Beauty Art Body Painting Woman

Beauty Art Body Painting Woman

If you wish to see the visual narrative; if you want to see the beauty of poetry painted on canvas; then a look at the paintings done by Renoir would be very much entertaining for your eyes. When we look his figurative paintings on a wall of museum, we feel that we are meeting a real person whose beauty is depicted in a charming way.

Renoir Painting Natural Beauty of Women

There was a time when if a painting adoring natural beauty of a woman were painted, the art critics and viewers felt themselves off-guard. The paintings of a beautiful woman done by Renoir were not the darling of such critics. He had painted many canvases which were subjected to the close scrutiny of critics. They also disliked the movement of impressionism, too. They criticised the whole movement as 'the paint fired onto canvass with a pistol'.

Renoir the Artist

In later phase of his creativity and in the last years of his life also, Renoir had cultivated keen interest in classic art. He had done so while keeping his impressionist brush well in his hands. He thought more about the effect of light. During his last lap of life, he had concentrated on ensuring that how the sunlight would affect the flesh tones. He did experiments with this theory by painting various figurative paintings. A large flock of models were at his disposal. These models working for the artists were eager to be painted and become immortal in the world of art. They have faith on the brush used by the master artist Renoir. That was one of the reasons Renoir was very much affected by the beautiful models who worked for him in his studio.

The Art

Pierre Auguste Renoir, born in the year 1841 and who died in 1919, was a master in the impressionist style. The style had celebrated beauty from whatever sources the artists selected to paint. He had painted several beautiful portraits adoring the charm of the women models sitting before him wearing no clothes. Renoir had always shown grand creativity. There was one specific technical reason for this, too. He paid full attention to the details in his paintings.

Renoir always searched for certain types of beauty in his women models. If he saw a high-breasted woman with heavy bottoms and small head looking like a girl, he would certainly paint that woman. And he got such models very often. One of his models, Gabrielle Renard, had all what he wanted in her body. She was working as a nurse for his minor children.

Amazing Body Painting Art by Craig Tracy.

Amazing Body Painting Art by Craig Tracy.

Author's Note: Please bear in mind this story is fiction based on fact.

By the way. . . I'm not racist. And all of life itself is ludicrously sexist. Our Baptist Church was colored only, and we worked very hard for civil rights during those times, but hardly at all for women's rights. This story is partly about that silent and much neglected fact.

When the Negro menfolk in front of the fateful scene at the colored hotel got together for the photo of the murder of Dr. Kane, they pointed their arms wildly in circles, more or less in the direction of the sniper. Shocked utmost, they couldn't think or point straight. They had been the great black man's protective entourage. Lots of people would have died to have taken those bullets, and those young men were no exception. But it was too late; Dr. Kane was dead of several gunshot wounds in his hotel room.

So the men were quite put out, completely frightened witless, as they gesticulated like waving palm fronds in a house fire. Screaming loudly, appearing to be forever lost, they were nonetheless an equivocal bloblike group of all male togetherness. I stood there, trying to get to the hotel room, unable to push past their bunched up moving group.

I was the maid. I had to go inside, into Dr. Kane's hotel room. I had the equipment around the corner. I was waiting - because I was stark staring terrified the sniper would shoot me. He was right around the corner on the opposite side of the tracks, only about a hundred feet away. And he had a gun with an excellent sight. Pausing momentarily, I was standing there realizing something, and then I hated myself completely. I had been told by our hotel management to go mop up the room.

I had to get at the hotel room's towels first. I would be cleaning up some excess blood, slightly. And of course, in the popular and famous colored hotel we were working at, the towels ran short sometimes. I was stuck taking the blame for that, and they were constantly threatening to fire me from my job for breathing. In spite of them, I liked the man who had been kindly staying at our hotel - for being what he wasn't: a fat comic.

Dying in public was such a martyr thing to do. Martin the Martyr - what a name, what a fate. He was a serious victim like me, a social pawn. I was in love with the guy for breathing, even though he wasn't. I still wanted to. Anyway, I was stuck standing there, idiotically wondering if James Earl Ray, the assassin as it turned out, liked to shoot hotel maids.

I finally let out a dry chuckle. Both of those young men, famous and infamous, would have to face a terrible final reckoning. Life was totally unjust and unfair. I had no real man in my life to take care of me. Also, I had no unearthly paradise known as Heaven, especially anymore. Now that Dr. Kane was dead, who knew what was going to happen next?

Trembling with both fear and rage, I had a feeling the murderer was going to shoot me. Meanwhile, I had to plan something to get in there to mop up the room, if I wanted to keep my job. Coughing into my fist, I thought I'd rather be shot dead than to undergo such ridiculous indignity.

Then Joshua Jackson ran into the room. I thought, the guy is going to check on the "amazing grace character" in there, namely a Baptist fountain of blood. Y'see, our church worshipped such strange stuff as "fountains of blood of Jesus." They hated it, but we Baptists were supposed to go be Jesus more so than we ever seemed to. It was somehow important culturally. So I wondered if he went in there to mourn, or worship.

Suddenly, it hit me that someone else was going to see it all. Childish curiosity almost got hold of my so-called "soul." I wanted to see what was happening briefly, but felt screamingly depressed. Not because I wasn't bathing in a fountain of Jesus' amazing blood, like our church was always singing about, but because I had to hold my amazing job. The streets are not a pretty thing to do, especially when you're colored in the Deep South. Mostly I had to go in and do my job, or I'd be fired.

Anyway, I waited a long time for Mr. Jackson. I thought I heard mumbling sounds and some thrashing. I waited until it settled down, figuring that while I harrumphed to myself, the amazing toy man - at least, people treated him like he was one - was getting dead in the usual way. Previous to my maid job, I had been a nurse at a county hospital. I had seen people die. I would miss the amazing toy man to myself, but I was getting impatient, and I had to get back to my house at five o'clock or five thirty and fix dinner for my abusive husband, or he might beat me - or even kill me. That's why I didn't suffer much over the death of Dr. Kane., aside from worrying over whether the assassin would shoot me too.

Why bother? If my death didn't matter, why mourn someone else's?

Coughing, I wondered if Dr. Kane abused his wife Coletta. I was a bold Coletta fan to myself in my own Hitchcockian Star Trek Twilight Zone. Fairer skinned than her husband, she was a much learned lady and his intellectual equal. I was also part white, kind of Semitic, having to hide myself from strangers, sometimes. Because I wasn't really Jewish, but I came from those roots and looked medium toned racially impure. The hotel the great man had been killed at was one of the few places that would hire me, as back in those days places didn't often hire colored folk, along with the white people geriatric hospital - at which I had been a bed pan orderly.

At the hospital, when someone died, we had to vacate the bed rather quickly. You don't leave dead people lying around for very long. You get them down to the morgue and they then get shipped out by car to the funeral home. Standing around outside the hotel room was getting to be rather obtuse; I couldn't keep the people downstairs waiting any longer. I'd have to get in there, sniper or no sniper, even if I died doing it.

So after a long time of feeling like cowering, I finally breathed a big sigh of relief and shouted, "So are you still over there yet?" I screamed really loud, but got no response. Gathering myself, I waltzed the ten million light years around my maid cart. Death was actually real. I had to leave the hotel cart behind - because it could barely fit around the wall's corner. I thought as I left that I was to blame for not getting around it. I paused. I went back and tried to pull the cart around, and managed to get it in front of the room.

Then it dawned on me what a nice hotel this had been for a fat man who was now in Paradise. It had housed many of the greats of jazz and black culture in its time, including comedians. But Dr. Kane was not truly a fat comic, as he'd been dead serious about everything he'd ever said, which involved getting human rights for colored people and getting rid of racial segregation. I was in favor of that, but not very grateful, being an abused wife with a small daughter at home. I was not in Paradise myself, not yet, but I briefly had to wonder where "He" had gone.

He was so cool, I smiled to myself. But then, clutching my throat, I realized he was so - dead. And he was inconveniently leaving a mess for me to clean up. I frowned summarily, and froze up. But I thought, well, it's really only some blood, nothing special I haven't seen before. Any diseases didn't really matter to me, as I'd been exposed to them when I'd worked in the hospital. And Mr. Jackson had raced right in as I had read he had done in the papers. The man had done his track at college.

