Beat The Heat

Beat the Heat: Top Products to Help You Survive a Summer of Painting

Beat the Heat: Top Products to Help You Survive a Summer of Painting

By Ashley Arrow

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As face painters and entertainers, it’s a delicacy to work indoors with air conditioning. Most of us are under a tent and weathering the great outdoors. Whether you believe in global warming or not, one thing is certain, the summer is HOT! Down here in South Flordia it’s summer year round and we have become masters of dealing with hot and humid weather. Long days standing outside can not only alter your mood but be dangerous for your health. These top tips and products will help you stay comfortable in the heat so you can deliver smiles and a stellar experience to your clients.

 

  1. Wardrobe
    • What you wear affects your body temperature. Surprisingly long sleeves during the summer can be a benefit to you if it’s the correct material. Silly Farm has has 2 amazing shirts options in both long and short sleeves. It helps you looking professional, wicks away moisture, and is the perfect light weight cool material. The long sleeves will help keep away those dangerous UV rays.

Click Here to Purchase

 

Face Painting and Artist Shirt Designed by Heather Green
Face Painting and Artist Shirt Designed by Heather Green. Portable Fans

2. Portable Fans

  • Almost everything comes pocket sized, what a time to be alive! You can snag a portable fan on Amazon to give you hours of portable breeze.

    Tonya's Set Up with Portable Fan
    Tonya’s Set Up with Portable Fan

Here’s are our top two choices:

  • This small oscillating fan is amazing! It folds up super small to fit right in your kit or bag, but it can be placed on the ground or directly on the table with its extendable base. It’s quiet and powerful. It comes with a slim card size remote you can use to adjust the settings. The battery lasts for hours and is rechargeable. And the best part, it comes in pink! Click here Here to Check it out
  • fanThis portable fan can clip directly to your Craft-n- Go or kit. Not only will it provide a breeze, but it also has built-in LED lights for those events that last through the night. Perfect to supply comfort and a little extra light to see. Check it out herefan23. Proper Display
  • Nothing is worse than attending an all-day a pay per face festival in the heat and coming home with dry pockets. Don’t let your tent get lost in the sea of unmarked tents! This 14ft Face Painter flag will let the entire festival know you’re there! It’s an eye catching colorful display that will draw a crowd to your area. Not a Face Painter? We have one for Henna Artist, Balloon Twisters, and Airbrush artist. Check It out here: flagblog4. Stay Hydrated
  • Bringing a water bottle is essential for long days outside. We aren’t always blessed with clients who deliver water to us when our line is so long, and we don’t have a chance to refill our water. Not to mention, taking a sip from a water bottle that has been out in the sun is like sipping on lava. A large thermal and insulated water bottle can make all the difference. Stack that thing with ice and it will stay cold for 12 hours or more! Not to mention, the ice doesn’t melt so if you do run out of water, you can pour the boiling sun water into your ice filled thermal. We love this insulated thermal with a carrying strap and sleeve to hold your phone/id/keys/or debit card so you don’t have to bring a purse with you. Purchase Here.flask5. Waterproof Line Work
  • Sweat in the heat is unavoidable. Beautiful faces you paint can turn into a melted mess. However, if you replace your line work with a waterproof choice, you will save yourself some tears and time! Using a Rainbow Cake as your base with Dips by Proaiir for your line work will save your design. Even if the base runs, the design will still be saved with the solid waterproof outline. It’s a super cost effective addition to your kit. Multiple colors available at Silly Farm
  • Dips Waterproof Face Painting
    Dips Waterproof Face Painting

I hope these products help you keep your cool this summer. As always, happy painting! Stay in the shade, stay hydrated, and stay creative!

-Ashley Arrow

2 Minute Spiderman for Young Kids | Face Painting Tutorial

By now you should know that face painting younger kids can be a challenge. My son is almost 3 years old and still wiggles and squirms when I paint him. I was able to sit him down in the Silly Farm showroom and use him for a quick tutorial on face painting little kids a quick and easy Spiderman.

  1. I started using Wolfe White and outlined the eyes. We don’t want to fill over the eyes since he is a younger child and many children are not comfortable with objects near their eyes.
  2. Next, using a filbert brush we are going to fill in the rest of the shape using FAB Makeup Rage.
  3. Pink Power Stencils are very useful for those children that don’t want to sit still! Using a sponge and black face paint, we are going to sponge on the spider using the pink power stencil.
  4. Using a Gold Grip #3 Round Brush and Wolfe Black we are going to finish the details to the mask by outlining and connecting the lines to form a spider-web look.
  5. Last, but not least, we always want to add some glitter and in this case it is the Mama Clown Glitter Black Potion.

