i took these shots during a CreativeLIVE workshop taught by photographer joey l. out of new york.  the models are brett cherry and terra clarke.   

feeling good!!!

i would like to spontaneously call upon inspiration and motivation ... but i suppose if this could be done, everyone would be wildly successful.

the last 2 weeks i had 2 intensive back-to-back creative opportunities.  the first turned out alright ... but i'm here to share the one that TOTALLY did it for me.  my mission was to recreate the Katy Perry 'peppermint dress'.  i know how to sew enough to complete a project, my way.  so - figured this would not be that difficult and i just started running ideas through brain on how to complete it.  i didn't have the exact materials on hand, nor was i going to pay a mint to purchase, so it was a matter of invention.   now that i think about it, it is what i went through when first starting makeup.  starting out (as i wrote in my blog description) i had no rules or preconceived ideas of what product to put where or the tool i would use to accomplish it.  each step was a pure creation process racking my brain to figure out how get the end result.  it really was exhilarating!  and, apparently, tho i know it, i haven't actually realized that is what i am missing.  like the moment that one of the cliches you use suddenly becomes real to you (saying 'i am going to turn into my mom' and then the day a sentence comes out of your mouth and you realize you are your mom!)

anyway - this project started with a trip to the Goodwill (thrift store).  i found a dress that i figured i could 'recover' - like a sofa :)   that was definitely the easy part - though not, of course, that easy it turned out.  then there was the question of how to make the recovering muslin iridescent sparkly?  peppermints ... i could draw one in my sleep ... BUT how would you go about making one ~ a peppermint that would attach to a dress. 

i found happiness in all these discoveries.  so, how to keep enough experience but remove my preconceived knowledge of 'how it should be'.

aaaaaannnnd .... BACK to my left eye

i may be thinking too highly of my photo edit ... but this reminds me of a shot from a pedro almodovar film???  makeup-wise ... picked up a couple of fun fun products:  urban decay startdust in 'space cowboy'; benefit's girl meets pearl; makeup forever hd blush.  the sparkle in the urban decay ... out of this world!!!

so, couple of entries ago, i linked a great 'seashell' video and planned to try it out.  well, this was a quick little experimentation on pencil/smudge fun.  bummer ... it looked really cool in the mirror.  this is not the same thing i was seeing.  on the bright side, it was very satisfying drawing in pencil and finding brushes that worked best to smudge.

this 'girl' has been dubbed tinsel-head tilly.  she will be in my face painting booth to show people what tinsel looks like in hair (very fun is what it looks like!!!).  however, her face was a mess (multiple design tests left her looking ... fiendish).  found a design in 'american face painter', november 2010.  the design was a dolphin mask by liese ho.  i copied many of the elements and added my own.  pretty isn't she?!!!!

BREAK-THRU!!!!

PEOPLE!!!  i am soo excited!!!!! 

recently, i felt any creativity i had was gone ....  thus this blog to inspire it's renewal. 

guess what!!!  I HAVE FOUND RENEWAL!!!!

SO WHEN DID THIS EPIPHANY HAPPEN??  you may ask ...
the last couple weeks have been super intense for me work-wise ... working a job while planning, designing & figuring all new setup for face painting. 

ANYWHO ... i received a request for warthog & pig designs.  i googled some images and created.  then, out of nowhere, i had ideas for a couple other animals.  THEN i decided to paint at an event and WOW!  art just flowed.  OMGsh .. i feel so good :)

AND i have taken chances with my color choices for commercial shoots and PEOPLE HAVE NOTICED! 

i still have a long way to go ... it just feels good to be on the path of rediscovery!

a new 'left eye' pic will come shortly .... still think i may work the piece i mentioned on a previous post

these are my first two attempts at henna.  the art form is really satisfying!  check out this blog ~ some beautiful designs are posted

http://good-look-fashion.blogspot.com/2011/04/beautiful-henna-tattoo-designs.html

feeling inspired

so, have been wanting to do henna ... but was frightened that i would suck at it.  also, i HATE starting from scratch learning about products in the sense of quality ~ didn't want to b a failure.

ANYWHO ... 1 of my artists does henna so i ordered some 2 play with.  SO MUCH FUN!!!!  this type of free form is much more my style ... so often i feel like such a failure face painting and not being able to create my own spectacular design.

SO, one shld concentrate on ones strengths .... which i look forward in embracing with henna!!!!

