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Face Painting Your Little Goblin for Halloween

Boo! Did I scare you? Well I think it’s scary that it’s almost that time of year when all our little ghosts, goblins and princesses will be roaming the streets.

As parents of young children we may be making choices for our kids about Halloween and trick-or-treating. One thing that remains constant from year to year is the wonderment and joy of dressing up in costume!

A growing trend nationwide along with homemade costumes is the use of face paint to complete a costume. In fact some costumes can’t be done any other way.

So what kind do you use? With all the recalls dealing with paint and increased cases of allergies, which paint is really safe to use?’

Unfortunately the answer isn’t completely black and white. We humans have a varying level of sensitivity to cosmetics and chemicals; we see this in the mom who can’t wear certain moisturizers, children who can’t use bubble bath and entire offices that ban fragrances because of severe allergies.

Craft Paint

Too often well intentioned volunteers will face paint at local holiday carnivals or fairs with craft paint they have in the supply closet, duly noting that it is ‘non-toxic’. However, there seems to be a misunderstanding of the term “non-toxic.”

Non-toxic only means that something will not kill you if you ingest it. (At least not right away.) This does not mean it is approved for us on the face or body.

Think of it this way: a jalapeno is non-toxic but you wouldn’t want to rub it on your face. Likewise a craft or acrylic paint may contain toxic chemicals such as polymers and potential carcinogens.

When reactions occur they most often include painful raised blisters and itchy rashes. On rare occasions the use of craft paint can scar some skin types and cause serious anaphylactic allergies resulting in inflammation of the airways.

Tempera Paint

Another dubious material sometimes recommended is tempera paint mixed with face lotion. And even though our children may have painted themselves once or twice at home without adverse reactions, tempera isn’t FDA approved for use on the face. Of course our concerns are justifiably heightened when we’re dealing with children, who are more sensitive to toxins than adults.

Food Coloring

Other ‘recipes’ available on the internet include a variety using food coloring. Web sites promote using food coloring mixed with glycerin, flour, corn syrup or cold cream.

And while most of these ingredients are ‘food safe’ there is no escaping the fact that you are applying food coloring to your child’s face – and possibly clothes, bedding and furniture. Any mother who’s made a birthday cake or two can attest to the staining power of food coloring!

While food coloring is perhaps the least toxic of this short list of coloring agents, if you suspect a rash has been caused by a substance you painted on your child, immediately wash the area with cool water and gentle soap.

Be careful — occasionally harsh detergent soaps or even baby wipes can exacerbate the problem. Then try an over-the-counter Benadryl lotion.

If the problem persists, consult your doctor right away. If any reaction to a product occurs it will probably happen within the first fifteen minutes. This goes for hypersensitive children who react to industry standard cosmetic-grade make up, as well as kids who have been painted with craft paint.

As a mom and a body artist I would never paint my child, or any child, with anything less than top quality professional paints you can buy from reputable online merchants or at select costume shops. A quality  list of professional water based face suppliers include: Snazaroo, Wolfe Bros., Graftobian, Fantasy World Wide, Paradise, Kryolan, Ben Nye and Fardel.

Snazaroo is so confident of their product they stand behind it with a two million dollar product liability policy and an entire web site of useful FDA information.

So pick a costume, design a face to go with it, then give your child that special extra touch that makes him or her stand out from the rest of the trick-or-treating crowd and be confident that you know what you’re putting on your angel is attractive AND safe!

FairyDust Faces is Northern California’s full service face and body art company specializing in Face painting, glitter and airbrush tattoos, body painting and henna body art. www.FairyDustFaces.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/safe-fun-easy-face-painting-for-halloween-1606845.html

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Understand that Art (in this case painting) for the making of money is like any other business. You need to market your product or have someone else, like an art gallery, market your work. There are thousands, if not millions of very good painters out there trying to sell their work. Those that have the best marketing system will sell the most for the most money. It is as simple as that.

