Night photographer Lance Keimig takes you on a journey to the Aurora Borealis and helps you from start to finish, beginning with preparation for cold, Icelandic weather and finishing up with exposure...
Buy paints from Mehron, Inc., 45 E. Route 303, Valley Cottage, NY 10989,
(914) 268-4106. They have a semi-reasonable brochure and provide some technical
support. They can also direct you to dealers.
Mehron's "liquid makeup" is water-based and comes off easily, although red
stains skin a bit. Plan on using three 4oz. bottles to completely cover a 5'7"
tall, 120 lb woman. This stuff tends to be streaky and cracks a bit when it
dries. It is also not good if your model sweats. However, if you want a
"non-slick" look, it can be pretty effective. Best of all, you can shower it
off.
The most convenient grease-based makeup from Mehron comes in 0.75oz sticks in
dozens of colors (mostly slightly varied flesh tones unfortunately, but also
plenty of colors). To use this you first apply it, smooth with a damp sponge,
then put on translucent powder with a powder puff, then brush the excess powder
off with a powder brush. Mehron sells sponges, powder, and powder puffs. Also,
many women use grease-based makeup on their faces and understand this procedure.
Although the powder is supposed to "set" the makeup, I've found that the stuff
still tends to rub off. So be careful if the model touches bare skin with painted
skin -- you'll get a smudge.
You can take off grease-based makeup with baby oil rubbed into the skin then
paper-toweled off (plan on using 1/2 bottle of cheap baby oil plus a whole roll
of towels to do an entire body). This is the cheapest method. Also, Mehron sells
makeup remover lotion that works a little more easily (use this if you just want
to wipe off a smudge or work on the model's face). Finally, you can use some cold
cream-type cleanser then regular soap and water. Once again, red stains just a
bit. The stain should fade in time, however.
Allegedly, a person will die if his skin is completedly unable to breathe.
However, a spot the size of a quarter left unpainted in the small of his back is
allegedly enough to prevent this undesirable event in the photo studio. Caveat
paintor.
If there is a lot of unpainted Caucasian flesh in the picture, stay away from
Fujichrome Velvia. I've had good results with EPX (Ektachrome 64X "warmer"). As
far as negative film goes, Reala is pretty nice, although Gold 100 and Ektar 25
are probably better (punchier). I've had bad luck scanning Reala onto
PhotoCD.
Happy painting.
Examples
Republican Platform. Rather badly scanned from a Fuji Reala negative.
This was a test for a poster that would have sold big if Bill Clinton hadn't won
the election.
Date Rape. This would have have been a great TIME cover if the
public's appetite for date rape stories hadn't faded.
Links
Steven Bradford has a lot more patience than I do when it comes to this. You
should check out his
elaborate creations.
Q. Can anyone suggest a makeup to use to give the skin a metallic gold or
silver look? Any lighting tips would be appreciated as well.
Well, I haven't specifically covered a lot of the skin with metalic paint, but
I've been experimenting with body paint a bit. It doesn't seem to be something
many people do, as I received little help or suggestions.
The first thing I discovered was: Use grease paint, not water based, if you
want a smooth surface, the water based makup dries quickly, which is nice, but
cracks up, and doesn't appear even. The grease paint, oth goes on smoothly, needs
much smaller quantities, etc...
The grease paint (at least where I live) is readily available in large jars of
white, and in pencils, crayons, and small pats in almost every colour you could
want. There's a number of blues, a brilliant yellow, several shades of red, and
of browns. There is alos a silver, gold, and bronze. The Bronze looks quite
metalic, although I've just used it on lips. I think you need to put a fairly
substantial layer on with some good contrast (black?) to have it stand out.
The ony thing you want to watch for, though, is that metalics and yellow and
red (I think thats it) are often toxic. At least, you shouldn't get them near
someones eyes or inside there nose.
As chance would have it I just got back My first Photo CD with body painting.
I have three main projects, two of of them very succesful. In the latest we
painted up a guy like stone for a gargoyle effect. In the other one we did
"robot" imagery on a woman. I have to figure out how to do GIF uploads and file
transfers so I can send some of these along. I've also discovered a new paint
that works much better than makeup, is cheap and completely safe. It is airbrush
fabric paint. It dries to the touch, is not messy, and scrubs off with soap and
water. It goes on very fast with either brush or airbrush. It can be worn for
hours very comfortably.