I finally got the cart into the room by jerking and pulling it around the tight corner. I was standing behind the cart in the room with the dead great man. I was solid there for two seconds, hoping that all "great men" would die someday. One of them was coming home to me. I wondered briefly about the relationships between suns, moons and stars, and life on Venus and Mars. "Fly me to the moon," I muttered to myself under my breath.

Meanwhile, I understood that any second now, unimportant I was possibly going to be executed. Briefly, I had seemed to see the assassin's face by looking over yonder. Gazing down at the dead man's corpse, I stared for a moment into an unequivocal "maybe." I would join him by jerking around like a demented puppet, or not. My heart sunk as I realized that such a death would not have anywhere near the honor of Dr. Kane's death. His had been an assassination; mine would be an accident. I was merely the hotel room maid - and was being made fun of by impertinent people.

Would the gunman shoot me? And for that matter, did I really care? At least we'd go down in history together, although I could only picture the brief newspaper story reading, "Maid dies after Dr. Kane." I had been involved in civil rights protests, but only as a minor participant. I was a nobody.

Gazing off into the far distance, I twisted my narrow lips into a thin smile, daydreaming that one of these overgrown boys had summarily died for me. I was about to make up for the debt through my chosen husband if I didn't get home in time, and I was immobilized by the thing called death that was behind me. What if the crazy sniper so much as saw another human back? Would I find a proper towel in time? What about the fat man's lacy white kerchief? Would they arrest me if they thought I had stolen that? And that thing on the floor was no longer human; it was a motionless death trap. In the shadows, it loomed large - as the Specter of Death.

Not to worry, I told myself. I smiled the Black Cat, an African grin that means you're not afraid, and began the search for towels. Sooner or later, they would come to collect the body. I wrangled with myself, and then I "got it up" - already - and went to the Spartan little bathroom, did my business, and flushed it, but shakily. It was like the room was spinning all around me, a kid's ride in an obscene amusement park, waiting to die.

I successfully wiped, washed my hands and got out, but then I remembered I needed to get some towels. I had to go back and collect them - while facing the awful cataclysm in the room behind me. The dead great man's body was in outer space for a moment, but I was definitely in my own disembodied living body, breathing for a space of time longer.

I received the anointment of the towels in a white shaggy pile against my chest, and stalked slowly out to the room. The great man's sad corpse was still bunched up, lying there. He was partly turned onto his right side, wearing a dark grey business suit and oozing puddles of blood.

I looked behind me to see if anyone was watching, and gave the corpse a medium kick to see if anything was going on. Nothing was, so I began the mop up with the towels. I poked him gently, and then I looked closely at his beautiful, handsome black face, so Negro and with a fine mustache.

It was extremely destroyed. It had been there, but it was not there. It was a cave with no smile, peeled back and sunken in. As it was dark in the room, I didn't feel like throwing up, though I almost did. Throwing my head to one side, I could see out the glass window. The sniper was still over across from me, disassembling the gun. He was visibly shaken. I began to realize once again that I could see him, and so did he. What should I do?

What if I acted like I was friendly? Would he buy it, coming from a colored lady who might have loved the dead man for trying to win human rights for our people? Or would he think perhaps an underprivileged woman would not have respect for him, as his speeches had oft mentioned men and children, but not women, usually speaking of "the brotherhood of man?"

My hands trembled as I bent partway over, but I knew that I had to hurry and get home. My husband was always trying to make me come home by five or five thirty, or he'd threaten me. I glanced at my watch. Then the loudest, most obnoxious sound occurred, filling the air around my head with its sad smelliness - a final, ceremonial and gratis fart.

I breathed in an elegant, funky sigh, which was at least partly a painful sob, bending over to mop at the sunken body some more with a small face towel. I suddenly saw the larger hand towel I was looking for, scrunched up against me; it was so thick, white and fluffy, and I dabbed at my tears. I cursed myself for showing my pained feelings in front of the sniper.

Rubbing at my dripping nose, I let the towel drop from my heaving chest. I soaked up some of the major blood, waving it at the still visible sniper, and stuffed it briefly into my green apron's pocket - while thinking something about what a great man this dead guy might be. In a world of sexism where wife abuse was common, was it possible to be great, even if you were dead - or especially if you were dead? Briefly, I wondered, and gulped.

I stuffed the red stained hand towel all the way clear down into my pocket. And I used a face towel to wipe off my right hand with the other wedding ring on it, deciding to keep only the hand towel. Sniffling, I determined to keep myself from crying - or feeling anything further. I was only soaking a towel in blood to sell it later, not mourning the dead, and this man was not a relative of mine, or anyone who could help me any further.

I left the corpse behind, and then I looked at the door that wasn't exactly being pounded on. I heard noise, but nothing coming near the room. Well, I went out on the balcony and waved the towel at whoever was still across the way, and saw the man who had killed Dr. Kane. I waved my towel at him, smiling the Black Cat to let him know "all was well." I was taking my chances. He was at the end of dismantling his gun, and he seemed to look down - as if his faith in humanity had greatly died.

Much relieved, I knew now he wasn't going to shoot me. I memorized his ugly features, but figured they would find him, so I wasn't too worried. The great man's entourage had seen him earlier, and had probably summoned the cops. I heard later they chased him all the way to England.

I figured it was for the best. If my own husband ever murdered me, I didn't think anything real would be done about it, so I didn't care whether or not they caught Dr. Kane's murderer. It didn't bring him back to life or undo anything that had already happened. It's not that I was ungrateful when it came to the wonderful things Dr. Kane had done. I merely needed the money. I had a young daughter to raise, and might have to leave my husband. Surely the amazing towel would make me a fortune, once I found the right collection-minded buyer.

Most importantly, I now held the amazing, blood-soaked hotel towel. The martyr-born sacred object was finally in my cold fingered grasp. I knew that it would sell someday as prime memorabilia. It had no special scent of justice on it. I walked away from my job in the room. I was going home at last. I had the most expensive towel I had ever collected in my life. I smiled. I was going to make My Favorite Martyr appear in human history later, all by myself. I had established a collector's item - in my own greedy mind. All I had to do was wait a couple years, after the hubbub had died down.

Here came the reporters. I stepped back against the outside floor's metal railing, and one of them brushed a certain body part as they all shoved their way into the room. I was jerking like a puppet, my heart was pounding, and I had been there and in on it, all the way. I had both an incredible story - and the hotel towel. The one from the room he'd died in, the very room!

As the flashlights popped, I turned to race down the stairs. Uneducated me was holding a small fortune in her blood-reddened apron. I collected my amazing "character," as money-oriented as it may be, and knew I was going to be late home. If so, my husband might beat me up, or even kill me. But I had a chance at life nestled in my apron pocket.

"I hate men, all men," I chanted to myself as I descended the first flight of stairs. "I'm doing this for my daughter and me. You can't stop us!"

Dead men take vengeance, I suppose, from a time and a distance away. Banging into the stairs railing, I was looking down far onto the ground below. It seemed to zoom upwards, as my stomach did flips, and I lurched. Pulling away, I was diving around the stair's corner in a lost little world that I was only too glad to throw away. The railing was there, hard, tempting me to throw myself off. Trembling, I did not jump over the edge.

"There's no such thing as justice; I'm not evil." I thought perhaps I lied, but while thinking I might be right. After all, when was my life ever fair? "Don't judge my by the color of my skin; judge me by how much money I've got," I breathed to myself, glancing down at the metal steps below. Their peeling paint attested to my poverty stricken life, which would surely change.

Sighing, I collected myself and "established justice" by waltzing down the stairs. It was wonderful of me to judge a man - not by his skin color - but by my amazing towel. The dead Dr. Kane had helped someone else out again. I thought to myself, surely he would approve - if he knew about it. And if not, so what? He'd be another hard headed, hard hearted man. I didn't believe he was like that, and hoped for his blessing. Still, I felt a little guilt ridden, taking a hotel towel soaked in his dying, martyred blood, only to sell it.

I was headed home in a big fat hairy hurry with a gift from God himself in my green hotel maid apron's pocket. I was going to keep that amazing towel for several decades, until it was worth some big bucks in the Heaven which I would surely never obtain, as it didn't exist.

Years later, I sold the amazing "Elvis Presley" souvenir towel. I could find no one who wanted to buy the one from Dr. Kane. For you see, I told everyone that it contained the blood of the amazing "Elvis Presley." And so I sold the towel to the one "true believer" in Elvis the Pelvis - who had tried to come on to me after I got the Black Eye from my abusive husband. The divorce had settled - and I'd gotten custody of my daughter. She had talked me out of selling the towel as Dr. Kane's, saying that it was in poor taste to sell an American Negro martyr's blood.

