I've just written the quarterly reviews for the Cats Whiskers Face Painting team and had a look at the comments received by our clients in the last quarter of 2009 - both of which made me really happy as all the team are producing amazing work and our clients are really appreciating that!
Here are a selection of the comments we recevied about our work offering face painting, Henna, temporary tattoos and of course face painting!
“An excellent service as usual, this is the third time I have used you and will definitely use you again. Sharon is great – we love her and so do the children” ~ Mrs A Alderson
“All the parents that came to the party were very impressed. Helen was very friendly and helpful. It kept all the children (aged 10months – 6years) entertained for ages. Extremely impressed” ~ Mrs C Waring
“The service received was first class and the girls were fantastic on the day. All the children were thrilled with the face painting and brilliant balloon modelling, even the parents were tempted myself included!” ~ Mrs A Rawle
“Everything from initial enquiry via email to arrangements for the day and performance on the day were all carried out to a high standard. Lucy was fantastic, arrived on time, very flexible with the events of the day. All the children thought she was brilliant. The balloon models were brilliant especially the alien and the penguins!” ~ Mrs H Howe
Have a fantastic Christmas & New Year!
See you all in 2010.
Helen
www.catswhiskers.biz
Twitter Updates
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Henna hands at college
Here are some of the Henna designs that we did for the College students at their Winter Fair yesterday.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
A History of Face Painting
When we talk about face painting today, generally the first thing that pops into someone's mind (if they haven't already met the talented Cats Whiskers Face Painting team :)) is a Mum volunteering at a school fair. However, that wasn’t always what face painting was all about.
Face paintingdates back thousands of years across many different cultures and has been used for a wide variety of purposes that weren’t just all for fun and play. The history of face painting includes painting faces for reasons of camouflage, religious purposes, entertainment, inclusion in sports and as a statement about society. It’s a really interesting history that most of us aren’t aware of even though we all know what face painting is.
Let’s take a closer look at the history of face painting:
Face painting for Camouflage
People have used face paint as a means of camouflaging themselves since ancient times. This was done for hunting as well as for fighting military battles. People would paint their faces using natural substances to make it so that their skin would blend in with the natural environment around them. This was good for hunting because it meant that the animals would be less likely to notice the hunters. Hunters today may still use face paint for this same reason. Likewise, people fighting battles in wartime have used face paint to hide themselves in the natural environment so that they could sneak up on their enemies more easily without being seen.
Face painting for Religious or Spiritual Purposes
Historically, there were times when face painting was used for various religious ceremonies. One strong example of this comes from a look at the history of Native American tribes in the United States. Many tribes believed that face painting with specific colors had special meanings and could be used as a spiritual tool. For example, it was believed by some that wearing green face paint beneath the eyes would give the wearer of that face paint special powers that enabled him to see excellently during the night.
Native American people, as well as tribal people in other parts of the world, have often used face painting as a part of the adornment they engage in before participating in rituals that honor the gods or ask requests of them. This type of spiritual practice is just one more example of how one group of people has used face painting for religious purposes. Many other examples abound throughout history and across different types of cultures and religious groups.
Face painting for Entertainment
Face painting became common in historical times as part of the world of live entertainment. Many different groups of people got involved with elaborate face painting for the purposes of creating or enhancing a costume that was used in some type of arts performance. The opera is a great example of a place where face painting was widely used throughout history to add to the costumes of those participating in the opera for the enjoyment of those who were attending the opera. Another similar example is that of the geishas of Japan who painted their faces beautifully when entertaining their gentlemen callers.
Face painting for Inclusion in Sports
Face painting has long been a part of the history of sports. You may want to think about the sport of football and the face paint that is associated with that game. Alternatively, you may want to think about how face paint has been used in wrestling to assist in creating the personas of the people who participate in that sport. Today, it is not only the participants in sports that engage in face painting but also the fans. Just attend any college sports game and you will see dozens or even hundreds of fans with their faces painted to support the team that is playing there that day.
Face painting as a Statement on Society
Face painting was a part of the history of war and entertainment and spirituality for a long time. However, it eventually fell out of favour as something that people did in modern society. For much of the early twentieth century, you just didn’t see a whole lot of face painting except in the form of make-up that was used in the theatre and entertainment industry. However, that changed in the 1960’s with the hippie movement. Many women during this era began to paint their faces and the faces of their women friends with symbols that showed their allegiance to the movement. These were typically symbols such as peace signs that were designed to show that they were protesting against the war. As such, face painting was able to be used during this time as a statement about the war and the society that was allowing the war to happen. Although it was a fun thing with cute symbols like we may see painted on children’s faces today, it was also something that was related to the greater society.