AMAZING face painting book

christopher agostino on good morning americaoriginally, i intended to update at LEAST once a week.  well, that does not seem as easy as i thought.  so the new plan ... i will leave a goal date for the next post.

thanx for checking in!

next post:  5.14.12

replication for inspiration

been pretty busy ... well more like drowning ~ in a good way.

face painting season is starting and i really would like to create something special.  i LOVE artist CHRISTOPHER AGOSTINO's beautiful book "transformations!  the story behind the painted faces" ... the design i painted is from this book.  my favorite part is that christopher tells a story which is then depicted on the face.  so very inspiring. 

have you ever searched/researched (for me, face painting) and found a whole other level and dreamed of another lifetime to pursue that???

creativity invites creativity

came across this video link when browsing the vancouver film school blog (the school, thus far, an unfilled dream).  what really caught my attention was the beautiful blending ... it resembled airbrushing.  so appreciate the freehand skill here.

i was entranced before any color was added!  going to try my hand at it ...

enjoy!
inspiring 'sea shell' design

vancouver film school - makeup design page

little bird

wanted to share this quick little design (a fellow artist came up with the concept ~ awesome patti!!)

i've been challenged to.make a wheel from a triangle

FIRST OFF ... these pictures have nothing to do with my thoughts in this post, just wanted to show some of my 'every day' work.  the reason you are looking at a man's neck is that he has a tattoo scrolled half-way around.  i used an alcohol-based product (skin illustrator) so that this will not rub off on his clothing and would require little, if any, touch-up throughout the day.  i have had this product for ... let's just say ALOT of years.  i've used it mostly because it is waterproof.  when i covered tattoos in the past - mediocre outcome.  couple years ago, i took a 'master' class and we went over tattoo cover ... class gave me sooooo many tips that are, well, somewhat 'duh!!' obvious ... but i wasn't using these techniques????

enuff on that. 

today i pulled out face paints to work with an employee.  HOW EMBARRASSING!!!  really haven't painted since september.  i really had to work at it ... and it still didn't look as good as it should.  [* BRAINSTORM * ~ i could make a list of all the skills that i have and value and make sure i revisit them regularly!]  it is shocking when you believe you have a talent, but find it doesn't just automatically stay in-tune. 

i have a small face painting business that expanded it's services last summer (seasonal business).  there were a TON of challenges:  finding employees, finding-employees-that-would-come-in-on-time-for-their-shift, finding employees-that-would-show-up, setting up the space.  ok, so the main challenge was employees.  i am shocked, especially in this day with so many people out of work, that finding someone to sit outside in a happy enviroment and be creative would be so difficult.  well, i made plans to be more successful this year ... and then the rug was pulled out from under me. this is where the 'triangle into a wheel' comes in.  found out i will be providing my own shelter ... which means rethinking my setup and the furniture/storage i use.  i loved the set-up last year ... so very cute and practical!  a place to come into and be inspired.  now i am overwhelmed recreating aspects of that wonderful space ... and for every possible option i think up, a related challenge pops up.  my head very well may explode!

well, certainly is working my creative mind .... but not in a way i was looking for.  of course, on the positive side, i do have the choice whether to work this situation out or not.  right now, i am GOING FOR IT!   :)

next post

please check back on monday, april 9 for new post

ode to the easter bunny ... or is it an easter chick??

MUCH fun had by all - john sure was one good egg (hee hee). 


starting with a couple inspirational egg images from the web, proceeding to a couple tests on myself (has anyone out there tried to airbrush themselves - & i'm not talking about spraying all-over flesh-tone.  quite a challenging process!), lastly creating my human egg-head!! 


one design aspect i found interesting ... my favorite style egg was a traditional tye-dye style .. the effect did not read 'easter egg' when transfered to my live subject.  i have been rather frustrated with my eyebrow blocking lately ... finally felt really good about this one! 


in contrast to several recent projects ... in this one, i walked away feeling i had prepared well and accomplished the look.  studying the pictures, i see things i would do differently (like creating a much more dramatic egg shape of john's head).  but, for some reason, i found the imperfections in this egg project allowable, reasonable, and an acceptable learning process.  i wonder why????