"Just say it's Elvis Presley's blood," she said, "Nobody cares about him; he was only a white Indian who sang really well, not an important martyred political figure responsible for the lives of millions of people."

I still went to my church sometimes, but it was filling up with other colored people with angry characters, so I left. I was hiding like sixty, but at least I had someone well convinced about the nature of the amazing "Elvis Presley" towel. I finally sold it on eBay, where we traded pictures, and he really went for the Elvis routine. He himself was rather handsome, and we dated - for awhile. He threw me over for some blonde chick with a limp. He kept telling me he had to take care of her.


Best Tattoo Fonts For the Lettering Design of Your Text Tattoos

Text tattoos are very hot and trendy these days as a lot of tat enthusiasts opt for words, short quotes, meaningful sayings and even lyrics from a poem or song as designs for their ink. Having texts tattooed on one's body is a good alternative as they can convey powerful and strong messages. With an image, one associates it with symbolism; with words, the meanings can be direct and straight to the point.
Tattoo Fonts
One primary concern for text tattoos is what fonts or style of lettering to go for. One very popular type is the script fonts which looks like it has personal touch because its similar to calligraphy and actual human handwriting. They are perfect for short and expressive texts. Designs vary from flowing scripts to rounded ends and elegant swirls to light-hearted types.
Tattoo Fonts
Old English font is being used by those who wants to have some medieval forms or historical flair to their text tattoos. This font belong to the blackletter family, often referred to as "gothic". It has a distinguished formal look and commonly used in certificates. Famous celebrity with english font tattoos include musicians Tommy Lee Jones and Travis Parker.
Tattoo Fonts
Celtic fonts contain Celtic looking alphabet usually rounded or angular. They are great match for tattoo designs with Celtic theme like the armbands or tribal ones. Other styles of fonts used for tattoo are graffiti, gangster, blade, classic roman and even those with added characters like speedy and flame style. Other cool designs which are becoming a favorite are the typewriter style font which are very readable and looks really fresh and preppy.

fantasy art women

fantasy art women

fantasy art women

fantasy art women

fantasy art women

fantasy art women

This poem is about seeking out the magic that is mine and yours,fantasy art women., fairies in art, mermaids that sing deep in the ocean to sailors they have captured for true loves sake. All we need do is decide that it is real to us and embrace its music.

Fantasy art women
in your backyard
right where I left them.
Surprised?
Not to worry
I am sure they are still breathing
resting under covers of flower petals.

Fantasy women
who come out after dark
wanting to see if the tide has come in
if the ocean still roars.
They run to meet the foam
laughing through tears
hoping for magic
knowing it can be found
somewhere.

Fantasy art
I keep my canvas primed
ready for inspiration.
Last time I looked
my goddess' were singing
so I began to dance.

This fantasy art woman
me
fantasy woman
art on every wall
has learned to dance and sing
from stories told on canvas.
Neglected at times
only a goddess might think so
jealous soul.
I will hear my goddess say,
"Did you forget my voice?
My paintings are my heart."
The only answer possible
"No, not ever."

Innocent angels still wait
I draw them
keep them in my pocket
lest I forget their wings are fragile.
Lest i forget wing of my own.
I will forever hear their whispers
after every sunset
and before each sunrise
what else it there to do?

Fantasy woman
yes
I hold out for that magic
I paint and sculpt on rainy days
days that seem closed
yet days that mention flight
despite the weather.

Fantasy art women
drawings I hold dear
special efforts at times
for free fantasy art
mine for the giving
giving blessings.

Goddess art
I tried to call
left messages about my plans
watercolors meeting paper
oils meeting cotton
clay meeting my fingers.

There were whimsical angels
inside every poem you wrote to me
I put them in a jar
and hid them till I felt ready
to hear their singing.
my fantasy
angel art.
Dear whimsical angels.
My fantasy art women
left out after dark
in your back yard.

ABOUT Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

I paint and sculpt female fantasy art and map fairy tale adventures. I dream of beautiful women on canvas and art of exotic women.

I have illustrated for Hay House Inc.,"Women Who Do Too Much" CARDS, taken from Anne Wilson Schaef's book. I also illustrated for Neil Davidson, who was considered for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and several other publications. My paintings are collected worldwide.

Looks more picture below : Best ...

Looks more picture below : Best ...

Looks more picture below : Best ...

Looks more picture below : Best ...

Looks more picture below : Best ...

Hanging pictures in a space, along with adding decorative flair to a room, also allows us to bring style and character to the spaces reflecting our individuality. Everything we choose, colour, type or shape of artwork adds our personal touch and warmth to any space. How the wall art or framed photographs or any other collectibles are hung, either as a single frame or as a grouping of frames, influences the entire look of any room. Hanging pictures properly needs more deliberation and concentration than one might actually think as it is not just hammering a nail in the wall and resting your picture on it.

The following are 7 best tips and tricks for hanging pictures besides following the foremost guideline which is to hang the picture at the eye level for the average person.

1. The wall art, when hung, should aesthetically please the eyes of an admirer once fixed on the wall. So remember, the size of the frame should always be proportionate to the size of the wall. Smaller frames best adorn the narrow walls whereas larger frames or group of frames look best on comprehensive wall sizes.

2. Wall art should be relative to furniture size. An artwork broader than the item beneath will give a feeling of "off-balance". Make sure that the length of the frame is 75% to 80% of the length of the furniture piece placed below and should also not be placed too high; the distance between the base of the frame and the top furniture should be 20 cm maximum.

3. If you want your picture to stand out and make a statement, select a picture that best complements the colour of your room or couch or carpet and effectively brings out the mood you want to attain. Vibrant and bold colours add flamboyance whereas pastel shades infuses serenity in the ambiance. However if you are looking for an art-deco-inspired look, then main colour of the picture should be in contrast to that of the walls. For instance if the walls are green then select a picture that has bright red tones in it as it will not only make the wall focal point but also add vigor to the entire room.

4. Hang the picture securely. Make sure that the frame rests flat against the wall and use specially designed picture hooks instead of nails. If the frame is heavy or very large then install the hooks in the wall studs to get the robust support that is required.

5. In recent years, the trend of an art shelf has emerged to rest the art pieces. In fact it is a great way to give a stylish and contemporary look to a room. You can also mix and match the artwork with other ornamental objects like silver, crystal, books and other collectibles to create a more elegant vignette.

6. Hang one big picture or canvas in a prime position to make a statement. A focal point in the room can be created in this way where a natural bay window or fire place is missing. A bench or stool can be placed below the large paintings to "anchor" them to the space.

7. While hanging pictures in groups, try to add diversity to the arrangement by using frame and mats of different shapes and sizes but still complimentary to each other.

To tackle a blank wall can be very intimidating but I am sure with these tips on hanging pictures, you can create a well-dressed wall.

German Bodypainting Festival 2007

German Bodypainting Festival 2007

One of my favourite galleries is when Pietermaritzburg organises "Art in the Park" and I certainly wasn't disappointed this year.

This year the day was divine a slight crisp morning gave way to brilliant blue skies and bright warm sunshine. The paintings were arranged under the trees beside the river and as I walked in some school children struck up on their steel drums to entertain us with their foot tapping music, lending a very festive air to the whole proceedings. It was a perfect day to see a a fabulous display of paintings from fifty-five artists from around South Africa.

The first paintings to catch my eye were the ladies painted by Ronnie Biccard, each one expressing sensitive subtleties of mood, colour and emotion in big dollops. Isaac Sitole had some striking wood-carving prints and seems to have caught the eye of international audiences which is brill.

My friend Marion was busy networking or selling something when I passed by her beautiful watercolours but she still had a moment to stop for a smiley photo. Coral Spencer Domijan a fellow Durbanite was painting away in the sunshine, a huge beachscape but she had a suitcase exploding with smaller paintings mainly of people who could tell a whole story with their body language. I dropped in on my mate Nicky Chovuchovu for a chat and landed up buying another of his paintings for my collection - it sits on my mantelpiece at the moment, so I can enjoy it all the time till I find a good home for it.

As I rounded one corner I came across something beautifully different and eye-catching collaborative effort of a young couple called Mpenja or Everett Duarte a South African and German artist Frances Schandera.