Read your post some time ago concerning metallic gold body painting and
photography. How did it turn out? Any recommendations for others?
They turned out very well, thanks. I don't know which post you might have
read, but the safety information I got was basically "if it's a makeup, then it
should be passed by the FDA and have a contents list." Since what I used was, in
fact, makeup, it was considered safe.
I used Zauder's brand bodypaint. It is a water based liquid, not an oil based
cream. It cleans up much, much easier than the creams. It didn't have quite as
smooth a quality as I was looking for, but it was interesting nonetheless.
I got it from Pearl Paint, an art supply store based in New York.
If you have a material you are considering using as a paint, and aren't sure
as to the safety, I suggest calling the Arts Crafts and Theater Safety (ACTS)
people at (212) 777-0062. They are dedicated to the use of safe materials in the
arts, and they are lead by Monona Rosso, who is possibly the world's leading
authority on such matters. (She often answers the phone herself, so you might get
advice direct from the source.)
As for other technical considerations when photographing a painted subject: I
used strobes (tungsten lights just get too hot for modeling work). I would avoid
the use of colored gels on the lights. I tried using a red gel for a paritcular
effect, and it washed out the gold of the paint. Also consider the fact that the
paint will rub off onto just about everything, so put down drop cloths if
neccesary, and keep an eye on what your model touches. the last thing I can think
of is to make sure your model shaves a few days beforehand.
The paint doesn't work too well in hair, and freshly (even one day old) shaved
skin is still sensitive, and caused my model to itch furiously (not fun).
If you're in the Bay Area, Kryolan Cosmetics, a theatrical
makeup company, has a store in their headquarters on 9th St. south
of Market. Kryolan sells a massive range of water-based colors, most
in cake and some bottled, which go on and come off easily.
Like most water bases, it tends to dry and flake easily (especially
some of the metallics). Also, when doing whole bodies, applying
it with too much water can cause water spots to appear.
I've also had excellent luck with Zauder's Gold. However, their
bottled colors go on very poorly, and the bottle of silver
I got burned like rubbing alcohol-- I don't know if it was
a bad batch or it's always like that.
I've found a metalic effect appears by magic if you coat skin with oil (mineral or organic) and then sprinkle on powdered watercolor (in the UK, Rowneys sell big boxes for school use. As the oil soaks into the powder a liquid gold (or silver) appears.
Temptu, a New York-based makeup specialty manufacturer, offers alcohol-based airbrush and paint-on body paints to which fine metallic glitter can be added. Either a "sparkly" or snakeskin effect can be achieved.
We can be e-mailed or called at 212 675-4000
At Michael Davy Film & T.V. Make Up we manufacture
two types of airbrush make up. The first, called
Fashion Aire is like a "powder through the
airbrush". It's great for straight, fashion and
glamour make ups. Our second is called Airbrush
Grade Prosthetic Cosmetic. It is like a PAX
through the airbrush and is meant for durable
(waterproof) body make ups or prosthetics. It
removes with SOAP and water and was used in the
movie "Powder". We also make an additive that will
make your brand of airbrush make up waterproof.
E-Mail us at mdftv@bitstorm.com or call
1-888-2245-7026 for more info and a catalog. You
can also visit our website at
www.classichippie.com/davy
At Michael Davy Film & T.V. Make Up we manufacture
two types of airbrush make up. The first, called
Fashion Aire is like a "powder through the
airbrush". It's great for straight, fashion and
glamour make ups. Our second is called Airbrush
Grade Prosthetic Cosmetic. It is like a PAX
through the airbrush and is meant for durable
(waterproof) body make ups or prosthetics. It
removes with SOAP and water and was used in the
movie "Powder". We also make an additive that will
make your brand of airbrush make up waterproof.
E-Mail us at mdftv@bitstorm.com or call
1-888-245-7026 for more info and a catalog. You
can also visit our website at
www.classichippie.com/davy
Mettalic Effect... Have you tried Kryolan Liquid
Brighness. This is highly effective and water
based. Not cheap but will do the job , requires
several layers to build color depth. Finish with
Gold or Silver kryolan Glitter Spray.
try simple opaque water colors. If you get lucky
on the brand their vibrance will surprise you and,
as far as I can tell from my limited bit of
experience, do not agrivate the models and cause
only a slight bit of itching. Incidentally,
metalic paint can kill a model because of it's
capacity to smuther the skin. So take care.