London's SpidermanVoila! A quick two minute Spiderman face painting design for younger children!
Don’t forget to check out the rest of my face painting tutorials and head over to Silly Farm Supplies for products! Subscribe to me on YouTube for more!
Happy Painting!

Wild Style Floral Mask – Face Painting Design

Here’s a graffiti inspired floral mask design by Silly Heather. Starting this face painting design off with a Silly Farm sponge, we start the base using a Hippie Rainbow Cake. Next we take our Wildflower Fairyfly Kit and a 3/4″ Flat Brush to create the floral design. Wolfe Black is used for the graffiti effects and outlines. The brush preferred is a Gold Grip #4 Round. Glitter makes everything better, especially the Magic Magenta Glitter.

Can’t see the video? Watch “Wild Style Floral Mask” on YouTube!

Passionate Pickn’s

Margi Kanter - Nose Artimation face paintingI have met many talented artists throughout the years. Most of them have been introduced to me by my aunt and mentor, Marcela “Mama Clown”. Anytime we were traveling through the Midwest she would always say, “Let me call my friend Margi”, but it wasn’t until the FABAIC that I truly got to see first hand how special the infamous “Margi” truly was.

Margi Kanter is the author of the Pick Your Nose book series. The third installment of her wild face and body art Nose Artimation books has been release recently, so I was inspired to write about her and her accomplishments. You can pick up the newest addition to the Pick Your Nose books over at Silly Farm Supplies.
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Pick Your Nose V3 Under the Sea

If I had to pick one word to describe Margi it would be AMAZING! Margi is a mother, an artist, a friend, a yogi, a teacher, a businesswoman, an author, and most of all she is a positive force that turns the wheel of face and body art inspiration. Margi introduced the world to her unique style of face painting called Nose Artimation and face painting hasn’t been the same ever since. Margi took the skills her late fiancé and talented caricature artist, David Levi, helped her fine tune and along with her background in art she put her own quirky spin on your everyday designs.

That combination of fun, love, and animation helped motivate Margi to create a line of books and a series of workshops that she has premiered across the globe. I had the extreme pleasure of teaching alongside Margi in Holland and at several FABAIC conventions. I have watched her grow her style with so much passion that I HAD to figure out a way to help her publish her books. Margi is one of the most giving and gifted instructors I have ever worked with. I have watched her breakdown concepts, share ideas, and give selflessly to her students. Margi’s attitude plays a HUGE role in her success.

[button type=”ambitious_button” url=”http://www.sillyfarm.com/store/index.php?p=product&id=5433&parent=398″ target=”on” ]Get Volume 3![/button]

Margi Kanter

Margi Kanter Belly PaintingWhen I initially approached Margi about helping me birth FABAtv(Face and Body Art Television), she jumped on the first plane and made it a priority. When I asked instructors to help with our Paint-a-Thon, again she jumped up to help. When someone asks a questions or needs a little push in the right direction, Margi is there to lend a helping hand. All of these qualities have helped her achieve her dream and will be the reason she will forever be a success and always in our hearts.

I hope that those of you reading this blog will gain some inspiration from Margi. Besides being a best selling author, Margi is also a phenomenal business woman and is not afraid to go after her dream and turn it into a reality. I hope that those following the FABA Blog gain some inspiration from Margi and follow your passion. Margi has gone through many ups and downs to get to this point, and yet her passion, positivity, and perseverance is the reason she is a star.

Please support Margi and her new book, drop her a note on her Facebook and if you ever need a crazy, wild, fun loving burst of energy give her a call. I have a feeling she will change your mood and put you in a pick’n good mood.

Take a class with Margi Kanter on FABAtv

Colorful Snow Leopard : Video Tutorial

Colorful Snow Leopard This fantastic feline design is quick and easy to pull off! Watch the video below for my tutorial on this leopard face painting. So what are you waiting for? Grab your Rainbow Cakes, a Bam stencil, and you’re already half way finished! This design is perfect for little girls, and just change the color scheme up and it fits boys was well!

Products Used

  • Moondance Rainbow CakeRainbow cakes are multi-colored containers of paint manufactured by Silly Farm. I started this feline face painting with one of the newer Silly Farm rainbow cakes, Moondance.

  • Pre-Cut Paradise Sponges These pre-cut paradise sponges are made out of high-density foam and are great for applying your arty brush cake or rainbow cake. Sponges are great to pair with stencils as well!