Body painting. Terry Runion. art

Body painting. Terry Runion. art

Body painting. Terry Runion. art

Body painting. Terry Runion. art

Body painting. Terry Runion. art

Body painting. Terry Runion. art

Are you considering making a living (or at least a little money on the side) doing body painting? Is it even possible to make a living doing body painting? Yes, you can make good money as a 'pro' body painter, and even kids as young as twelve have made good money (like $500-$400 in an afternoon) doing simple painting techniques like airbrushed temporary tattoos at fairs and festivals.

It may be difficult to believe that there are so many different ways to make money doing body painting. I know that when I first discovered the art of body painting, I thought maybe you could make some temporary money at a party or fair. But there are many, many more possibilities, as you will see.

Here are just 10 of the ways you could get paid to do body painting:

1. Doing body painting at parties. You could hire yourself for a night or a day and get paid either by the hour or a flat fee for the event.
2. Painting party-goers before they go to a party or event. Themed or holiday parties would be a good opportunity for this. Make sure you mention that you could body paint their friends, too!
3. As a professional body painter for the theatre. You could do one show for a discount to get in the door and get some recognition, if you don't have a track record yet.
4. Travel with the circus as their 'in house' makeup artist.
5. Become the official body painter for a dance company. Again, you could work for a low fee or even free to get in the door.
6. Face painting alone opens up several opportunities: parties, festivals, fairs, and special events all are possible places for you to set up shop. Just make sure (as with all these options) that you are using proper, non-allergenic paints meant for face painting alone.
7. Special events like graduations, celebrations, fundraisers, and reunions.
8. Sports events: painting fans in their team colors and symbols has had a long tradition.
9. Festivals around the world. There are several festivals specifically for body painting around the world, but there are many more that would be a great place for body painting. Look up the festivals in your area and find out how to become a vendor and what their requirements and rules are.
10. Teach others how to do body painting. You could hold a one-time workshop, give ongoing group classes or even do an online body painting course (as I am doing).

I hope this gives you some good ideas about how you could make money as a body painting artist. Maybe you have even thought of some ways that I didn't include...great! Choose one method, research what you need to do to get started, and go for it!

Bonus Tip:

Here's a secret hint...as you are considering one of the possibilities above. Don't choose what you think would make you the most money...choose what you think you would happiest and best at doing. You will always make more doing something you love doing, in the long run!


body painting body painting on the chest

body painting body painting on the chest

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.


Body Painting Body Painting booth

Body Painting Body Painting booth

An auto accident can happen in a split second. You are always left with many questions and are always wondering what happened. As well as wondering how and when you are able to get your automobile repaired. Whether it is repairing a full dent repair or just repairing a simple scratch in the paint. There are many services that are available to you when you are in the time of need.

One service that is available to you for your auto repair is frame straightening and reconstruction. Sometimes when you are in a auto accident it is so bad that it actually bends the actual frame of the automobile. Now you are able to have that problem easily fixed for you. Having a bent frame can be very detrimental to your car in a number of various obvious and unpredictable ways. And with using state of the art tools they are able to insure that your frame is perfectly straight without a question.

Another auto body repair service is the ability to have dents and dings pulled out and fixed. Not many things can hurt the good looks of your automobile like a dent in the door. Auto body repair shops can fix those dents and dings for you and have your car or truck looking like new. And now they are more accurate than ever with thanks to the new laser measuring system assists to make sure that the repair is done perfectly every time.

One more service for an auto repair shop is repairing the paint job the car or truck has. A simple scratch can take away a lot from the look of your automobile. Nowadays they are able to use a computerized paint matching system that guarantees that the new paint on your car or truck matches your old paint perfectly every time. And a heated pressurized down draft paint booth ensures that you are left with a factory like finish every time no matter what.

A car accident leaves you with many unanswered questions. Some of those questions shouldn't be how you are going to get your car or truck fixed. With auto body repair and paint services these days you can insure that your car or truck will be back in good shape as soon as possible. And with such a large variety of services you only have to take your automobile to one service business

Body Painting Art Bust - Lotus Dream ...

Body Painting Art Bust - Lotus Dream ...

At the heart of Prague's medieval Old Town is the expansive Old Town Square. Originally the site of an eleventh century city market, today it is best known as being the location of some of Prague's most iconic attractions. Within the perimeter of the square's cobblestone floor is the gothic skyscraper of Town Hall, the baroque aquamarine domes of St. Nicholas and the twin towers of Tyn Church, along with a cluster of cafes and shops.

Although Old Town Hall is actually a sprawling complex of buildings, what most people notice is its legendary clock tower. The tower was erected in 1410, but it stood without a tic or a tock until 1572, when the astronomical clock was finally installed. The clock itself is a testament to medieval scientific and technological achievement. Not only does it tell the time, it also measures the movement of the planets as they spin in their celestial orbits. The clock's face is a mirage of geometric shapes, colors and symbols, all safely guarded by a deep, dark frame of stone. On the hour, a mischievous looking skeleton rings its little chime, calling forth the wooden apostles, each of who appear through the clock's miniature windows before quickly spinning back into the tower's cavernous confides. Another must do is to take the out-of-place modern elevator up to the tower's viewing gallery, where one is treated to a panoramic view of Prague.

While in Old Town Square, visitors should check to see if the Church of St. Nicholas is hosting a choir or organ concert, which are a regular occurrence. For a romantic evening, hire one of several horse and carriages patiently waiting along the pedestrian path running between Old Town Hall and St. Nicholas Church.

Old Town Hall is open every day except Mondays, April - October: 10am to 6pm; November - March: 11am to 5pm.

The Jewish Quarter

Little remains of Prague's once vibrant, if not humbling, Jewish Quarter. Yet within these cramped and shaded blocks one can discover the enduring history of Prague's once prominent Jewish population.

One of the main attractions is the Alt-Neu (Old-New) Synagogue. Recognized by its jagged, pyramid roof that looks to be sawing its way towards the heavens, it was once the center of Prague's Jewish life. This seven hundred year old Synagogue, which the city's Orthodox Jewish population still uses for services, is the oldest in Europe and is reportedly constructed of stone brought from Jerusalem. The entire building is enshrouded with an air of eerie history. Legend has it that within the mystery that permeates the musty air of the Synagogue, stashed away in the chain-bolted attic, are the remains of the Jewish Frankenstein known as The Golem.

From the synagogue, it is just several blocks along a craft-shop lined promenade to the black iron gate of the Old Jewish Cemetery. As city rules once forbade Jews from being buried outside the strangling confines of the ghetto's boundaries, the cemetery is overfilled with 12,000 bodies, sometimes buried twelve deep, which cause the earth to swell like the tide of a dead sea. The slim stone tombstones lean and tilt, stretching for the filtered beams of sunlight that occasionally make their way through the canopy of trees hanging above. Within these sacred grounds lay some of Prague's most revered Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Loew, Mordecai Maisel and David Gans.

For more information on the Old Jewish Cemetery. The cemetery is open Sunday through Friday 9am to 6pm from April through October and 9am to 4:30pm from November through March. The grounds are closed during Jewish Holidays.

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is a truly majestic site that witnesses all that occurs within the city. Perched atop a hill on the far side of the Vltav River, its plethora of palaces, towers and spires can be seen from almost any open vantage point in the city. The castle grounds are free and open to the public, but admission is charged for entrance into its many museums and buildings. However, the spectacular twelfth century St. Vitus's Cathedral, with its robust, kaleidoscope stained glass windows and towering vaulted ceilings, can be seen for free. The best way to reach the castle is via a steep climb up the New Castle Steps, located just off Nerudova, one of the district's main thoroughfares.

At least an entire day is needed to see everything the castle has to offer. However, if one is short on time and is looking for an abbreviated tour, be sure to put the Old Royal Palace, White Tower, Golden Lane and The Story of Prague Castle on your agenda.

Old Royal Palace is impressive in its bare simplicity. Its main hall is an open and rather dull stone and wood affair brightened by coats of arms, jeweled chandeliers and an intricately woven web of trim that races across its vaulted ceiling. Be sure to step outside onto the hall's balcony for royal views over the castle's gardens and stretching well past Old Town.

Golden Lane, running between the Royal Palace and the White Tower, is filled with colorfully painted houses tucked into the castle's wall. Originally they were home to goldsmiths looking to avoid having to pay the dues required for those living in town. Today these homes sell an assortment of crafts, foods and souvenirs.

