Body Painting Marketing and PR |

May 1, 2016

Body Painting for Advertising, Publicity and Promotion – Client advice regarding model nudity and clothing issues

Model Katy was body painted wearing a bra and pants combination for this Trade Show promotion

During my career I’ve worked on advertising and PR campaigns for numerous clients including The Ford Motor Company, Diet Coke, The NHS, Panasonic, Walkers Crisps and Universal Pictures. One of the main concerns for many clients is the question of how much, or how little, models involved in their campaign should wear. This is a particular concern for advertising, events or campaigns where female models are being painted. The choice of underwear does usually depend on the marketing campaign in mind, e.g. the venue or promotional vehicle and the target audience.

For instance at trade shows it can be a fine line between attracting potential customers to your stand or offending them if you get it wrong. So with regard your target audience, if they are visitors to an event like a fine food fair, they aren’t likely to want to look at a topless or nearly naked model whilst eating their artisan cheese and chutney! A discreet set of underwear that can be painted over in a pretty design would be more appropriate.

Body painting ‘live’ at an event can be useful in attracting visitors to the stand

All the models that I paint wear a minimum of a thong or pants and variations from topless, to body painted clothing and everything else in between. Your model choice is also important. For trade events it’s good to use a professional model who is confident when body painted and will engage with the public in a friendly manner to help to promote your product or draw visitors in to your stand. Some clients prefer the model to be fully painted and ready before the event. Other clients prefer to have the model body painted ‘live’ at the event as this can be guaranteed to attract a steady stream of visitors to the stand.

With most celebrity body painting that I’ve done, the models, both male and female, prefer to be as covered as possible before the painting begins.

So if you are thinking of using body painting for a photoshoot, promotional purposes or an advertising campaign and require most of the body to be painted, what are the underwear choices for your model/s?

Celebrity Ricky Whittle in body painted jeans to promote ‘Jeans for Genes’ day

Male models

For male models, again it does depend on the venue or event. If I’m painting jeans on a guy the underwear selection is very important. They need to be tight fitting and as seam free as possible as they have to virtually disappear and become part of the body painted garment. Large white cotton Y fronts are never going to work. For other events the men have worn boxer shorts, trunks and jockey shorts.

This promotion for Sanex used a topless model for their campaign

Female Models

For female models, first of all we have the topless option. The models are just that, completely topless, but wear a thong or small pants. Most competition work is done with topless models and some advertising campaigns and events prefer it if the models are only wearing pants. Most models are comfortable with this, but it’s wise to check first. You don’t want to get to the studio/event to find that your model refuses to take her bra off.

Just about all of the models that I’ve worked with say that once you’re body painted you do actually feel covered and as if you are wearing clothing.

This Beowulf movie promotion used gold body painted models wearing nipple covers

Nipple Covers or Pasties

Then we have the nipple covers or pasties! They are small round covers that stick on to the breast and completely cover the nipples and give a slightly more discreet look.

If they are used in conjunction with a plain body painted design they are still visible but if the design is more intricate they can be hidden more easily within the design.

Bra tops or Bikinis

The next option is a bra top or bikini top that can be painted over with the design.

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Ashley Roberts

Celebrity Ashley Roberts was body painted wearing a bra and pants combination for a Crysis 3 video game promotion. Photo Lou Denim

Sometimes the bras need to be virtually invisible, but for some events where any suggestion of partial nudity might be an issue, the clients prefer the bra tops to be more obvious so that the overall look is more discreet.

Bandeau Tops

For an even more discreet option there is the bandeau top. These give great coverage so are more appropriate for events where any hint of nudity might be a problem.

These can either be in a design or colour that will blend in with the painting, or be a complete contrast that still compliments the body painting.

Actor Rob Riggle was body painted for a scene in ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ wearing a lycra body suit

Body Suits or Leotards.

