By Silly Heather
Most of the time when I meet strangers and explain what I do, they always seem so perplexed and ask “how much paint can we really sell?” When I invite them to take a look at the Silly Farm site they cant believe the selection available. Most people think of purple paint, as just a color but to painters we have violet, periwinkle, amethyst, and every other shade and we cant get enough! But the truth is that as artists and entertainers we sell color and quality so its important to have a variety of products to continuously sell our services. This year was a big year for our industry. Lots of awesome new products were launched that have made our jobs a lot more creative, fun and artistic.
Here are my top 10 products that rocked 2015! (in no particular order)
Training, Tried and Tested Practice FAB Boards: Cameron Garrett brought her board to Silly Farm when she was teaching a FABAtv class and I immediately fell in love with them. Not only was it an awesome product, it quickly became the best solution for me to travel and teach. The awesome board allowed for me to paint step by steps without erasing the design. And because it is lightweight its easy to travel and pack.
The boards were created by Sally Ann Lynch, and they have caught the eye of most painters on the forums because they offer a simple solution to the age old problem of the hassle of practicing. I love my Proface practice head but I can only practice one design at a time and then the hassle to clean the head always seemed like more work. The practice boards are awesome to use while you practice designs from FABAtv, or during workshops. then you dont have to erase your work right away, you can paint and take pictures. They are made with a smooth service that allows your brush to flow smoothly over the surface with out beading up. You can also sponge and blend on it with ease. The boards became so popular Sally released a bunch of new designs including a maternity belly. So now there is really no excuse why you cant squeeze in practice time.
Booster Packs by Léa Selley- Léa recently relocated to South Florida from Canada. Naturally I expected her to come and hang out at Silly Farm every day but she had other plans. She was working on her new designs of Graffiti stencils.
- A couple years ago when Léa stepped on the scene with graffiti eyes she blew everyone away with the glittery vibrant concept. Before long everyone was rocking awesome eyes. So when I heard she was working on new designs I couldn’t wait! One of the best parts about her collection is that she personally
designs them with painters in mind. Each of the sets create the most unique designs and patterns. I also love that Lea’ gives you design ideas. It really helps to jump start your creative engine and get fancy with them.
There are lots of choices of stencils on the market, but the Booster packs have been my go to this year because funky eyes have taken over the teen market.
Tattoo Pro Stencils by Wiser
I have been offering Airbrush tattoos at parties and events for 6 years and I was getting so bored doing them. I find face painting so much more fun and creative. I remember when Wiser called me up to tell me about a free hand stencil system he was working on and then he debuted them on FABAtv earlier this year and he blew my mind. I loved them so much I bought a set and started using them at my events. It was insane how cool they came out and how much my clients loved them. The Tattoo Pro’s changed my whole outlook on Airbrush Tattoos and made it fun again. The detailed designs are so impressive and eye catching that they are a great way to impress older crowds. Initially I thought only older teens and adults would enjoy them, but I was wrong.
I have been using them at every event and regardless of age everyone was dying over them! The coolest part about them is that you can mix and match and it almost feel like face painting (creativity wise) with stencils.
If you want to find out more about them there’s a FULL forum dedicated to them check it out here
Monster Pasties– The worlds best nipple covers
Nothing is worse than spending countless hours painting a beautiful body art design and the nipples covers start to lift or bunch and ruin your work of art. Over the years I have used several brands of nipple covers but I always hate the fact that I have to use glue on the nipple area, and the glue never seemed to hold over long periods of time. Well John Place fixed that problem and released the glue less, seamless, edge less nipple covers that are amazing! Monster Pasties are transferred on the skin using transfer paper and water to seal the edges and they are water proof, bunch proof, and crate the PERFECT surface for body painting. The edges are so smooth you cant tell where the pasties ends and begins. Monster pasties make body painting easier to be seen as a work of art, rather than sexual. Sadly, we still live in a time where body painting is still regarded sexually. So when you remove the nipples from being a point of focus you can place the attention on the art.
During Halloween I did a body painting for a couple. The female was so nervous about her nipples and revealing too much that she was considering wearing a bikini top. Once I showed her the Monster Pasties she was blown away and felt so comfortable.
If you want to see them in action John even made a cool little video you can watch here
Paint Pal Brushes by Silly Farm– The most important tool in your kit besides your paints are your brushes.
At the end of 2014 I decided I wanted to design a line of brushes. Turns out it was MUCH more challenging than I ever imagined. For one, when you design a product there’s a lot of back and forth to agree on a final sample. 2 what you order and what you receive sometimes don’t match up. So after waiting what felt like a lifetime I finally received 22,000 brushes made INCORRECTLY. So I had to fight to have them fixed and finally the Paint Pal brush collection is here! I designed each brush with a purpose, I tried to fix the flaws I found with some of the other brushes and finally I have a line of brushes I love.