[this project was for a terrific ad agency,  Exclaim LLC.  check out THEIR blog where this picture was posted:  http://the-exclaim-point.blogspot.com/]

inspiring creation from tv show Face Off

special effects artists game show ... link to an absolutely fanciful, creative look (one of my favorites from this season) from a very talented artist, RJ Haddy  (picture #8 - bell boy)

http://www.syfy.com/faceoff/photos/rj_looks#/rj_looks?id=8&_suid=13324732859680617762822406864

Fun (temp) Tattoos

(almost forgot to post this pic.)  in case you haven't run across this, there are temporary glam lip tattoos available.  a ZILLION designs!!!  i tried it out.  think anyone would agree ... this looks pretty cool!  sadly, i couldn't get the pieces to adhere very well ... tho where it did stick, it was STUCK. 

pretty creative idea to come up with!




click on picture to go to company VIOLENT LIPS website and check out all the hot designs.



Looking for satisfaction over?? under?? beside?!! the rainbow

the scarecrow ... easy, obvious, right? after all, reference material exists for legendary scarecrows~ ray bolger in the wizard of oz and michael jackson in the wiz.

but how does one reinterpret a legend?

on two other occasions, i have created scarecrow characters (pictures to follow).  the first time, the costume was very similar to the traditional scarecrow, so i wanted to stay close to the ray bolger look.  wound up with cutting a couple squares of fabric to represent patches on the face and basically followed the same makeup design. 

surprisingly, that end result took quite a bit of experimentation.

scarecrow from my past.
  after pulling it up, it looks better than i remembered in my head.
but, i am glad i tried another style.

 

this go round, since i was doing the costume as well and knew it would not be the traditional 'wizard of oz', a little more experimentation was in order.  i used a very loose weave medical guaze (nice & cool) and spot glued it to the face with liquid latex (very, very small spots so that removal would be easy).  as this was a live event, i kept the 'overall' look as my focus and didn't go for perfection (i wasn't concerned about making eyes/mouth fit exact).  if i did it over, i would experiment more with the mouth detail.  overall, i accomplished the look i had in mind ~ a 'stick person' face drawn on a burlap sack with sharpie ... almost halloween pumpkin style (round cirlces for eyes, triangle nose).

this project was a ton of fun because of the purpose (school auction) and the person i worked with (an outstanding teacher).

WHERE DOES ONE DERIVE SATISFACTION???

i know i should say 'from inside' ... but, alas, for me it doesn't ~ at least not at this time.  my part in a character creation is just 1 small aspect.  the talent (actor) is the bigger part - how they feel they look, and if their movements add in creating the character.  of course there is the audience; have they become lost in the fantasy being created???

i guess it totally makes sense that 'continuing education' is in order ~ many other professions require it (attorneys, teachers, medical personnel).  this became obvious because, i prepared so thoroughly ... and still, my satisfaction for the last couple projects was minimal.

process

the 'tion' of work

experimentation, semi-satisfaction

     execution !!!!

dissatisfaction

        research,

                         !!!! meeting .... !!!! satisfaction ! 
…. trepidation

… … … procrastination … ….

experimentation    creation     !! SATISFACTION !!

(sleep) deprivation,

execution,

 frustration [PERIOD]

red & pastel pink lips. 
not new, but i threw this
 together and thought 'WOW'

providing 'injuries' for  a
girl scout troop to treat

 

for a music video ... actress lisa levan plays a doll.  brian sutherland is a dopey, sweet guy looking for love.

had several pictures to post but between moving them from my phone and finding them on my computer … well, there are fewer pictures than I intended.)

I continue to feel especially fortunate that my need for artistic creation is creating a need for my artistic creation.  the process still feels slow and muddy …. BUT!  I had a moment of light this past week.  during a period of procrastination, I decided I needed products (yeah, the truth is that I am a product junkie.)  arriving home, my arms stained with store testers – (HA!  like a drug addict) I pulled my new goodies out and started to apply over my current makeup just wanting to see how each felt, mixed, glided, stayed or stained.  right there, texture, that is my high!  anyway, this is the feeling I have been looking to have again … no predetermined judgment, just experimenting with something new and enjoying that process AND finding great happiness and satisfaction with what I could do.  then … the next day happened ….