I’ve painted quite a few models who have worn lycra body suits or leotards. From my point of view it is slightly more difficult as body paint is meant for bodies not clothing. Any mistakes are harder to rectify as you can’t just wipe the paint off as easily as you would on a body. But the end result can be just as good as painting directly onto the body and can be a less embarrassing experience for the apprehensive model. For the camouflage body painting in ‘Dumb and Dumber To’, American actor Rob Riggle wore a full body suit and the finished painting was exactly what the producers wanted and Rob completely disappeared into the background wall and vending machine!

In this Unicef campaign, the model was body painted wearing a full set of clothing

Painted Clothing

There are times when the models will have to wear clothing that can be completely painted over. This is often the choice with camouflage work where the model needs to be remain partially visible instead of disappearing completely into the background.

For example I worked on a campaign for Unicef where children needed to be painted to highlight the hidden nature of child trafficking. The child models all wore clothing that myself and my team painted to blend them in to various backgrounds.

Carolyn Roper JENNIFER ELLISON bodypainting

Celebrity Jennifer Ellison. Photo Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

Half body or torso shoots only.

If it’s not a full body paint the models can wear some clothing to compliment the painted parts of their bodies. Some shoots require only torso painting, so then the models can wear trousers, shorts skirts etc.

The image on the right shows celebrity Jennifer Ellison wearing a blouse and shorts combination for this torso body painting for a Kelloggs ‘Healthy Eating’ promotion.

Conclusion

So if you’re considering using body painting for marketing purposes including advertising, product launches or publicity stunts and would like any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss your requirements in more detail.

Body Painting as a Career |

April 10, 2016

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting – Information and Advice for Models

Am I short or are my two models just very tall?!! Diet Coke/Jean Paul Gaultier campaign

Body painting is used for various advertising campaigns, music videos, television adverts, PR stunts etc. As a professional body painter out in industry you can expect to get jobs working on PR and promotional events by clients wishing to get press coverage for a new product or event, or for television advertising.

During my career I’ve painted literally hundreds of models in various locations around the world. So here’s a few of my hints and tips that should lead to a successful and pleasant body painting experience for the model, the artist and the client.

Absolutely make sure that you are using skin safe products! I cannot stress this enough! Everything in my kit was designed specifically to go on the skin. Just because a product is non toxic doesn’t mean that you can use it on the body; your insurance won’t cover you if your model has a reaction.

Care for your model

It is VERY important as a body artist to know how to look after your model and make sure that they’re as comfortable as possible. When you’re on a job with your model try to ensure that he/she will be warm enough. If you’re in a room or location that doesn’t have heating ask if it’s possible to provide portable heaters. I usually have foil blankets in my kit for outside shoots.

If it’s a very warm day ask that fans can be provided, so they don’t get too hot. If you’re body painting for several hours then there is a good chance that your model will need to sit down. See if it’s possible to have chairs provided for your model to sit on.

Do they have another job to go to afterwards? If so, they will need to leave with absolutely no paint residue on them. If there are no showers on-set, pack plenty of baby wipes in your kit to help with the paint removal from the skin. If there are showers available, remind your model to take along a wash kit containing shower gel, flannel, towel etc.

A silk/satin dressing gown can also be useful for the model if she needs to cover-up for toilet trips etc. and not smudge the paint. Flip flops are also handy for a model to take along.

Another very tall model Amy Woodman painted for a Kryolan event at The Royal Opera House

Preparation for painting

There are things that your model needs to do to prepare themselves for being painted. Make sure they remove all their body hair. Women are usually fairly smooth, but men will need to at the least run beard trimmers over themselves as any body hair will catch on your brushes and it will be impossible to get clean lines.

Never ask your models to wax, more often than not they will come up in a rash or have broken skin on the area, making it impossible to paint on.

Make sure your models know not to put any products on their skin before getting painted. Unlike when you apply make-up, some products like moisturiser or fake tan make it extremely hard to get an even base coat as the paint does not stick evenly.

Also be aware of any contraindications that might prevent you from painting. Areas of broken skin, such as cuts or grazes. Any kind of infection or cold sores.