Now if you are interested in just learning from scratch how to get started as a painter, I can do that. I have been painting for about fifteen years without any formal training. Everything I have learned is from “how to” books or trial and error. I started painting in 1994 when, as a Department of Defense employee, my wife and I were stationed in Israel.

Since we were limited by weight of what we could ship as household goods, we did not pack much in the way of wall hangings. The bare walls of the apartment we were assigned soon became annoying so we started to look around for some paintings to hang. Israel is kind of an artsy country and there is a great deal of art available. The wife and I both have fairly good taste so of course anything we could agree on, which wasn’t much, was really expensive.

After some searching and thought, I finally opened my mouth and told the wife that I thought I could do as well as most of the paintings we were viewing. Unfortunately, my wife threw down the challenge to prove it. Now my male ego was at stake and there was no way around my having to live up to what my mouth had said without consulting my brain. There you have the story of how and why I started painting. As the saying goes, that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

I went to an art supply store and bought a starter oil paint set a few brushes, a couple of how to paint books and a canvas. I finally selected as a subject a picture of the apartment building in which we lived. Mistake – it was too complicated for a first time artist. I finally got it finished but it was a mess. I would suggest you start with something more simple and work your way up.

Let’s discuss what you need to start your new hobby. That depends on what kind of painting you want to start with. The choices are: Oil based paints, Acrylics (water based paints), Water colors, or Pastels. All of these have their good and bad points and people chose one or the other for a variety of reasons. People pick the one with which they feel most comfortable and which results, in their opinion, in the best product.

As a starter I would suggest Acrylics. There are no fumes, they are not flammable and they dry very fast. Fast drying can be good or bad, depending on what you are attempting to do on the canvas. With Acrylics you can sprits on a bit of water or use a special additive to delay the drying process. This medium is also great when it comes time to clean the paint off your hands and brushes because you only need soap and water and not a paint thinner.

From an expense perspective Acrylics are a bit less costly. The average cost for small tubes of these paints is about five dollars. A starter set of paint will usually have about six to eight colors so you are looking at about thirty or so dollars. There are a lot of different brands but not to worry. Pick the cheapest or the ones on sale. All the brands will mix together.

Next buy a set of cheap brushes. You should be able to get five to ten in a package for about five bucks. Buy a couple of one and two inch brushes also. If they are expensive at the art supply store go to a hardware store. You will also need a canvas or canvas board to paint on. The canvas boards are less costly and can usually be purchased in two or three to a pack. The draw back to the boards is that they must be framed for hanging. Canvas cost will vary widely based on size and quality. Buy the cheapest you can for the size painting you want. If you start selling your paintings for large sums of money then you can concern yourself with high quality supplies.

You will need a place to work and something to prop your painting up while you work. An easel is the obvious choice with a large floor standup costing about fifty to one hundred dollars. A table easel will run from about twenty to fifty dollars. If you don’t want to put that much into your hobby at this point, all you really need is a place to work, a table and a wall, books or some other way to prop up the canvas to work.

All you need now is a subject and some self confidence. I find photographs to be the best means of providing your chosen subject matter. I would recommend that you chose a simple landscape photo, preferably with a tree or a small patch of trees. If you chose a picture of buildings or other structures it will be necessary, at least to begin with, to draw a grid on the picture and the canvas. After that you will need to do a rough sketch of the subject matter on the canvas to insure you have a close approximation of where parts of the structures belongs in the painting as compared to the photo. In other words if you have a church steeple in the upper middle of the picture you want to sketch it in the upper middle grid of the canvas. This will save you a great deal of time having to correct a misplaced item about half way through the painting. If you start out with a portrait photo of a person, good luck. I have never been able to do portraits to the degree I would actually show it to another human.

Alright, you have your supplies, equipment, place to work and subject. You are ready to paint. There you sit or stand staring at the blank canvas confidence wavering and wondering where to start. The easiest thing to do is just take some paint on your hand or a large brush and smear it on to the canvas. It doesn’t really matter what color but I usually use the prominent background color of the subject matter/photo I am working from. If I am going to do a landscape painting I will usually just smear a thick layer of blue across the top half of the canvas and a light brown across the bottom. Once you splash the first color onto the canvas you have become a painter. I have seen pieces in museums that don’t look any better than what you just did.