The White Tower and its adjacent halls, which run along the back of Golden Lane, were the castle's source of protection and served at its jail. Within the halls, where archers once guarded the premises from invaders, are replicas of medieval weapons, suits of armor and even an opportunity to test your aim at the crossbow. The dusty, stale-air filled tower itself, where many prisoners met their untimely deaths, contains replicas of the era's creatively grotesque torture machines.

The Story of Prague Castle is a fascinating museum that chronicles the history of the complex from B.C. to modern times. Although the castle complex is still home to the Czech Republic's president, nobility and leaders have occupied it since 3200 BC. Today the castle is the accumulated result of a building spree that transported it through Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and modern times. Here history is heaped on top of history, burying the ghosts of its collective past with the treasures and bones just now being unearthed from the castle's most inner vaults. Within this collection of artifacts unearthed through the castle's ongoing archeological excavations are the crown jewels of St. King Wenceslas, the skeletal remains of royalty, art works expanding the breadth of art history, and an encyclopedia-worth of information on the cultural evolution of Prague. Also worth the trip is the chance to see exposed sections of the former castles, long buried under the current structures.

For more information on visiting Prague Castle, go to http://www.hrad.cz. Although the castle grounds are open until midnight, most buildings close by 5pm.

Wenceslas Square

Stretching across the expanse of New Town, this former horse market's modern buildings and art nouveau highlights offers a stark contrast to the city's otherwise medieval facade. Wenceslas Square is most likely etched into our memories as being the stage for Prague's Velvet Revolution, which caused the topple of Communist rule in 1989. Today the square stands to honor the past while looking towards the city's encouraging future.

At the far end of the square is the parliament-like building which houses the National Museum. Inside is an interesting collection pertaining to mostly the natural sciences, although most visitors consider the mocha-colored marble, statute-lined stairway as being the building's main attraction.
Saddled to his horse, standing just outside the National Museum, is the statute of St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia. The area around the statute is considered a traditional meeting place and in fact is where many anti-communist protesters held court. Directly in front of the statute is the Communist Memorial, a testament to the courageous acts of the many victims of Communism's cruelty.

Besides the memorials, museums and unique architecture, Wenceslas Square is also the place to shop. All of the main brand-named outlets can be found either in the square or within its vicinity.

Franz Kafka Museum

Although Franz Kafka once described his native city of Prague as "a dear little mother with claws" who never let him go, today Kafka's entrapment in Prague is greater than ever. Declaring itself the "City of Kafka", Prague has associated itself with the author's now iconic, brooding face. Gift shop shelves are cluttered with Kafka mugs, Kafka books and screen printed Kafka t-shirts. There is a Kafka memorial near the Old-New Synagogue, several Kafka cafés, and a Kafka bust standing guard in the Mercure Hotel's lobby, located in the office Kafka once worked at as an attorney. And, with the newly opened Franz Kafka Museum, it seems ensured that Kafka will now forever be trapped in what he called the "bird cage" of Prague.

Located near the bottom of the steep Old Castle Stairs, the Franz Kafka Museum is guarded by a ghostly moving, abstract sculpture of two men urinating into a pool. Strange as the entrance may be, this comprehensive museum does an excellent job of capturing both the facts of Kafka's biography and the creative genius that occupied his mind. Within the museum visitors can traverse Kafka's life through hallways and corridors enshrouded with shadows, muffled with white noise and distracted by flowing water. Along with rare copies of Kafka's letters and books, the museum also has displays specifically focused on each of his major works.

Exiting the museum, one comes face to face with a giant black K. Despite the fact that during his life Kafka only thought of escaping, today there is no escape. Franz Kafka now permeates throughout the city of Prague, defining both what the city was and who it has become. Nothing seems to summarize this complicated and shared history better than the poignantly simple yet somehow complex "K" logo of the Franz Kafka Museum.

The Franz Kafka Museum is located at Cihelna 2b and is open daily from 10am to 6pm.

Pilsner Beer

In describing his country's marquee beer, Czech Emperor Franz Josef I commented, "It is indeed curious that no brewery has yet succeeded in replicating the distinctive gourmet flavor of the pilsner beer." Prague, the centerpiece of the golden genre of beer known as pilsner, was built, destroyed, and rebuilt on a foundation of beer.

Therefore, when in Prague, one must sample at least one of its many pints of pilsner. No matter what part of Prague you find yourself in, there are plenty of great places to quench your thirst for a cold Czech beer.

Old Town

U Zlateho Tygra: A crowded, standing room only, smoke filled dive of a working class bar. Here Czech beer is enjoyed in the most classic tradition. The bar is famous for being the haunt of writer Bohumil Hrabal, a place President Bill Clinton paid homage to, and for serving the best Pilsner Urquel in Prague. (Husova 17, 222-221111)

Literarni Kavarna: It may be a bit hard to find as there's really no sign revealing its hiding behind an arched wooden door, but this intellectual hangout is a great find. The interior's courtyard is the place to relax, eavesdrop and, most importantly, sample a new variety of beer. (Tynska 6, 420-2-2482-7807)

Castle District

U Cerneho Vola: Here's a concept you cannot refuse: a chance to drink for charity. A portion of all sales goes towards a local school for the blind. The bar also offers a good, local feel and relatively cheap draws. (Loretanske Namesti 1)

Hospuda na Schodech: Conveniently located at the crest of the Radnicke Schody steps, this quaint bar is a cheap pit stop that also offers an outstanding view. (Radnicke Schody 5)

New Town

U Fleku: Perhaps the world's most famous beer hall, this sprawling restaurant and brewery is everything a beer hall is suppose to be: crowded, loud and over priced. Yet, one literally cannot say no to the constant onslaught of oncoming mugs filled with caramel-dark U Fleku Lager. (Kremencova 11, 420-224-934-805)

Pivovarsky Dum and Pivovarsky Klub: Whereas Pivovarsky Dum is the city's original brewpub and brews Prague's most original flavors, Pivovarsky Klub, a beer boutique, has over 200 beers for you to choose from. (Pivovarsky Dum: Lipova 15, 420-296-216-666; Pivovarsky
Klub: Krizikova 17, 420-222-315-777).

The Big Breweries

Staropramen: Located in a working class part of town, this is Prague's only brewery. It brews an excellent pilsner and a tasty dark variety. Tours are available but must be arranged beforehand. (Nadrazni 84, 420-257-191-402)

Gulas

It's hearty, it's meaty and it has more carbohydrates than one can count, but Czech Gulas should be a staple in any visitor's diet. Unlike the goulash most people are accustomed to eating, Gulas is not a pasta dish. In fact, there are no noodles and no tomato sauce present on the plate. Instead, the Czech species consists of juicy strips of beef smothered with a gooey gravy and served over bacon and beer-based dumplings.

Gulas is served in most traditional Czech restaurants, including the many beer halls. U Medvidk, a restaurant and brewery, serves one of the city's best plates of gulas and at a surprisingly affordable price. (Na Perstyne 7, 420-224-211-916).

Other Prague staples include such fried, gravy and bread fares as Smazeny Syr (deep-fried cheese), Utopence (pickled sausages), Pivni Syr (beer cheese), and Veprokendlozelo (pork, dumplings and sauerkraut).

Charles Bridge

During the day, crossing the Vltava River via the gothic statue lined Charles Bridge is akin to being a pinball, bouncing your way through obstacles of tourists. This being said, the ideal times to enjoy the suspended cobblestone alleyway of this six hundred year old bridge is during the morning or evening. At these times you can take in the architecture of the bridge's two bookend towers, the detail of its statues and the beauty of its setting in near solitude.

Starting from the Old Town side of the bridge, one begins by passing through the shadows of Old Town Bridge Tower, a royal-crown capped behemoth of stone and sculpture. Visitors can climb to the top for one of Prague's most prized views.

While walking across the bridge, one is watched by the eyes of over thirty statues, all depicting saints and other religious figures or events. One of the most famous is the Calvary statue, a depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ holding the words "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts" written in Hebrew. The Statue of St. John of Nepomuk is recognized by the shiny brass color protruding from the surrounding darkness. Legend has it that rubbing the depiction of the saint diving into the river will bring good luck.

Between the statues are a collection of private art vendors, craft makers and music players. Everything from magic flutes to personal portraits and photographs of Prague can be purchased. Some of the most notable performers are the Dixie-land band known to set up impromptu shows along the bridge's path. Another most-see is Antonin, a local artist who specializes in painting self-portraits taking the persona of Satan.