I felt FABULOUSLY prepared for work and sooooo ready to create a masterpiece everyone would oooooouuuuu and aaaaaaaahhhhh over.  fast forward, I am now holding up production (BIG no no … thank goodness I was working with such a forgiving and kind team).  the director comes into our little trailer and I find myself standing between him and talent because I simply wasn’t satisfied with what I created.  it was not what I pictured in my mind.  thankfully, on-set the look seemed to read well on camera.  will hold my breath till I can see the end result.

recently went to the 'gauguin' exhibit.  according to the audio guide, at one of his exhibits in france, someone (critic, contemporary, gallery owner????) commented that gauguin was so very talented - too bad with it he couldn't discover his own style.  EEEK!  i heard that and completely related.  BUT, because that comment stuck, i noticed my work with new eyes ... not negatively, just thinking how i would develop my 'look'.

new post coming (by tuesday, march 13th).  working 2 projects right now and having great fun with both!

willow smith in the dark ... or the story of me @ 5th avenue theatre

completed a perfectly exhilarating week at the 5th avenue theatre (thanx mary - see bio below, heather & leah!!!!)!  last time i worked there was ... well, a while ago. 

at the begining, i was quite overwhelmed (all hair/wig work).  for me, use it or lose it seemed rather pertinent.  i was intimidated to pull the wigs apart ... the first time i practiced the fast change, i had whale-size butterflies in my stomach -- in all my previous years of quick changes, never has that happened.  BUT, can't let anything stop you if you want to move forward ... so, onward and into the hair web i marched. 

i used my eye, watched my colleague, asked questions, experimented with parts of wigs that didn't show (under hats) to see what happended with different styling & pinning techniques.  in the end, i learned, relearned, discovered sooooo very much.  every night i went home tired, but wholly satisfied with my accomplishments and a brain full of goals for the next day.  aaaaahhhh!  the beauty in creation & thinking on your feet ... and learning from the wig staying on during those crazy dancers or having a hair bow fall off :(

what i learned was so valuable ... not just the literal lessons of wig creation/maintenance, but in life. 

just a joyous side-note.  since my new years resolution, creative projects contacting me are overwhelming ... of course, in a good way.  can i just say ... what you need, put it out to the universe!

* quick change:  actors may have multiple roles requiring them to exit stage, quickly change costume & wig, then reenter stage.  my particular quick change was this:  the dancer (see bio & picture below) exits stage in a lift.  the dresser & i are waiting, literally with hands waiting to starting pulling costume & wig even as our dancer is being set down.  all three of us work together pulling off, then redressing into costume & wig ... and our talent reenters stage.  i didn't actually time this one, but probably round 1 minute.  BUT, the twist of it all ... her next number is soooo active, and in terms of the wig, she might as well be in the willow smith 'i whip my hair' video ~ actually, that would be sedate in comparison.  did i mention, this is all done in the dark?? 

MARY PYANOWSKI (Hair & Makeup Designer)

World premieres of Aladdin (make-up design), Catch Me If You Can, Shrek, Lone Star Love, Princesses, Memphis, Hairspray, The Wedding Singer. Twenty-two seasons of 5th Avenue Theatre production designs, including the Ivey Award-winning Cabaret. Design credits for national and international productions of opera, operettas, ballet, theater, and musicals. U.S. wig supervisor Madness of George III tour. Some memorable film and TV credits: Northern Exposure, Orleans, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Rose Red, Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, Assassins, White Dwarf, Book of Stars. IATSE member Local 706 and 488.

dancer:  SHADOU MINTRONE (Ensemble)   - Mintrone graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, with a BFA in jazz performance dance. Performed with Brian Sanders, JUNK and Zane Booker, SLJ Arts Initiative, and Danza en el Metro in Santiago. Member of Spectrum Dance Theater.

just look ... don't jump ahead ... enjoy

makes sense, right?  quite a simple concept, but somewhere along the lines i stopped looking at individuals and began catagorizing the makeups:  mens or womens.  it was full steam ahead then with a one-size-fits-all approach.
while creating living statues this past weekend (pics to follow shortly) my inner dialogue told me 'time to do _____' or this same dialogue would say 'i'm lost!  what step should i be on?'. neither of these questions were coming from an artistic/design side ... i was on auto-pilot.  thankfully i recognized what was happening ... took a couple steps back to look and choose what is needed, not what SHOULD be done.
in the beginning of my career, having a precise system was a skill that i worked hard at developing and memorizing.  my goal was to have an efficient and step-logical process for my theatrical makeups.  i laid out my station almost in a paint-by-numbers pattern. 
well, i am re-learning to stop, look, and simply ask ... how can i make this particular face look it's very best.  simple, right?  :o