Once you get started and have painted a couple of works do not be afraid to experiment. Buy some “how to paint” books and try different approaches and different mediums. Your first works likely will be categorized as “primitive”. That is not a criticism, just a category of painting. There are many artists that sell their “primitives” for thousands of dollars. Read and learn from books and the internet, where there are many free art clips you can view. Just Google search or go to You Tube and search under art instructions. Look at possibly doing some impressionist and expressionist works when you have built up your self confidence.

If you do something and you don’t like the finished product, you can always paint something else over it. Paint for yourself and do whatever with your paints and brushes makes you happy. Do not worry about what other people think of your work. No matter what you paint some people will love it and some will hate it. You will eventually come to consider any comment, good or bad, on your work as validation that you have produced a work of art that someone looked at with enough interest to comment. It is the people that look at your work and say nothing that are most frustrating.

.     I have about taken you as far as I can in a short article on how to get started. The bottom line is just do it. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. I do not know how many times I have heard people say they would love to learn to paint but they could not even draw a straight line. My response to that is you do not need the ability to draw a straight line to paint. If a straight line is needed that is why someone invented the ruler. They work just as well on a canvas as on a piece of paper. The real reason people do not follow up on a desire to learn to paint is that there is work and the possibility of criticism involved. If you really want to Paint do it now. Do not wait until some time in the future because the future never comes. When it gets here it is no longer the future it becomes the present and quickly becomes the past. Past accomplishments are notable but people are more interested in what you are doing today. Good luck and happy painting.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/no-more-excuses-start-painting-now-1321691.html

Someone accidentally shrinking the clear top of a delicatessen container is said to have led to the invention of shrink plastic as a toy. That led to the popular product, Shrinky Dinks. Shrink plastic as an art medium was later discovered by artists.

Artist-Quality Shrink Plastic

Artist-quality shrink plastic, such as that sold by Lucky Squirrel, is wonderful. it is easy to use and shrinks uniformly. Be sure to visit the Lucky Squirrel web site and view their gallery to see the many fabulous things you can make with true, artist-quality shrink plastic.

Artist-quality shrink plastic is far advanced from the children’s toy shrink-plastic kits many of us played with as children. I love using it to make jewelry and other projects.

However, artist-quality shrink plastic can be expensive, and it comes in a limited number of colors. Shrink plastic sheets come in practical, versatile colors such as black, brown, opaque white, clear, and frosted. Still they are limited colors, and it is fun to experiment with shrink plastic from other sources.

Shrink Plastic from Unusual Sources

For art fun cheap, we like to find, salvage, and experiment with the commercial shrink plastics that you can often get for free. The more you look around, the more you will find examples of heavy shrink plastic that is used commercially and then discarded. Often you can save the plastic, decorate it, and reshrink it.

You can find many products, sometimes for free, that are actually made of or packed in shrinkable plastic. Always check the recycle mark on plastic containers. (Remember the deli container lid that started it all.)

Check the plastic containers in your pantry and at the grocery store, especially picnic supplies. If the number in the center of the mark is a 6 (in the U.S., at least), you should be able to safely shrink it with a heat gun or in an oven.

The mark in the picture below is a 5. That means it is not shrink plastic, so don’t heat it!

How to Shrink Plastic

To safely and evenly shrink plastic, you can use your kitchen oven. Put the pieces on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. The smoother the surface, the more evenly the plastic will shrink; so place the foil shiny side up.

Or you can use the kind of heat gun that rubberstampers and other hobbyists use to activate embossing powder. Those are just the right temperature. You can buy them in hobby stores such as Michael’s and Hobby Lobby, and sometimes other places. The price ranges from about $10 to $20 in the U.S.

Caution: Always be careful. Work in a well-ventilated area. Do not overheat. If you smell anything, if your eyes water, or if you notice anything odd, stop. Never try to shrink any plastic you can’t identify. Even fumes you can’t smell could cause long-term damage. Never heat Styrofoam!

