A1.  My first experience of body painting was back in 2016 at a face painting jam. The awesome Pashur was there and he created this amazing dragon paint which was just unreal! A year later a friend of mine needed a model for her first body paint so I volunteered and totally fell in love with the art form. I got to experience both sides of body painting early on from both the artist and the models perspective and couldn't wait to do more.

 

A2. The first body paint I did was so much fun! My friend Donna (another artist) got me to sign up for a paint with The Midlands Body Paint Project and I have honestly never looked back. I remember it like yesterday, the gorgeous creations, the incredible models and the sense of family, it was just perfect. The following year I participated in my first competition at Bodycraft, since then I've painted at festivals and other exhibition type events and its been an amazing journey so far.

 

A3.  I'm a solo painter generally, but I regularly paint alongside the awesome team of artists from The Midlands Body Paint Project and I've recently joined up with Body Paint Events UK. There's also lots of body painters in my area which I feel blessed to know, not only do we meet up for painting sessions we're all really good friends too.

 

A4.  I work in either brush and sponge or mixed media if the opportunity arises generally so i'll always enter those categories for competitions. The biggest events I've body painted at will be either a really quirky one called Kustom Kulture Blastoff or the Manchester Tattoo Tea Party both as exhibition artworks.

​

A5.  I like to aim for no longer than 6 hours really to complete a paint as it becomes a bit hard going for both myself and my model if it goes much over that. I like to have the bulk created in 4 hours and have the final 2 for fine details and finishing. A lot does come down to the brief though and if I'm given any time restrictions, so there is that and it can often influence how long a paint will take me.

​

A6.  YOh I just get lost in the painting so I usually feel pretty relaxed, its not until I'm down to the final hour do I panic! I try to keep things laid back so both myself and my model can enjoy the art coming to life. Time does just run away though, it always surprises me when I look at the clock part way through and feel like its flown by so fast. The day after I'm exhausted physically and mentally, it really takes its toll that many hours of working but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

A7.  Brightly coloured and abstract, I like to create art that is a little less obvious which gives the viewer the chance to interpret the piece in their own way. My favourite body paint i have done was a Japan inspired paint, this was much less abstract for me but the end results blew me away!

 

A8. I prefer less, but ultimately I prefer my model to be comfortable as I find it shows in the end result photos so I tend to work with my model to find what they are the most confident in. My preferred pasties are the amazing Monsters, they apply seamlessly and are great to paint on. Although a little more in cost they look invisible once painted so definitely worth the price. Pants I prefer to paint the smallest possible as some fabrics can take a lot to gain coverage with the paints.

 

A9.  I work out my design first and then sit and think about what accessories will enhance the paint. I prefer to create my own accessories so that they tie in perfectly with the piece. I love creating headpieces and shoulder accessories as they can give extra impact to the finished art. I then like to gift the props to my model so they also get a momento.

 

A10.  Jump in and have a go. We've all started somewhere and painting on a living canvas can provide such beautiful pieces of art. Don't pressure yourself or compare your work to that of others, but most importantly have fun and enjoy it!

​

Additional ---

​

A1.  I love any event where my model gets to perform for the audience, its this bit that just makes me love this art form even more as its the performance that can really bring the art to life. I really enjoy competitions too as there's the pressure to create something your proud of and the competition element often pushes the creativity.

​

A2.  EVERYWHERE! Quite often a theme will be given and I start my research by creating a map of the first things that come into my head as a starting point, I'll then draw out elements and then piece them together to create my art. I created a piece that I called 'Biohazard', the inspiration for this literally came from the universal symbol for biohazards. It was an awesome paint and a bit of a turning point for me so remains as one of my favourite creations.

​

A3.  I work in an NHS laboratory (Microbiology) where we deal with all things infection! I love my day job, but i love that I can let loose with creating living art, it gives me a release from the pressure of the day job.