Face painting for Children
It wasn’t until about the 1980’s that we started widespread use of face painting as a way for kids to enjoy themselves. During this time, face painting became a child’s thing, the thing that we think of it as being today. It is something that is typically seen at fairs, amusement parks and festivals - places where children may be enticed to get their parents to pay for fun designs to be painted on their faces. It's also arranged as entertainment at birthday parties & family parties. This is most common today in Europe and North America although it can be found elsewhere throughout the world as well.
Face painting for Adults
Increasingly at Cats Whiskers Face Painting, we're seeing a trend towards face painting being used as entertainment for adults again. Designs for masquerade balls and fancy dress parties are often requested as well as parents who join in the fun of face painting with their children at many of the events we attend.
Helen
http://www.catswhiskers.biz/
Face paintingdates back thousands of years across many different cultures and has been used for a wide variety of purposes that weren’t just all for fun and play. The history of face painting includes painting faces for reasons of camouflage, religious purposes, entertainment, inclusion in sports and as a statement about society. It’s a really interesting history that most of us aren’t aware of even though we all know what face painting is.
Let’s take a closer look at the history of face painting:
Face painting for Camouflage
People have used face paint as a means of camouflaging themselves since ancient times. This was done for hunting as well as for fighting military battles. People would paint their faces using natural substances to make it so that their skin would blend in with the natural environment around them. This was good for hunting because it meant that the animals would be less likely to notice the hunters. Hunters today may still use face paint for this same reason. Likewise, people fighting battles in wartime have used face paint to hide themselves in the natural environment so that they could sneak up on their enemies more easily without being seen.
Face painting for Religious or Spiritual Purposes
Historically, there were times when face painting was used for various religious ceremonies. One strong example of this comes from a look at the history of Native American tribes in the United States. Many tribes believed that face painting with specific colors had special meanings and could be used as a spiritual tool. For example, it was believed by some that wearing green face paint beneath the eyes would give the wearer of that face paint special powers that enabled him to see excellently during the night.
Native American people, as well as tribal people in other parts of the world, have often used face painting as a part of the adornment they engage in before participating in rituals that honor the gods or ask requests of them. This type of spiritual practice is just one more example of how one group of people has used face painting for religious purposes. Many other examples abound throughout history and across different types of cultures and religious groups.
Face painting for Entertainment
Face painting became common in historical times as part of the world of live entertainment. Many different groups of people got involved with elaborate face painting for the purposes of creating or enhancing a costume that was used in some type of arts performance. The opera is a great example of a place where face painting was widely used throughout history to add to the costumes of those participating in the opera for the enjoyment of those who were attending the opera. Another similar example is that of the geishas of Japan who painted their faces beautifully when entertaining their gentlemen callers.
Face painting for Inclusion in Sports
Face painting has long been a part of the history of sports. You may want to think about the sport of football and the face paint that is associated with that game. Alternatively, you may want to think about how face paint has been used in wrestling to assist in creating the personas of the people who participate in that sport. Today, it is not only the participants in sports that engage in face painting but also the fans. Just attend any college sports game and you will see dozens or even hundreds of fans with their faces painted to support the team that is playing there that day.
Face painting as a Statement on Society
Face painting was a part of the history of war and entertainment and spirituality for a long time. However, it eventually fell out of favour as something that people did in modern society. For much of the early twentieth century, you just didn’t see a whole lot of face painting except in the form of make-up that was used in the theatre and entertainment industry. However, that changed in the 1960’s with the hippie movement. Many women during this era began to paint their faces and the faces of their women friends with symbols that showed their allegiance to the movement. These were typically symbols such as peace signs that were designed to show that they were protesting against the war. As such, face painting was able to be used during this time as a statement about the war and the society that was allowing the war to happen. Although it was a fun thing with cute symbols like we may see painted on children’s faces today, it was also something that was related to the greater society.
Face painting for Children
It wasn’t until about the 1980’s that we started widespread use of face painting as a way for kids to enjoy themselves. During this time, face painting became a child’s thing, the thing that we think of it as being today. It is something that is typically seen at fairs, amusement parks and festivals - places where children may be enticed to get their parents to pay for fun designs to be painted on their faces. It's also arranged as entertainment at birthday parties & family parties. This is most common today in Europe and North America although it can be found elsewhere throughout the world as well.
Face painting for Adults
Increasingly at Cats Whiskers Face Painting, we're seeing a trend towards face painting being used as entertainment for adults again. Designs for masquerade balls and fancy dress parties are often requested as well as parents who join in the fun of face painting with their children at many of the events we attend.