Clear Shrink Plastic

As mentioned earlier, the tops of many deli containers are Type 6 plastic, which you can use as shrink plastic. So are some of the large, clear clamshell containers that deli sandwiches come in.

Most embossed features, like the recycle mark and any borders, will shrink out, so experiment and see what you can do. After all, it’s free.

Some clear drink cups sold in grocery stores are also shrinkable plastic. After a party or picnic, you can wash them and use them for shrink plastic.

However, because of the way they are stretched into cup shape, they will shrink drastically in the vertical direction and only a little horizontally. If you plan ahead, you can use that as a special effect, but don’t plan on using the cups as you would regular, flat shrink plastic.

Stained Glass Colors

Many stores sell Type 6 plastic cups in transparent colors: pink and blue all year ‘round, and red and green around Christmas.

It is worth figuring out how to deal with the uneven way the cups shrink, because their deep, rich, stained-glass-like colors make wonderful embellishments for paper arts or beads for jewelry-making. They can be used in assemblages or attached to canvas in acrylic paintings.

I recently found a package gorgeous purple shrinkable cups at a dollar store. They also had other colors, such as blue and green. Always check the Recycle mark, however, before shrinking.

Solid Colors

Solid color cups made of Type 6 (shrinkable) plastic are sold in many grocery, drug, and discount stores. I haven’t tried the solids yet, but they are basically painted opaque white shrink plastic, so they should work.

Preparing Cups for Shrinking

Here is how I prepare shrinkable plastic cups for shrinking into a flower shape:

1. Use kitchen shears or other strong scissors to cut the cups vertically from top to bottom.

2. Cut the ends into a rounded shape, cutting off the rolled edge. They should then look like this:

3. Be sure to trim off any splinters, such as the one shown in the picture below.

While soft and harmless when cut, they can be hard and sharp after shrinking. It is best to get rid of any sharp points before you shrink.

4. For some purposes, such as assemblage, you may want to punch one or more holes in the round center, which was the bottom of the cup, or in one or more of the “petals.” I recommend using a strong, cheap 1/4-inch metal hole punch. It will take some strength.

Note: To sharpen the punch, use it to punch holes in aluminum foil first.

4. Use a heat gum carefully. Do not get it too close to the shrink plastic or any other plastic surface, such as carpet, that can melt. (Ask me how I know this!)

Note: If you have some metal kitchen tongs or insulated tweezers from a tool kit, it’s easier to hold the plastic without burning yourself. Or you can shrink it on a cookie sheet (covered with a sheet of aluminum foil) in the kitchen oven.

Here is a scan of some cups that I shrank hurriedly to illustrate this post. I have had better results in the past.

My current scanner has a very shallow depth of field, so only the parts of each cup that actually touched the glass scanner bed are in focus. Still, you can see the effect.

When you shrink cups in the oven, the shapes should shrink very flat. Remember, that you can always reheat and reshape shrink plastic even after it has been shrunk.

5. Some artists use wooden spheres, wooden eggs, and other shapes from hobby stores to shape the heated plastic. You can also use a block of wood to flatten shapes while they are hot.

Note: The purple cup turned out to be Recycle 5, but I tried shrinking it anyway. It did not so much shrink, as shrivel. But I think it is interesting and could be used in a mixed-media painting or an assemblage. I would NOT recommend heating any plastic that is not labled Recycle 6, however, especially in your cooking oven. Who knows what toxic gases I released by shrinking that cup?

Making Shrink-Plastic Leaves

One of the amusing things about shrinking plastic cups is how much they shrink vertically. Instead of cutting petal shapes, you can cut out long slender leaves (like willow leaves), running from top to bottom of the sides of the cup. When you shrink them, they become round, fat leaves, because they shrink only in length.

Have Fun Shrinking Plastic…and Let Us Know What You Discover

I’m sure you can make many other shapes as well. Please come back and tell us what you did. If you post your creations somewhere on line, leave us a link, and we’ll go see them.