Museum of Communism

Don't let this museum's location next to a Casino and above a McDonald's or its late-night hours deter you. This is not another gimmick museum along the lines of the Museum of Torture Instruments or Sex Machine Museum. The Museum of Communism is an excellent portrayal of the "dream, reality and nightmare" of the Czech Republic's communist experience.

The curators of the museum put together a well-researched and comprehensive collection of artifacts that chronicle the rise and fall of Communism. Starting with the end of World War II, the museum ushers one through a timeline that includes Sputnik, Stalin, the Warsaw Pact, the Velvet Revolution and the ultimate crumbling of the system.

Not only does the museum contain in-depth historic information, it also has a wide-ranging collection of memorabilia and other historic artifacts. From bearded busts of Marx to silver cosmonaut space suits, school books, propaganda posters, hammer and cycles, an authentic interrogation room and a graffiti-washed slab of the Berlin Wall, the museum does an excellent job at capturing the philosophy, ideals, culture, life and failures of this fascinating period of Czech history.

The Museum of Communism is located at Na Prikope 10, on the first floor. It is open daily from 9am to 9pm. For more information, call +420 224 212 966.

Prague's Left Bank

Known as The Little Quarter, the arts-orientated and café cluttered Mala Strana is a peaceful stretch of green running along the Vltava River, just under Charles Bridge. Within the solitude of this neighborhood one can enjoy the hippie-created John Lennon Wall, Kampa Park and its galleries, and the lush hill that is Petrin Park.

Located within walking distance of Prague's main attractions while at the same time retaining its "off-the-beaten-track" charm, Mala Strana is an ideal place to call home while in Prague. The crème-de-le-crème hotel of this neighborhood is the Mandarin Oriental. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Prague stands out from other chain hotels in that it excels in blending into its historic surrounds by creating a modern, luxury hotel within the structure of an old baroque and renaissance Dominican abbey.

The hotel's rooms are of two general designs: the baroque, with grand arches and exposed wooden beams, and the renaissance, with its long, geometrical halls speckled with hints of frescos worn away with time. Each room is characterized by a unique touch of original abbey trimmings and unearthed artifacts.

The hotel has one main restaurant, a café and several bars. Essensia, serving both Asian and international fare, is located within several adjoining rooms stretching along an arched renaissance hallway highlighted with Asian inspired wall hangings. Afternoon tea is offered in the comfortable, vaulted ceiling and baroque-styled Monastery Lounge, while drinks can be shared in the ultra-cool yet highly sophisticated atmosphere of Barego, a glass and mirror cocktail lounge. The wine cellar, located down in the musty stone interior of the abbey's floors, is available for private dinners and wine tastings.


bodypainting. cave art. caveman

bodypainting. cave art. caveman

If you are just getting started in body painting or face painting, one thing you may not have considered is how you are going to get all that paint off again!

While your client may like being a zombie or a tiger at a party, they may not want to go to work looking like one. In any case, they will want to get cleaned up before going to bed or doing pretty much anything else, and you will be expected to know how to remove the paint you put on them safely and painlessly.

Here are 7 quick tips for removing body paint from the skin, and also for staying clean and neat while you are working.

1. Check your paints and packaging.

Always use safe paints that have been made specifically for face painting and body painting. They should explicitly say that is what they are for. Read what they say, either on the label, or on the website, about how to clean them up. Some body paints are made to be cleaned with water; others may use a special kind of remover that you will have to buy. Be sure you are cleaning them off skin using the methods the packaging says to use.

2. Use warm water, sponges, and cloths.

If your body painting or face painting supplies say to use only water, or mild soap and water, then follow those instructions. Use warm water if possible to make cleanup nicer for your clients, and easier paint removal. Sponges (the same kind you use to apply body paints) and soft cloths are the best tools; you can use paper towels, but why not save the environment a bit and use something re-useable? And using the same types of sponges you use to put paint on will give you the best kinds of shapes for removing it as well.

3. Use non-allergenic, natural, safe skin soaps.

If you've chosen your face and body paints correctly, you have made sure they are meant for face painting and body painted and are almost guaranteed not to cause an allergic reaction. Be sure your clean up soaps follow the same standards. Natural bases like glycerin and castille are good; try to avoid perfumes, artificial colors, and chemicals. If it says 'natural' or 'hypo-allergenic' on the label, you may still want to check the ingredients, they may still include scents or high amounts of alcohol-stearates, which can cause sensitive skin to react.

4. Be careful around the eyes.

Watch cleaning around the eyes especially - of course ask your client to close their eyes, and go slowly. Some makeup suppliers (Mehron, for example) carry special cleaners especially made for cleaning around eyes; you may want to try one of those. You could also look at makeup suppliers for smaller tools meant for cleaning around eyes. The skin around the eyes (and of course the eye itself) is more sensitive than the rest of the skin, so what works on the rest of the skin may not equally well around the eyes.

One good trick is to clean the other areas entirely first, and leave the eyes for very last - that way you will not be getting more paint near the eyes once they are clean, and will only have to clean them once. That way you can avoid repetitive cleaning (and irritation) of the eye area - as well as extra work on your part.

5. Baby Wipes are great, but use the right ones.

Baby wipes are great to have on hand, but remember they were formulated for wiping a very different area of the body than the face. This means they have probably not been tested for facial safety and irritation. I would recommend getting baby wipes that are 'natural,' but again, check the ingredients on the back. You want no fragrances if possible, and no dyes. Sometimes you can get them especially for 'sensitive skin,' again, read the labels. Then try them on your face to see how they work before using them on others.

6. Protect clothing while painting - and washing up.

Paints made for face painting and body painting should never stain the face, but the same can't be said for clothing. Even water based body paints can still stain clothing. Keep clothing away from the paint as it is being applied, of course - but you will want to watch it when you are cleaning up as well. Soaking paints with water and washing them off can be a drippy process, and colors are even more likely to get on clothes then than when painting. Consider using covering cloths while you are cleaning, even if you didn't when painting.

7. And Last But Not Least: Don't Scrub!

Don't scrub the skin, even if the paints are not coming off properly. Scrubbing can cause bad reactions even if everything else is safe for skin. If your paint is not coming off quickly, be patient, let it soak a bit and try again, gently. Try using something else to clean such as baby wipes or a cloth with a little soap squirted directly on it. You may also want to take a look at the paint's instructions on cleaning up again - maybe you missed something on cleaning up. In any case, don't get frustrated and scrub! Your client will appreciate it.

So that's it - 7 best tips for cleaning up safely and easily after face painting or body painting. You may want to print these out as a reminder sheet to include in your painting supplies, that way if you have a cleaning problem, you can consult them quickly!


Body Painting European Festival 2010

Body Painting European Festival 2010

Body Painting European Festival 2010

Body Painting European Festival 2010

Body Painting European Festival 2010

Body Painting European Festival 2010

Lawyer Kaireddyn (Kai) Orta began fabricating his own, rudimentary tools for making tattoos in 1996, while still in high school here in Oaxaca, Mexico. One day a neighbor saw him carrying a shoe box, and asked him what was in it. Kai showed him the adapted motor, needles, ink and other paraphernalia. The neighbor was the recipient of Kai's first tattoo. Kai then began doing tattoos for his schoolmates.

Kai had been interested in tattoos (tatuajes) and body piercing (perforación) since boyhood. It was natural for him, since his father was a history teacher, constantly recounting stories of rituals of Mexico's indigenous populations. There was no shortage of books around the house with images of pre-Hispanic peoples who were accustomed to self-adornment. Kai ate it up.

But throughout Kai's youth, seeing tattoos in the flesh was a rarity. Aside from in books and occasionally coming across a tattooed person on TV, he would only have an opportunity to actually see real live people with tattoos and body piercings when he would catch a glimpse of mainly North American and European tourists walking the streets of downtown Oaxaca, a Mecca for international tourism.

The modern tradition of tattoos and body piercings had been established in countries such as Canada, the US, Spain and Britain, long before it arrived in Mexico. Like so many representations of emerging subcultures, it takes upwards of a decade for them to catch on in Mexico, especially in the more isolated and conservative regions of the country, like Oaxaca.