Sensitivity to the needs of your model

Some models can be a bit nervous before a body painting job, particularly if it’s their first experience of a body art shoot. I’m very sensitive to their concerns and I often find that a female model will feel much more comfortable once her breasts and nipples are painted, so this is always where I’ll apply the paint first.

I very rarely paint naked models, although I have had to paint detailed anatomical designs for Channel 4’s “Embarrassing Bodies” on sensitive areas. But, sometimes it is necessary to paint completely naked models. It’s then VERY important to decant your paint from its usual container into a disposable one so that you can throw away any left-over paint. I also prefer to use cheaper brushes that can be disposed of afterwards.

An even taller model painted at IMATS New York for AOFM

The Perfect Model

A good model is one that understands the process and can keep very still for long periods of time. It’s also good if they have a friendly personality and are easy to talk to. Body painting can last for several hours so some general banter and fun conversation can make the time pass much more quickly and pleasantly.

I can provide models for various shoots, but I would say that 90% of the models that I paint are usually provided by the client. Some of these models are incredibly tall and anyone’s who’s met me will know that I’m incredibly short! I can usually get them to bend down so that I can reach the tops of their shoulders and their faces. But if I’m doing camouflage work and they have to stand in one position, we have get really technical and I have to stand on a box so that I can reach them!!!

The Fainters

Body paint shoots often start very early and not all models will turn up having eaten properly or have had anything to drink. Some models deliberately avoid eating before a job as they think they might not look their best on camera. This can be a recipe for disaster.

I’ve been in situations where some girls have spent longer with their head down the toilet feeling faint and nauseous, than being painted. There have been times when I’ve actually had to dash off to buy breakfast for them. Once they’ve had something to eat and a mug of hot sweet tea, or an orange juice, they’re good to go and we can get on with the painting. But this seriously eats into the time and can affect the finished result, and is so easily avoidable. So I would highly recommend that all models eat a proper breakfast/lunch before a body paint shoot.

I like to take some snacks with me on jobs, things like bananas. I also have a supply of glucose sweets which I pop into their mouths frequently and can help stop models from feeling faint whilst I work.

My tallest model ever! Ryan Mackins painted at Olympia Beauty Trade Show for Mistair

Some models don’t want to drink a lot of water because they are worried about going to the loo and smudging the paint with their underwear. But it’s really important to stay hydrated. It is a lot easier to clean up some smudged paint around the groin than have to clean off an entire section because your model has fainted and ruined half your painting. I always tell my models to pull their underwear to the sides if possible when using the toilet and it very rarely results in any smudged work.

It’s also important to get your model to move around lots whilst you are mixing the paint or cleaning your brushes, quite often it will be not moving their feet that will cause your model to feel unwell, particularly if it’s a very warm location.

I ask my models to tell me as soon as possible if they start to feel unwell. If there’s a chair available sit them down. I’ve had situations where a very tall model has suddenly slithered off down the wall with me desperately trying to hold her up. And with a 6 foot plus model and a 4 foot 11 artist you just know it’s never going to end well.

Body painting artist becomes body painting model

I always wanted to have my own body painted and was very pleased and surprised to receive an invitation from the American artist Craig Tracy who I first met at the World Body Painting Festival in Austria on my second visit in 2004. So in March 2005 I travelled to New Orleans and spent a week with Craig sightseeing, eating and of course painting each other with the designs that Craig had worked out in advance.

The end result of the body painting collaboration between myself and Craig Tracy

The body painting collaboration was a unique experience for me and I think I definitely have more sympathy for my models now.

After this experience I can confirm that it’s quite difficult to stay absolutely still for long periods of time, particularly if you have to stand up. But no doubt like many of my own models, I found it absorbing to be able to watch and actually see the design taking shape.

Body Painting can transform people, they become part of the art work. You can see the shiest model come alive once they have been painted. It’s a really liberating experience and I would recommend it to anyone.