When I designed them I knew I wanted a pink handle so that they would stand out on your table as you paint. So not only do they paint great, you will look fabulous while you do.
I know this post may seem biased, but I am very proud of the line I created. I designed each brush from scratch and it took me over 22 samples to get them exactly how I wanted. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and PLEASE share your feedback. And if there is one I suggest trying my favorite is the little drop brush that is my go to brush for thick lines, in the corners of the eyes, the muzzle, hair like strokes and bolder tear drops. I also created a little video explaining each one and you can see it here: Video
Brush Bath SPRAY! The oldest question in face painting is “How do you keep your brushes and sponges clean in between kids?” And the truth is that it been a very hard question to answer. 4 years ago I created a product called Brush Bath. Brush Bath is a liquid soap (all organic) that you can use while you face paint in your water to help kit it clean you can also use it to remove make up from your face and skin and to clean your brushes and sponges. Last year I stated speaking to my chemist about making a spray version to spray on my brushes in between kids. And voila! Brush Bat Spray is the perfect way to keep your supplies clean, and make the parents feel comfortable knowing you are taking the necessary steps to ensure quality and safe products.
At my last event, I sprayed my brushes and the mother stopped me to say thank you for keeping my supplies clean. that she loved face painting but hated the germs and I explained that safety was a priority for me. She was so kind that she wrote an article about me in a parenting magazine about the new age of face painting. Its the little things that set us apart from others but they make all the difference to your customers.
Global Fun Stroke Palettes: 7 years ago I collaborated with Rebecca of Arty Brush to create a line of Arty cakes (mini rainbow cakes). Once we launched them several versions we released into the face painting world. Many of them resembled our cakes. This year Global Colours released a palette of fun strokes. The cool part about the palette was that it solved the problem of “to many supplies” to carry. The fun stroke palettes have 5 fun strokes in each palette and take up little to no room. I love my palettes because they are also awesome when you are closing your line and want to start packing up. You can leave your palette on the table and close everything else and still be able to accomplish awesome faces.
BLING!!!!! Karen Husted attended the FABAIC and showed me how to create custom bling. I fell so much in love that I begged her to create a video how to do it. After that the BLINGtatsic craze took over the internet. It wasn’t long before painters we sharing sheets and pages of bling and everything was blinged out! I premiered a bling bar at FABAIC and painters filled baggies with gems and sparkly jewels and started creating the most amazing bling pieces. It was so much fun to see what and how painters were using their bling and it hasnt stopped.
Marcela and I loved the bling so much that we made a book this year called the Book of Rainbows and Bling.
The bling craze proved that by adding something as simple as some gems and jewels you can add value and sparkle power to your designs. I know my client s LOVE bling and really see it as a bonus by hiring me. And its also really fun to create. If you want to learn how to make your own bling here’s a video Bling video
The Ultrasonic Cleaner- Old Product NEW price– I have been focusing on my airbrushing skills this year and the only down side to that is the cleaning side of airbrushing. The main reason I charge more for airbrush services is because of the time I have to factor in to clean my guns and stencils. My friend introduced me to an ultrasonic cleaner long ago to clean my guns and stencils. It was heaven sent, however it was expensive. I tried to get a wholesale account with a dental product supply in order to find a ultrasonic that was large enough and powerful enough to clean 10 guns at once. But they were all in the $500 range. So after searching long and hard I was finally able to secure a vendor to bring down the price and help you beat the airbrush cleaning nightmare. I HIGHLY recommend an ultrasonic cleaner if you are going to offer airbrush services. Cleaning your stencils and guns by hand will make you HATE to airbrush. Instead pop them in the cleaner and they shake clean in under 30 minutes. I promise its the best $200 investment you can make in your airbrush business. Here’s a little video how to use it : click here
The AMAZING Light Ring: The only reason it is new to me is because I moved into 2015 and upgraded my
lighting equipment. I kept seeing all these beautiful images on Instagram and wondered how did they do it? I know everyone isnt a great photographer. So I did my research and everyone recommended a light ring. So I invested in one and wrote a blog about it and painters LOVE me because of it LOL. For $99 I am able to take amazing pictures that make my art work look like a million bucks
2015 has been a BIG year for our industry. Lots of new and exciting products, lots of growth, sharing and community. It gets me even more excited about whats in store for 2016! If I missed your favorite or awesome product of 2015 let me know. If you think its cool chances are I would love to help make it available for other artists.
Happy Painting and wishing you all the BEST Holiday season <3
Heather