The state of Oaxaca was by and large physically isolated from the northern half of the country, and indeed the broader world, until the arrival of the pan American highway in the late 1940s. While the odd adventurer would make his way down to Oaxaca between then and the early 1960s, it was the hippie movement later that decade and into the early 1970s which opened up southern Mexico to the concept of North American and European counter-cultures, including tattoos, and then body piercing. However the prevailing sentiment of the Mexican middle classes was that their children should be insulated from foreign youth, and all that its subculture stood for.

Leap forward to the 1990s. Change would begin to emerge in Oaxaca. Tattoos, body piercings and other non-traditional forms of self-expression had begun to be perceived as mainstream throughout the Western World. The silver screen and magazines promoting its pierced and tattooed stars had become commonplace. Oaxaca had to take notice. And that included its older generation, which was then forced to recognize if not accept that the ritualized behavior of their grandchildren (and to a much lesser extent their children) could no longer be equated with something devious, dirty and wrong, simply as a consequence of changing their physical appearance through piercing and painting their bodies, permanently. Many in the Oaxacan youth culture were becoming critical thinkers through higher education, therefore better able to make informed decisions, stand up for them, and celebrate them.

Kai is thirty years old. Practicing law wasn't for him. By the time he had graduated and had a taste of the working world of attorneys (less than a year), he had already become an established tattoo and body piercing artist, with his own studio, albeit quite smaller than his current digs. And besides, most lawyers in Oaxaca do not earn the level of income that provides for a middle class lifestyle, at least by Western standards.

Kai's current studio, Dermographics, in the heart of downtown Oaxaca, consists of:

• The reception area with long desk and computer, tropical fish filled aquariums, display cases with mainly jewelry relating to body piercings, wooden African floor sculptures and masks (as well as a few Mexican masks), a bookcase filled with albums containing drawings and photographs of mainly tattoos, and two comfortable sofas where customers can browse through the "catalogues" at their leisure
• A similarly adorned middle room with supply cases by now of course filled with modern, commercial equipment and supplies, and a small adjoining workroom
• The back room, with chairs and "operating" table, for attending to tattoos and body piercings

"Here in Oaxaca we don't refer to ourselves as 'artistas,' Kai explains. "In the United States there's much greater acceptance of the art form and those who are dedicated to the skill, so in the US and other countries such as Canada it's acceptable to use the term 'tattoo artist.' But in Oaxaca we just refer to ourselves as tatuadores."

Kai & Colleagues Participate in Twelfth Annual Tattoo Fest in Oaxaca, Summer, 2010

During the course of a 3 ½ hour interview at Kai's studio, his friends and fellow tatuadores from Mexico City, Daniel (Tuna) Larios and his girlfriend Angélica (Angy) de la Mora, were in the shop working and otherwise serving customers, while for part of the time Kai was out running errands.

Tuna has been a tatuador for 12 years while Angy began doing tattoos only a year ago, when she began living with Tuna. Together they opened up a shop, called Toltecan, in the nation's capital. Before then Tuna had been doing tattoos for customers at other studios. He was introduced to the trade from having had his body tattooed. Angy learned the skill from Tuna.

But for Angy learning to be a tatuadora was a natural extension. She already held a degree in fine arts from a university in Chihuahua, and had participated in several collective traditional art exhibits. "But it's easier to make a living doing tattoos than as an artist," Angy concedes. As distinct from Angy and Kai, most tatuadores in Mexico do not have advanced training for other career paths options.

Tuna and Angy had come to Oaxaca to participate in the twelfth annual Tattoo Fest, held on August 21 & 22, 2010, a couple of days earlier. Kai is one of three festival organizers, and was on the ground floor of the concept when the first fest was held back in 1998. "Until this year the event was called Expo Tatuaje," Kai clarifies. "We decided to change the name with a view to attracting more foreigners. But back in the early years we held the exposition so that we could meet to exchange ideas, improve access to modern equipment and supplies, and raise the level of consciousness of the Oaxacan community, so that hopefully there would be a greater acceptance of what we were doing. Now the purposes and functions of the event are much broader, since we are well on our way to achieving our earlier goals."

The success of Oaxaca's Tattoo Fest 2010 was evident from the crowds (hundreds by all estimates) and sales. Tuna and Angy between them did 11 tattoos over the two-day period. "I've been coming to the fair for the past four or five years," Tuna explains, "but this is the first year I can actually say that it was worth my while, profit-wise, to come to Oaxaca. You know I had to close my shop in Mexico City to come here. I think this show has finally turned a corner."

This year there were approximately thirty booths, about a dozen of which were dedicated to doing tattoos. In the course of a one-hour visit on the Sunday, during that entire time each and every tatuador was kept busy working - and in many cases there were onlookers in queue awaiting their turn.

Many vendors had come from other parts of Mexico to participate. They converged on Oaxaca to not only do tattoos and piercings, but to also sell a broad diversity of related materials including:

• Tattooing and body piercing equipment, supplies and other paraphernalia
• CDs, DVDs and posters all with alternative themes (both Bob Marley and Alice Cooper live on in Oaxaca)
• Body piercing and other personal adornments, wrestling masks, and clothing, custom-painted while-u-wait.

The event was much more than a sales opportunity for retailers, however. It provided a chance for those in the business to promote their industry, source state-of-the-art and otherwise imported equipment and supplies (since many tatuadores don't get to Mexico City very often, and most imported machinery, needles and paints arrive initially in Mexico City), and entertain tattoo and piercing collectors, aficionados, and the curious, all under one roof, the Salón Señorial located across from Oaxaca's renowned Abastos Market.

As Kai contends, there appears to be three classes of people in Oaxaca, and presumably in other countries, who get tattoos:

• The colecionista who usually ends up filling most parts of his or her body, attempting to adorn with as broad a diversity of designs as possible, or with a particular class of design or artistry (i.e. demons, pre-Hispanic figures, animals, famous faces), often seeking to get the work done by several different top tatuadores from various states and countries if possible
• The aficionado who wants a few tattoos strategically placed on select body parts
• The casual individual who desires one or two tattoos for self-expression or to make some kind of statement, having seen a tattoo he or she likes, whether on a celebrity, friend or stranger on the street, or electing to do a specific design; a tattoo of the logo of one's favorite sports team exemplifies this type work

It's not unlike other hobbies and interests. Human nature remains the same. The first category represents an obsession with collecting, just as in a class of antique, salt and pepper shakers, folk art, weigh scales, and so on. The second is an enthusiast who imposes boundaries, either by design or subconsciously based on personality trait. The third does only selective thinking about it, whatever the product, holding some interest, often fleeting but long enough to result in a purchase or two.

In the course of the two day celebration of all that is still somewhat considered counter-culture in Oaxaca, there was:

• Live entertainment including seven predominantly rock and reggae bands, as well as belly dancers and other forms of choreographed performances
• An outdoor makeshift restaurant serving beer, soft drinks, and real barbecued hamburgers
• Panel discussions and forums with themes including methods for advancing the reputation of this alternative art form in Oaxaca, and dealing with allaying health and safety concerns through the adoption of US-style norms

Health & Safety Issues a Concern of the Body Piercing & Tattoo Trade in Oaxaca, Mexico

Throughout the US there are health and safety regulations relating to tattooing and body piercing; not so in Oaxaca, though it's a hot topic throughout the Mexican tattoo and body piercing community. The word "normas" is constantly being bandied about. The tatuadores at Tattoo Fest, and more particularly Kai, Tuna and Angy, made a point of indicating that most in the industry follow US norms for health, safety and hygiene. According to Tuna, the United Kingdom has the strictest, all-encompassing laws relating to tattooing and body piercing, which he views as a good thing.

It appears that virtually all tatuadores are sensitive to the clout carried by the authorities, even without specific laws relating to tattooing and body piercing. In Oaxaca it's the Secretaria de Salud (ministry of health) which does in fact conduct spot checks of studios, much the same as it does of restaurants in Oaxaca. It has the ability to shut down a restaurant, eatery or comedor, on the spot. And the same holds true for a tattoo studio.

The threat or perceived threat of incarceration perhaps serves a positive function in the tattoo and body piercing milieu. While Oaxaca's inquisitorial, Napoleonic legal code is slowly changing (oral trials arrived in the state of Oaxaca in 2007, albeit for only the most heinous criminal offences), the attorney general's office still has the right to jail alleged offenders of virtually any rule, law or regulation, where a personal injury has resulted. Without specific laws relating to tattooing and body piercing, perhaps Oaxaca's current legal system, as high-handed as it might appear, serves an important function for the tattoo-buying public. Certainly it appears to keep those in the industry in check.