NOT my left eye

computers can really mess up a scheduled schedule ...
posting a wig i'm prepping for a job.  it has sooo self-soothed me (hee hee).  i find it immensely satisfying smoothing down each little hair - sort of unfortunate because it can become a 'not seeing the forest for the trees'.  i zone out obsessively smoothing and smoothing.
my challenge was (this wig is for a living statue) working with hair but wanting it to turn out looking like stone.  so, a dangly curl ... how do i translate?  it is so satisfying rolling so many ideas around.

technical difficulties :(

due to the demon gods of computers, my posts will be interrupted for a short time.   please check in again next week, 2/6.

(hmmm ... perhaps this should be inspiration for some cyborg-ish design??!!)

peacock (or, mad hot ballroom)

my 2 goals for this entry:  do a really good block on my brow, and create a look using an oversize eye shape.  both were actually more challenging than i expected.  i have blocked other's brows, but have yet to be successful with my eyebrows ... i tried 'elmers glue stick' technique and a 'wax-n-spirit gum' technique.  i powder-conceal, powdered-concealed that sucker and it STILL crept through in the end.

i was feeling somewhat satisfied with my last post project ... but then went on a youtube binge.  WOW!  people are posting some incredible looks.  discovered a couple new methods ... good good good ~ adding amo to my creative juices!

lash interlace

shopping at sephora and saw these WONDERFUL, FABULOUS, AMAZING ... well at least i thought so, paper eyelashes (dye cut with very intricate designs).  i knew exactly what i wanted to do. 

i decided, a little late, to block out my eyebrow.  it turned out a little, hmmm, crunchy. 

the product is wolfe face paint.  discovered these paints a couple years ago.  HIP HIP HURRAY ... LOVE!  i graduated color from the opal frost below my eye, to gold, yellow, orange, hot pink & a frost rose.  obviously not brain surgery, but placing the vine so it's curves were harmonious to the area while wanting to stay away from too much symmetry taxed my brain.

i was stuck stuck stuck second guessing my choices.  i think i'll take another run at it ... which would be a first.  re-creating a design challenges my patience.  guess i'm kind of a go-for-the-gusto-over-the-top-one-timer.

winter snow

i bought ice effects years ago for something ... and with today's dowsing of snow, found it a good time to pull them out!

the original effects kit came with a gel pack to adhere the ice effects, but i must have used that up on whatever it was i originally bought the ice for (?????).  so i pulled out a mehron fixative as a substitute to see if that might hold ~ another product that i have no recollection of why i purchased.  the fixative worked out just fine.  i really like the look of the 'flakes', except for how a couple of them photographed  (by the outer corner of my eye, looks like shiny fixative spots missing ice).

was happy to play with shimmer whites layered with opaque whites.  something magical about the combination and i hadn't used the combo before.

when i decided it was finished, there was still a missing element but couldn't put my finger on it.  it is a strange feeling, having the sensory memory of just 'throwing it together' (a makeup) effortlessly ... and now working to go back to that ease.  seems ironic, needing to practice to let loose. 

 

dragon

i love to 'go big' ... but sometimes the thought of the big project holds me back from starting anything at all.  not good.  the big project that i have wanted to do, for years, is a living art piece.  the logistics of completing one ~ actually of even starting one ~ i have allowed to be overwhelming.  where shall i get a model?  what shall i paint?  when i choose what to paint, do i buy a poster?  paint the background myself?  where do i find a picture that size?  oh, and then there is the coordination with a photographer to document it.  maybe i should start at the world body painting convention?                                                                                       well, while i plot that project, today i start with a dragon (style & inspiration came from the book 'The Japanese Tattoo') 


my hand is still tentative ... relying on what i see on the page instead of what i imagine in my mind.  BUT, i did it.  happy with my positive first steps.

my favorite color

i love using lashes ... i love 'electric eel' by MAC. 

my goal today was simply to get started, and not to critique myself too heavily.  a drawing instructor i once had shared his process.  everyday, he would put pen/pencil to paper/napkin/kleenex/coffee cup.  some days, he might only manage a stick figure but the point of his process was not to create a masterpiece with every drawing, but everyday to draw.  i like to look back at my sketch books to remind myself, perfection is not the first step.