they were airbrushed outside.

2) The person needs to hold their breath and alert the artist when they need to take another breath.

3) The face is always sprayed at a lower psi than the body. If you thin the inks down with 99% Isopropyl alcohol they will go through the guns at a lower psi (like 10psi or less) Smoothon and fxwarehouseinc.com both sell 99%alcohol.

4) Always powder the face after spraying with a translucent settiing powder. Temporary tattoo inks are sticky.

5) Anything oily will remove alcohol based inks. Sweat, babyoil, lotion, ect.

 

Mehron makes a barrier spray, MichaelDavy makes a sweat stop product as well. There are also sealers you can use such as green marble sealer, kryolan, mehron and ben nye.

 

Good luck

 

 

 

:D

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Guest Anonymous

So I have ordered an airbrush, sort of as a birthday present for myself. I don't think makeup will be its primary use but I expect I'll use it for makeup at least sometimes. Some of my questions have already been answered here (thanks!) but I have some others, too. Can normal makeup (creme liners, eyeshadow etc) be applied over airbrush makeup for contouring? And is it safe to use on hands, or is it likely to rub off? I would like to use airbrush makeup for my husband's Thrawn costume, and of course the fabric is white. Last year we used creme makeup and it was a pain to clean afterwards. Also, how much makeup is needed for a small application (just face and hands)? Thanks.

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Heh, I've been meaning to answer this post for a while, but I couldn't find it! Talon forum? Nope. Makeup forum? Nope. Then I ran a search for key words, and spotted it in the Painting section. I'm moving it over to makeup, to keep the topics together.

 

Anyway...

 

Yes, other makup can definitely be applied over body paint. You do have to be careful with some sponge applicators that they don't rub off the body paint while applying the other colors, though. A gentle touch is important.

 

How well makeup lasts on your hands (or anywhere else) really depends on what kind of makeup you use. Water and cream based makeup will rub off a lot easier than alcohol based body inks... and I don't even want to think about how badly grease paints woudl stain a white outfit! A small application shouldn't take any more than an ounce of paint at the most. It's always wise to have more paint on hand than you think you will need, though... it's a terrible feeling to get 3/4 of the way through a paint job, and realize that you might not have enough to finish! Besides, most of the paints are far more economical in the larger sized bottles. It's better to get more and have it ready for multiple painting sessions, than to get a small bottle each time you need some.

 

For Thrawn, I would highly recommend Reel Creations. It's an alcohol based ink, so it will not transfer to the white fabric at all. None, not even a little bit.

 

(Here's my proof: I've worn this costume three times, and the fabric is still pristine white. All I did when I got home was to toss it in the washer with the usual bit of Tide detergent.)

 

CVTwilek8.jpg

 

 

Pam :-)

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Guest Anonymous

Thanks! Is this the right stuff? https://www.reelcreations.com/products/item_details.asp?idprod=65 And do you know if Temptu would be similar? It seems to come in a wider variety of colors.

 

I did manage to get all the blue makeup out of Thrawn's uniform, though managed to shrink the lining in the process and had to re-line it (lesson: synthetics have their advantages). Never did manage to get all the blue out of the costume in my avatar, and that was a water-based makeup.

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Guest Sakara

ooh, one thing. dont use any oil based makeup over alcohol airbrush ink as that will start to remove it.

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Yup, that's the right stuff. Keep in mind that the Reel Creation blues tend to be pretty dark, so you might need to mix in some white to get the Chiss coloring. For example, my Aayla "recipe" is 8 oz white, 4 oz blue #4, and 1 oz vein (to tone down the blue-ness of the blue). That's a big batch that lasts through multiple troops... but you get the idea of how much white I use.

 

Good point on the oil makeup!

 

Pam :-)

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Hi,

 

It's hard to judge exactly how much paint you will need because it depends on what kind of paint you use, how much body area you are painting, how much experience you have, what you use to apply the paint, and how thickly you put the paint on. The more practice you get, the less paint you will need. The most important thing to remember is that you should ALWAYS have extra paint on hand. Get more than you need, because it would be terrible to run out when you're getting ready for an event and you're not finished with your painting yet!

 

I buy a lot of paint at once because I mix the colors, and bigger bottles are more economical in the long run. The blues are way too dark right out of the bottle, so I mix them with a lot of white and a little bit of turquoise or vein to tone down the color. I make a very large bottle, which I use for three or four events before I have to buy more. I would guess that an Aayla paint job takes me about 2 or 3 ounces of paint, while a full-body paint job takes me about 5 or 6 ounces. I haven't recorded how much I use each time, so I can't say for sure.

 

I really advise you to paint yourself once just for practice before you go to an event. Learn how to use the paint, learn how long it takes you to put the paint on, and learn how much paint you need for one application. And, try the paint with and without an undercoat if that is something that you're concerned about. I don't think a white primer coat would be necessary, but perhaps a lighter version of the color that you're using. I know they do use a white primer before doing green or bluescreen body paint to get a true color application. You just have to experiment and see what works best. Then, while your're all painted.... use the opportunity to take some good costume pictures!

 

The type of remover really depends on the paint you use. For Reel Creations, I like to use the remover that they sell. It works well, doesn't smell bad, and leaves my skin in nice condition.

 

You can find some great discussions about the different kinds of paint and advice about them here:

 

http://chucrew.com/TwilekCelebration/viewforum.php?f=8

 

Pam :-)

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