I highly recommend Caran d'Ache water color sticks for body painting (someone previously suggested water colors, but wasn't sure of a brand) - I've been using them for face and body painting for 7 years - you can either melt down in the oven in tins and make a palette or use the sticks straight (use a fine brush for highly detailed areas). They are hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, dry quickly but don't crack and create a very vibrant color. They wash off easily with soap and water. They don't work as metallics (I use zauder's liquid makeup for metallics and have never experienced any burning, etc. - but you generally need to put it on very thickly or use several applications to achieve good solid cover). You can achieve a nice metallic/glitter effect, though, by using iridescent glitter (always use the superfine glitter, chunky glitter can cut eyes) over the water colors - it's a really nice effect! Liquid latex is also fun to play with - try black latex (I find three coats optimum) with irridescent glitter sprinkled all over the top coat while it's still slightly wet - looks like snake skin, really really cool! But make sure to leave breathing room if you're totally covering the body with latex, and make sure any areas covered have been shaved first (unless the model is into pain . . . .)
I'm puzzled by the frequent comments about always leaving some skin uncovered so it can breathe ... is this somehow for real or just another urban legend? I mean, scuba divers don't suffocate because they're underwater -- presumably, their skin isn't breathing there -- yet I continue to hear about "The Goldfinger Effect," as a friend of mine refers to it. What gives?
We are getting further from photography here... In fact the skin does not really "breathe". Oxygen is brought to the blood via diffusion through a thin membrane. It supposes huge thin surfaces, as well as large volume of blood pumped around this surface. This is basically what is going on in your lungs for the air, in your intestins for the food. Lungs area is the same order of magnitude as a soccer game field area, and there is only a very thin barrier between numerous blood vessels and air. Problem about "skin breathing" is a problem of heat. Indeed some substances can clog heat elimination and block sweat glands. In this case body temperature can increase quickly. And then will breathing rythm increase, making the victim look like suffocating.
Not really, but it is not an urban myth either. If the body is unable to sweat enough to keep cool it can very rapidly lead to dangerous overheating, even unto death.
It is this effect that that is being referred to and this is why you have to be careful what type of "paint" you use if you're going to be painting large areas of body.
Another good place to find all kinds of theater-quality makeup (oil based and otherwise) is Alcone in NYC. They also have liquid latex, theatrical "blood," and how-to manuals on transforming your model into anything or anybody you want.
(It's quite a toy store for people who love looking like anything but themselves.)
It's also not all that expensive- it fits a student budget rather well.
It's on W.19th St. in between 7th & 8th. (I'm pretty sure.)
No, I don't have the phone number. Call information. It's worth it.
I have read through the comments here and am concerned at some of the content. As a Make-up Artist and Bodypainter I feel it is important that you think of the Health and Safety Aspect of what you are doing. Some of the comments are recommending non-cosmetic art supplies and products for use on the skin. This is an extremely unadvisable thing to do. I have approached many art supplies manufacturers and been told in no uncertain terms that the products are NOT safe for use on human skin! Cosmetic products (such as Mehron, Kryolan, Fardel and Grimas Body and Facepaints) have conformed to US and EC regulations for cosmetic products.
Using art products on a model which have not been tested and OK'd could result in a hefty law suit landing on your lap if the model develops contact dermatitis as a result or misses a modelling assignment due to an allergic reaction. More importantly you could do real damage to someone by simply not thinking. There are hundreds of fantastic safe products available on the net and from Theatrical and Professional Make-Up retailers. So please think before you paint!
Oh and the thing about not covering the whole body is not true. It is perfectly safe to do so... someone has been watching too much James Bond (Goldfinger!) In the world of fetish some people clad themselves entirely in rubber with nothing but a small straw sticking out of their mouths to breathe, all that happens is they sweat a lot. Most make-up is breathable to a certain extent, although if it is very thick a model may sweat. Dri Clor or a really powerful anti-perspirant applied first will do the trick, follwed by a good dose of spray sealant once you are finished.
If anyone needs any advice about products give me a shout.
Emma
It's a myth that a person will die if his skin is completely covered with paint because the skin is unable to breathe, although the person might overheat due to his pores being blocked and therefore being unable to perspire. There is a girl on my Bodypaint TV website who is completely covered in Mehron silver powder mixed with baby oil and she was fine, see Roxy on http://bodypaint.tv
