Face
painting has been around as an art form since
time immemorial. The art has served various purposes
from being a creative pastime to being an essential
aspect of theatre, tribal ceremonies, to intimidate
during wars etc.
If a tribe or society followed the custom of face
painting, then the choice of colours would depend
on the available raw materials, in terms of mineral
and forest products that would yield the colours
and also the occasion. During the early periods,
only primary and locally available colours like
red, blue, yellow or white would be used. Effect
would be added by sprinkling dust or soft bird
feathers.
Face
painting still retains its popularity in the
modern society as well, especially as a hobby
as well as for professional face painters who
are in great demand in the theatre and party
circuits and charity events. Children are fascinated
by the transformation that a painted face can
bring about and transform them into Cinderella,
Spiderman or a Tiger or a Monkey. It is not
uncommon to find children and grown-ups alike
at various sport meets, with their faces painted
in a riot of colours cheering for their teams.
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COMING SOON - UNDER RECONSTRUCTION |
The
equipment required to get started is fairly
rudimentary and can be obtained quite easily.
A set of flat sable hair or ox hair brushes,
a medium and a fine round brush. Watercolors
are easy and safe to apply and remove as well.
A set of 5 watercolors is good enough to start
with and you can come up with your own color
combinations. Sponges are used to get a good
make up base. Things like glitter; fake blood,
stars, rouge, eyeliner and blusher are good
for creating that extra effect.
You don't really need to be an artist to get
started and enjoy face painting. You can practice
at home or join a school where the basics are
taught. A progressive course typically teaches
the student familiarity with the tools, the
contours of the face, basic animal designs like
mouse, butterfly, tiger etc. on the face. The
next stage is to learn slightly complicated
designs like tribal designs, using accessories
like eyeliner, fake blood, scars etc.
Precaution
needs to be taken with the kind of paints used
as not all skins may respond positively to paints,
especially if they are to be applied over extended
periods of time. You should apply paint and
leave it for an hour or two and proceed only
if there is no adverse reaction with the skin.
In any case, it is advisable to use a barrier
cream. It not only protects the skin from the
paint but also facilitates easy removal of the
paint.
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