  • Gold Grip #4 Round Brush - at Silly Farm Supplies The Gold Grip brushes are a standard in face painting. These brushes are an excellent investment as the bristles last long and do not wear out as quick as other brands. This Gold Grip #4 Round is one of my favorite brushes.

  • Bad Ass Mini Stencil (BAMS) 1008 Cracks - at Silly Farm Supplies Bad Ass Mini Stencils are amazing stencils for face & body art, created by Andrea O’Donnell of Skincognito Makeup Art Studio & Supply. You can use these stencils for face painting or body art using a sponge, brush, or airbrush. The one I used is BAM 1008.

  • Wolfe Face Art & FX Aquacolor White - face paint at Silly FarmWolfe FX is a staple in the FABA industry. If you haven’t heard of this brand of face paint, I suggest you try some as soon as you can get your hands on it. Wolfe white & black is highly regarded as the best white & black for face painting.

  • Mama Clown White Fairy Dust Glitter Mama Clown’s world famous cosmetic glitter. This polyester glitter is safe for all your face & body art projects. White Fairy Dust just happens to be one of our best sellers.

Puff the Lil Dragon – Face Painting Design

Puff the Lil Dragon Video Tutorial
In this quick tutorial I show you my girly spin on the popular dragon design. No longer are dragons just for boys! Girls can have fun with this design too! It’s also parent friendly and super fast when using an Arty Brush Cake and the ‘Flower Brush’. The ‘flower brush’ is our Silly Farm Signature Large Point brush, and it will help you create the fastest, easiest flowers ever!

I used the following products in this face painting tutorial.

Free Face Painting Class with Silly Heather

FABAtv Instructor Heather Green

FABAtv (Face and Body Art Television) is feeling the Holiday spirit this winter. If you’re a subscriber to FABAtv, you’ve probably seen the free face painting class they are offering this month. Unlike the usual free & live class that FABAtv hosts around the 15th every month, this is an actual studio-filmed-and-edited class.

Holly Jolly Christmas by Heather Green

The artist behind this free face painting class is Heather Green, aka Silly Heather. Many of you have know of Heather as the owner of Silly Farm Supplies and from her YouTube face painting tutorials. Her latest class is all about Christmas and Holiday designs. You can catch Heather’s free class, Holly Jolly Christmas, on fabatv.com throughout the month of December!

Face Painting Video Tutorial – My Sunshine

My Sunshine Face PaintingHere’s new video tutorial to start off the week!
This is a colorful design I created that incorporates the sun, clouds, a rainbow, and stars! Practice those teardrop techniques for this design!
Watch the video tutorial and follow up with the products used to create your very own Sunshine! Everything is listed below!


Products Used:

Products available from Silly Farm Supplies

Wofle FX Neon PinkMC Glitter White Fairy DustOne Stroke 1" in. Flat BrushFlash Paradise Prisma CakeFAB Makeup Ziva Blue ShimmerFAB Makeup Bright YellowFAB Makeup Bright Orange

Wolverine Face Painting Tutorial

In my latest video tutorial, I painted the character Wolverine from X-men. I did this face painting using FAB Makeup and Wolfe FX. With Halloween coming up, this is a great design that boys will love and it is quick to do. The products I used are listed below with links to the product page.

Wolverine Face Painting

Wolverine Face Painting Tutorial on Youtube

Is there Money in the Air? Airbrush Investing 101

Pashur Airbrushing
Have you been considering buying an airbrush system, then you look at the price tag and you just about faint? Or have you been doing research and you feel lost in a sea of products? Well hopefully I can help you to decide if there is money in the air for you or if you should stick to your paint brushes.

“Airbrushing is no doubt awesome”

With one airbrush you can paint a mural, paint nails, spray tattoos, decorate a cake, tan a body, paint a car, paint a body, paint a face, and the list goes on. The main difference between painting a cake and painting a person, is the type of paint you will use. So on a big scale, airbrushing is versatile and can be extremely practical. On the flip side, the one thing you will need to consider before investing in any system is that Airbrushing involves using and taking care of equipment.

Airbrush equipment requires maintenance, setup, and take down. When we face paint we open and close our kits and can be set up in 5 minutes. After your gig you go home and clean your brushes and sponges and leave your kit until you need it again. With airbrushing, you will need to clean, unassemble your guns and blast caps, and store them where they won’t rust or get ruined. Airbrush equipment is just that, equipment. You will need airbrush guns, hoses, bottles and blast caps, an air source (either a compressor or CO2 thank), a manifold, paint/ink and a set up. Silly Farm Supplies carries a wide variety of airbrush supplies and equipment.