Helen
http://www.catswhiskers.biz/
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Step by step Santa / Father Christmas cheek art
Painting Father Christmas on cheeks is very popular at this time of year! Here's a quick step by step for you using Snazaroo white, red and black face paint.
Step 1: Using white paint the band of the hat, the end bobble and the hair.
Step 2: Add the moustache and the beard.
Step 3: Using red, fill in the hat to connect the band and bobble; then add the nose and mouth detail.
Step 4: Using a fine brush and black face paint outline and add eyes.
If you want a step by step of how to draw a more detailed full bodied Father Christmas / Santa follow this link to About.com http://drawsketch.about.com/od/cartooning/ss/draw_santa_cartoon.htm?nl=1
Click on the "step by steps" label to the left of this post for more design ideas - there is a penguin & Rudolf as well.
I hope you're enjoying the run up to Christmas!!
Helen
www.catswhiskers.biz
Step 1: Using white paint the band of the hat, the end bobble and the hair.
Step 2: Add the moustache and the beard.
Step 3: Using red, fill in the hat to connect the band and bobble; then add the nose and mouth detail.
Step 4: Using a fine brush and black face paint outline and add eyes.If you want a step by step of how to draw a more detailed full bodied Father Christmas / Santa follow this link to About.com http://drawsketch.about.com/od/cartooning/ss/draw_santa_cartoon.htm?nl=1
Click on the "step by steps" label to the left of this post for more design ideas - there is a penguin & Rudolf as well.
I hope you're enjoying the run up to Christmas!!
Helen
www.catswhiskers.biz
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Face & Body Art International Convention (FABAIC) 2009 Cover Girl!
In 2008 I travelled over to FABAIC in Florida to teach at the convention (See my blog entry about the trip:http://helen-at-cats-whiskers.blogspot.com/2008/06/body-painting-for-bodies-alive-at.html#links) and whilst I was there I took part in a spectacular performance organised by Christopher Agostino. The team I worked with painted seven girls for the "Dragon Dance". (Here's a link to the video of the performance of the Dragon Dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hua8L_tQoto)
Imagine my surprise when in July this year at the World Body Painting Championships in Austria, I bumped into one of the lovely models we'd painted and she mentioned that our photograph with our body painted models had been used for the front cover of the FABAIC 2009 brochure!
So, although the event happened in May of this year, I have finally tracked down a copy of the brochure and here it is!! Click on it to get a bigger view.
Imagine my surprise when in July this year at the World Body Painting Championships in Austria, I bumped into one of the lovely models we'd painted and she mentioned that our photograph with our body painted models had been used for the front cover of the FABAIC 2009 brochure!
So, although the event happened in May of this year, I have finally tracked down a copy of the brochure and here it is!! Click on it to get a bigger view.
Unfortunately I don't know the names of all the models, but the painters are from the left Pam Trent, me, Karen Sawyer, Ginny C, Fairy Emily, Susie Pierce and Katie Hunt.
So, amazingly - I'm a cover girl!! ;)
Helen
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Body Painting images from the World Body Painting Championships, Seeboden 2009
The photography awards for the World Body Painting Championships held in Seeboden in July this year have recently been announced (http://193.171.119.147/us/wbpf/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=49942) and several of the photographers have used images of the body paintings that I created there! My thanks to my photogenic and utterly fabulous model - Tina Hörmann.
Photographer: Adam Jean-Jacques
Photographer: Alfonso 
Photographer: Samo Trebizan
Photographer: Anthony Thomas 
Photographer: Yan Lavallee
Helen
Photographer: Adam Jean-Jacques
Photographer: Alfonso 
Photographer: Samo Trebizan
Photographer: Anthony Thomas
Photographer: Yan LavalleeHelen
Rudolf cheek art step by step design for Christmas
For Rudolf we used Snazaroo Light Brown, White, Bright Red and Black face paints.
Step 1: Create two joining heart shapes - the top one is brown and the bottom white. Use petal brush strokes on either side of the brown heart shape to create ears.
Step 2: Using a fine brush and light brown face paint, create the antlers.
Step 3: Add a red nose at the join between the brown and red heart shapes and add a smaller dot of bright red at the bottom of the white heart shape for a tongue.
Step 4: Use a fine brush with black face paint to add eye's and the muzzle detail.
Step 1: Create two joining heart shapes - the top one is brown and the bottom white. Use petal brush strokes on either side of the brown heart shape to create ears.
Step 2: Using a fine brush and light brown face paint, create the antlers.
Step 3: Add a red nose at the join between the brown and red heart shapes and add a smaller dot of bright red at the bottom of the white heart shape for a tongue.
Step 4: Use a fine brush with black face paint to add eye's and the muzzle detail.Helen
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