You can buy inexpensive ones. Or you can make your own. Interested?

Colorific Glitter Watercolors

Colorific Glitter Watercolors come in a (surprise!) glittery plastic case with the same removable, rearrangeable pans and natural bristle brush that make the bigger Colorific set such a great value. I found them at Texas Art Supply for only $3.36

Colorific Metallic Watercolors

Colorific Metallic Watercolors look like the expensive, hobbyist brands with cute names that are made with mica powders. Yet they are inexpensive. Texas Art Supply sells them for $3.36.

Prang also makes metallic watercolors, and their price is almost as low.

Making Metallic or Irridescent Watercolors

You can easily mix PearlEx or other fine mica powders into whatever watercolors you have to create interference (changeable) colors, irridescence, or metallic effects. If you can only buy one, I suggest getting the plain Pearl. However, the sampler sets with several (or many) small containers of different colors are the best buy.

You need only a tiny amount of mica powder to get the effect. It works far better with transparent colors than semiopaque colors. For opaque colors, you may want to try brushing a very tiny bit of the powder over the dry paint. (I suggest using one of the applicators mentioned in my last post. You can apply it with your fingertip, but you have less control of where the powder goes.)

For a truly metallic effect, you can mix mica powder with gum arabic (liquid or dry) to make a metallic paint. Gum arabic is the main binding ingredient in watercolors. That is how the expensive irridescent hobbyist watercolors are made.

You can even use actual metal powders (nontarnishing ones, such as aluminum) to make your own paint with gum arabic. If you use metal powders, though, be very careful to be in a still (no breeze) environment, and wear a dust mask.

CAUTION: Metal powders can be very toxic and/or mechanically damaging to the lungs. Some are in the form of microscopic spirals that can lodge in the lungs and cause infection. Do not allow children or pets in the area while measuring and mixing if you use them. Once the powder is mixed into paints, it should be safe. Do not ingest any paint of any kind!

Whether working with mica or metallic powders, use only tiny amounts at a time. Be careful not to spill. Use a damp cloth to clean up any traces of the dust from work surfaces or floor.

For opaque metallic paints, you may want to try inexpensive gouache paints in gold and silver. You can tint gold with red to make copper.

Any pearly white paint can be tinted with transparent colors to create many beautiful irridescent shades.

Making Glitter Watercolors

You add fine glitter to any kind of watercolor. Or you can mix fine glitter with gum arabic to paint over ordinary watercolors.

The best glitter for the purpose is made of very fine particles. A good example is that made by Art Institute Glitter, but any very fine glitter will do.

Notice that there are two kinds of glitter: transparent and opaque. Transparent glitter is better for mixing with or painting over watercolor.

Glitter Acrylics

I have also found glittery acrylic paints, usually glitter in a clear base. You can mix glitter with acrylic paints or mix glitter into clear acrylic medium. I have used clear acrylic medium with glitter under transparent watercolor and liked the results. You can see an example toward the right-hand end of the header graphic at the top of the front page of this blog.

You can find metallic, glittery, or irridescent acrylic paints of all grades these days: from expensive to cheap. You can also use acrylic fabric paints on canvas or paper. Fabric paints tend to be less expensive but quite durable, since they were made to be laundered.

Mixing Glitter Glues and Glazes with Paint

Remember that you can also mix glitter glues and glazes with paints. You can also apply them under or over paints. If you experiment with glitter glues and glazes, I suggest using either old brushes or cheap, disposable brushes or applicators.

If you do use any of your better brushes, be very careful to wash them immediately afterward. To make it easier to wash out the glitter glue or glaze, wet the brush thoroughly with water before use. That way it does not soak up the glue so much. (That is also a good precaution when painting with acrylic paints or acrylic medium.)

By experimenting, you will find that you can create many wonderful effects. Remember to mix just tiny amounts until you find the mixture you like.

Be sure to paint a little sample in your sketchbook and write down your recipe for creating that effect. You will be very glad later than you did.