It takes me about 20 minutes to set up and 20 minutes takes down when I am doing an airbrush job. The thought of equipment scares some people. When I first started airbrushing and my guns clogged and my CO2 tank froze, I was almost in tears. Once you learn the basics of equipment, then airbrushing is like riding a bike.

Glori with Airbrush Tattoo

I live in sunny south Florida and our summers are miserably hot. The face painting business dies off during the summer because face paint sweats right off. I started airbrushing because, depending on the paint you are using, tattoos can be waterproof. They are a great sell for adults, teens, and for water events. I also find that they are excellent for breaking into the Quince and Bar/Bat Mitzvah market. Teens aren’t always into face painting, but they love tattoos. I also charge more for Airbrush Tattoos because they involve more set up and maintenance.

So if you ask my professional opinion, Yes I think airbrushing is worth it. You can do more volume and you don’t have to be a skilled artist to airbrush because it involves stencils instead of free hand ability. However, It will only be rewarding if you are willing to invest the time in learning maintenance, troubleshooting, and willing to clean your equipment after each use. Otherwise, I can almost guarantee you will get frustrated and I will see your system for sale on craigslist.

“What do I need to get started and what’s the difference between brands and guns?”

I will cover the basics of airbrushing and in my next blog article I will go further into airbrush brands, and break down the differences between CO2 Tanks and a Compressor.

Lymari Airbrushing

If you are planning on offering just black or single color tattoos then you can start off small with one gun and a small compressor. If you are a color junkie like myself then you will want to consider starting off with multiple guns so you can offer variety. As a rule of thumb you will want one gun per color. As the paint flows through your airbrush, paint remains inside the barrel, and if you are switching colors you will need to clean out the paint before you change colors. You can do this by spraying alcohol through the gun in between colors, but cleaning guns in between colors can be time consuming and if you are doing a tattoo with three colors, it’s not easy to clean colors and still hold the stencil in place. If you are using multiple guns then you will need a larger air source, either a compressor or CO2 tank, and you will need a manifold so you can run several airbrush guns simultaneously.

I know it seems like a lot, but it’s not. Once you get the gist of it, it’s quite simple. Having multiple guns means you can run several colors and you can work faster. You cannot just lay your airbrushes on a table like we do with face paints, they will slip off, the hoses will tangle, and generally cause more frustration. You will need some sort of holster or case to hold your supplies into place. Silly Farm Supplies carries several cases and holsters for airbrushing.

When considering airbrush compressors, you will want a compressor that has an automatic shut off control and one that is light weight. Some of the compressors you can purchase at a hardware store are loud and the motor continuously runs. You want to look for a quiet, lightweight compressor, and preferably one made for airbrushing. Silly Farm Supplies carries several airbrush compressors, all made by top brands and exclusively for airbrushing.

“Typically airbrush face and body artists use two kinds of paint”

Water based make up or alcohol based tattoo ink. Ink is waterproof and make up is not, since it is water based. For airbrush face painting I suggest make up, for tattoos I recommend ink. Ink has alcohol in it, so I avoid using it on the face as it can be hard to get off, especially for children. Make up is very similar to our face paint, the difference is it’s in the liquid form and typically contains a little bit of silicone to make it dry faster.

Top feed or bottle feed brushes? Both serve a purpose, so ask yourself are you looking to do volume or will you be doing make up/ body painting. If you are going to be doing a day of tattoos it makes sense to have a bottle feed airbrush because you will have to reload the brush faster. So, having a bottom feed brush really is beneficial when you are doing airbrush tanning, airbrush tattoos, large areas of body art, or airbrush face painting then you will most likely use a bottom feed brush. For airbrush make up, fine details, t shirts, cake decorating, and nails you will like using a top feed brush because you can use minimal amount of paint at a time.

To sum it up, airbrushing can be a great addition to your services. You can expand into new avenues of business, you can save money by tanning yourself, and you can put your teenager or spouse to work as an airbrush artist because you don’t have to be a Picasso to be able to airbrush. If you need more info please feel free to contact me anytime at Heather@sillyfarm.com. My next blog will discuss the different brands and pricing of airbrushes and the pro’s and con’s of compressors and CO2 tanks.
Happy Painting! -Silly Heather

Heather Airbrushing

Resources:
Silly Farm Supplies carries a wide variety of airbrush supplies and equipment, you can find all of our airbrush items here.
FabaTV offers online classes for everything face and body art. Take an intro to airbrush class from a experienced professional right fom the comfort of your own home.