Body painting technique. Video tutorial
Many modern people like to decorate themselves with various images. Someone approaches this event radically and stuffs tattoos. Others prefer drawings not for life and choose a spectacular temporary painting on the body.
Body painting: video tutorial
Body painting: modern times
The common name for body painting sounds like “bodypainting”. This art form belongs to the avant-garde movement. The main object of bodypainting is not the canvas, but the human body, its features and capabilities.
Bodypainting professionals use paints to write real stories on people’s bodies. Thanks to the plasticity of the person and the skill of the artist, the picture can be transformed depending on the posture taken.
Modern body painting is very multifaceted, has different directions and its own history. For example, henna tattoos (“mehendi”) popular among girls came from India, where they have been used for several centuries. There, drawings are applied to protect a person, attract success to him or activate vitality.
Europeans, in turn, use henna tattoos for decorative purposes, preferring to make beautiful and unpretentious drawings on the body. The size of the applied image can be different: from a small detail to the decoration of the entire arm, back or chest. Thanks to its special composition, henna does not spoil the skin, does not cause allergies or irritation, and modern technologies allow it to be colored.
Professional art uses special tools and materials. Particular attention should be paid to paints. They differ depending on the purpose.
For example, face painting is used for drawings on children’s faces. This paint is hypoallergenic and does not clog the pores of the skin. Thanks to the special composition, it holds well, almost does not crumble, but is easily washed off with a little soapy water. Face painting has a huge palette, which is dominated by bright and shiny shades.
For larger-scale works that can be found at bodypainting festivals, materials are used differently. Artists paint the models with body paint, and the preliminary contours are created using similar pencils. The face is most often decorated with professional makeup. Sometimes acrylic additives are used as a supplement for greater durability.
Sometimes for painting on the body, improvised materials are also used: pure acrylic paint, gouache mixed with glycerin, colored gel pens. However, they should not be used if the model is prone to allergies.
The paint is applied in two ways. The first is with ordinary brushes of different diameters. The second is with an airbrush that can be used with special stencils. This is an easier and faster way to create a beautiful image.
Body painting begins with a sketch. Draw a carefully thought-out drawing on paper. Be sure to pay attention to all the details: a wasteful attitude towards them will ruin the whole work.
Remove all hair from the area of the body where you want to create the drawing. Degrease your skin with alcohol lotion / wipes and moisturize with serum or cream. Let the latter absorb well.
The next step is to transfer the sketch. It can be done using light strokes with a pen or a special pencil. Then take paints and start painting a sketch. Please note: this technique does not apply to children’s face painting. It is performed on the face immediately with paints, constantly checking with the existing sketch.