"We won't work on a minor, plain and simple, without parental authorization," Tuna stresses. "And in fact, rather than relying on written permission from a parent, for me, I personally want the father right there in my studio when I'm working on his son or daughter."

Having been trained as a lawyer, Kai has a special appreciation for the implications of not ensuring a clean, safe work environment in his studio, and following health, safety and hygiene procedures established in other jurisdictions, "to the tee:" packaged needles; equipment kept under wrap; gloves and masks; first aid, fire and related health, hygiene and safety equipment close at hand; a "surgical" workspace segregated from the retail portion of the shop; etc. The back of his business card lists steps that should be taken by recipients of tattoos from the moment they leave the studio, to reduce and hopefully eliminate the risk of infection or other complication. Other tatuadores hand out leaflets listing the same or similar precautions that should be observed.

According to Tuna, in Mexico City one can take courses in tattooing and body piercing at a couple of different institutions. But they are for learning the trade, and are not government regulated. Tuna views an inconsistency between government treatment of dental offices and tattoo and piercing studios, and unfairness: "There are a lot of dental offices around which are much less clean than our studios, and whose staff do not follow the most sanitary of practices; and yet the dentists are not subjected to the suspicion and innuendo that we are." [At least dentists are required to have a minimum level of training regarding matters of health, safety and hygiene.]

Kai, for one, is clearly an expert at his trade. From the outset, dating to his high school days, he would invariably read and otherwise learn before starting to work on someone. He would always work in consultation with a doctor, a relative of the family. The doctor was a most valuable resource for Kai in terms of guiding him through all the appropriate health and hygiene procedures, for every step. Kai has never worked on anyone without approaching the task with a high level of confidence. But, he acknowledges, "you never stop learning."

The Economics of Tattoos and Body Piercing in Oaxaca

Angy is working at the counter, doing a pencil drawing of a 1950s pin-up - with a twist. A young woman had come into the studio the day before, wanting a tattoo on her leg of a vintage pin-up girl, but part of the body to be non-traditional, as in one leg and half the head perhaps with skeletal bone exposed, the rest shapely and feminine; as in a Mexican catrina, as Angy puts it, "but with a bit of flesh on her body." The customer is due back today at 4 p.m.

Two men in their twenties come in to look at tattoo samples. They sit down and browse through two albums for about 40 minutes, then arrange for one of them to come back the next day for a fairly large black tattoo of the Pumas Mexican soccer team logo. Then two younger girls come in looking for eyebrow rings or other similar adornments, in the 250 - 300 peso range.

Kai's studio does a brisk business. He charges a minimum fee of 400 pesos for a simple tattoo, a tribal, literally "tribal," as they're known, or perhaps a letter. It was the same minimum charge at the Tattoo Fest: "Sure, some tatuadores will do a tattoo for 150 - 200 pesos, but most of us prefer to start with prices where we can take our time to do quality work that the customer will definitively appreciate, and therefore want to come back, show off to friends, and so on. I've been doing tattoos long enough, and my quality is such that I should command that kind of price, and the customer is more than satisfied."

Kai and Tuna charge within the same range. They both are happy to work by the job, or per daily session. Kai charges 1,000 - 1,500 pesos per session, which can result in a fairly substantial, detailed, color image. Tuna will do a full back for 10,000 - 15,000 pesos. Each has done large, complex multi-color tattoos for as much as 20,000 pesos. That seems to be the top price in Oaxaca.

There appears to be a desire to reinvest profit into securing a better work environment, and higher end equipment. Regarding the latter, in most cases it's simply a matter of imported machinery and supplies commanding a higher price, and the fact that the options for Mexican-made equipment and supplies are much more limited. Hence the desire to search abroad for more diverse product lines. "Don't get me wrong," Tuna cautions, "there is high quality equipment manufactured here in Mexico, but we lack the range in products, and of course everything imported is perceived as better and therefore fetches a higher price."

Continuing education also seems to be a priority for tatuadores. A few years ago Kai traveled to Guadalajara to take an intensive course. According to Angy, sometimes tatuadores will take a brief, area-specific art or drawing course to enable them to keep up with market demand. Most tatuadores do not have training in fine arts, so seizing the opportunity to learn is something to which many aspire. In some cases rather than turn away a prospective customer for lack of particular expertise, it's better to invest in learning a new aspect of the trade through training.

It's rare for a tatuador to turn away business, but it does happen. It's usually a result of the artist not being able to do quality work based upon the requested design, than finding it repugnant. Perhaps it's simply that tatuadores do not often encounter someone who wants, for example, a swastika on the forearm. "Usually what happens is someone comes in and wants a small tattoo, of whatever, on a finger or arm, and I know that I cannot do a good job given the requested size, or that after a short period of time the quality will diminish," Kai admits. "So I suggest something different, something larger or with a different color scheme, or for a different part of the body. Sometimes the customer agrees, sometimes he leaves, and sometimes he insist, in which case I decline the job."

"We can all use more business, but it's a skilled trade which we want to elevate in terms of its reputation, so we must all strive to maintain standards, as well as our personal integrity;" Kai asserts.

The main reasons that customers do not return is lack of funds for either additional tattoos or to continue with the same project, or pain. "Different people have different pain thresholds," Tuna advises. "The sex of the customer sometimes is a determinant of the pain one can expect will be felt, depending on the particular part of the body. Working on the same part of the body can affect men differently than women." Only 50% of Tuna's work is repeat business.

Kai has a preference in favor of working on men rather than women. Why men? Men tend to want larger tattoos, which translates to more artistic license and a greater ability to produce a true masterpiece. "But don't get me wrong," Kai adds defensively, "I love working on women, and do just as high quality work, always."

Customers in their twenties make up the largest age group. Otherwise, occasionally a teen comes in with a parent, perhaps 20% of tattoo-seekers are in their thirties, and a much small percentage comprises an older clientele.

Advice for Americans, Canadians, Europeans and Those from Further Abroad Wanting a Tattoo in Oaxaca

Tuna admits that in Mexico there are perhaps two high quality tattoo artists per 300 tatuadores, stating that in the US the numbers are very different, two per hundred. It's difficult to accept his figures, having seen several quality tattoos on the bodies of Oaxacans, and having had an opportunity to speak with many Oaxacan tatuadores and evaluate their dedication to the skill, and their desire to elevate its reputation through self-improvement. Tuna contends: "If someone wants a tattoo that I know another tatuador can do better, I refer him to a colleague. That builds public confidence. For me, I know that in black, I'm at the top of my game."

The triumvirate of tatuadores is ad idem when it comes to passing along advice for tourists visiting Oaxaca and wanting a tattoo:

• Don't rush; spend as long as required with the "tattoo artist," chatting, looking at his or her designs, and examining the surroundings of the studio
• Ascertain if the tatuador has a particular specialty, or higher level of competency in one area versus another (i.e. color as opposed to black)
• Address any health, hygiene and safety concerns, since while the ministry of health does have rules and regulations of general application, and spot checks of tattoo studios are conducted, no specific body exists for policing the tattoo industry
• Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated the lion's share of the tatuadores in Oaxaca do follow the American normas, those in the industry wanting to elevate their trade to having a more mainstream perception amongst the Oaxacan populace
• Look for instructions regarding how to care for a tatttoo, starting with the moment after leaving the studio, to reduce and hopefully eliminate the chance of complications - either on a flyer or on the back of a business card
• Ask questions, questions and more questions until satisfied that both the process and the end result will meet or exceed expectations

Tattoo Removal in Mexico

Tuna confirms some obvious reasons for seeking to have a tattoo removed:

• As required by an employer (i.e. change in job position)
• For the purpose of attempting to secure employment
• The individual was very young when he or she received the tattoo, and later had a different attitude towards this type of body adornment
• The quality of the tattoo was poor or questionable from the outset
• A change of mind regarding the image or towards body alteration, conceivably later perceived as adulteration

With the modest cost of quality plastic surgery in Oaxaca, tattoo removal in the state proves to be an attractive option for those wishing a return to a tattoo - free existence. In fact in Kai's studio on display there's a plexiglass stand filled with pamplets of a Oaxacan plastic surgeon, Dr. Filberto Fajardo, who specializes in laser tattoo removal.