Feb. 2010 Just Faces Entries

There were 383 votes for this contest

FABAIC - the Face and Body Art International Convention and
-------------- Boo Boo's Bling Bar

1st Place

Arely Cordon

started in October of 2008. Me and my fiance were planning our wedding and had to pay for it all on our own. We kept trying to come up with ideas. I saw the Halloween make up and it hit me, why don't I try this out. Before then, I had two jobs, and still do, I am a ride operator at Disneyland and I work for the Santa Ana Unified School District as a Clerk. I now have added jumper rentals to my business as well as balloon twisting. I have Mehron, Wolfe and Snazaroo paints. I tend to favor Wolfe because I love how it takes little water to activate it. I feel like I have more control with wolfe. I love to paint tigers and cheetah, its so simple but it never seems to amaze me how different and realistic the person looks once your done. I would be nowhere as a face painter without my lovely and patient 5 year old girl. Poor thing, when I first started she had mommy face painting her 5 different designs a day so that mommy could get the practice, she never once complained.

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2nd Place

Heidi Bennett

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

My daughter’s preschool was having a Trike-a-thon and needed volunteers for different tables. The first year I volunteered using their horrible Halloween paints and had a terrible time of it. This past spring (April 2009) when they had it again, I researched beforehand and picked up a small set of Mehron paints and had a fabulous time. Everyone loved my work, and I loved doing it and thought, hey, I could do this for a living!

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE THAT? I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for about 8 years now, doing occasional work for my old employer, the Kitsap Conservation District. Prior to kids, I did work as a farm conservation planner and a geological consultant. I’ve always been crafty and artistic though, and completed a Scientific Illustration certification course through the University of WA in 2001. I think that really helped me to learn to “see” things with a critical eye.

WHAT DO YOU NOW BESIDES FACE AND/OR BODY PAINTING? I also love to do henna art! I also create pysanky eggs, which are like batik eggs (beeswax is applied to eggs with a kitska, then dyed different colors).

WHAT PAINT BRANDS ARE YOUR FAVORITES? WHY? Right now my favorites are Mehron Paradise for base and blending work, and Wolfe for line work.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO PAINT? I love a good butterfly. There are so many different ways to paint them.

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Face and Body Painting Contest West Coast Face Painters

3rd Place

Lilly Walters

I am best known as an expert on the world of professional speaking. I have written several books on the subject, and others, one of the best selling being about how to type with one hand.

I got into painting by doing those silly painted Christmas yard sign. Now we have one of those tacky homes with a zillion painted yards signs for every holiday (see videos of our house at Christmas). The more I painted, the more I loved it. Next I tried stencils, and other types of patterns. Finally I tried a few simple things freehand. This lead to my first art book, Cobblestone Cottages From Junk Jars, then an ebook, Paint A Cobblestone Courtyard On Your Cement Floor. Now I have all kinds of paint patterns for sale on-line and a book on how to paint on fabric. Then one day my church asked me to help at a Festival painting faces. "Oh, I can't do that!" They insisted, and I fell in love. At the Festival we do from 600 - 850 faces in two days. I train their volunteer staff of painters and help coordinate it all.

But this once a year event was not enough to get my fix. So, I created a little website for my face painting, to see if anyone would actually PAY me to paint! Today I am very fortunate, my phone rings just about every day with someone wanting to hire a professional face painter. Now I get to say, "that's me!"

Although I use just about every paint, except Snazaroo, my favorite paints are mostly Diamond FX and pressed powders.

In June of 2008 I founded the West Coast Face Painters, which is a support group for other professional face painters.

See more about Lilly Walters, Face and Body Painter

4th Place

Therese Burch

born and has lived in Southern California all her life. She has been an artist most of her life either as a licensed hairstylist of 30 yrs.(and still going strong) or as a tole, stencil and mural artist for 25 yrs. Painting and drawing have always been a part of her life. Even as a teen she took on-going art classes incorporating such mediums as charcoal, pencil, watercolors, oils, acrylics etc. So it has been a natural progression for her to enter into the exciting world of body/face painting. As a Cosmetologist she mentions, “I am licensed to do make-up along with doing hair, but my make up application was always a little too dramatic for that special wedding or evening out. When I was introduced to the world of face painting I had found my niche. I could now do make-up (face painting) on those who WANTED the fun and dramatic designs I was unconsciously leaning towards.” Therese’s designs are for everyone. From the butterfly and dragon cheek art for the little ones, daring and delicate ankle and arm art for the teens and adults to dramatic full face and eye art for the fun-at-heart. Color runs in her blood whether it’s in her hair or on her face! Therese has painted at all sorts of exciting places such as The KISS concert and for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines on their ships to various places like the Mexican Riviera and the Caribbean. And on the beach in Montery Ca.