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Tag Archives: body painting

Body Painting Marketing and PR, Camouflage, My Work Assignments |

March 29, 2018

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting in London

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier blog I’ve been very lucky to work in some beautiful locations around the world. Some very memorable body painting assignments have taken me to Hong Kong, Cape Town, Mumbai, New York, Las Vegas and the Caribbean, as well as numerous other lovely locations. But being based in London it’s always a pleasure to work in our beautiful capital city.

So, I was delighted to work on a body painting project in London with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for their 2017 ‘Wear it. Beat it.’ campaign. The charity wanted 4 models camouflaged into iconic red backgrounds around the city using only body paint to encourage people to wear red and raise money for the campaign. Each fantastic model was chosen because they have been affected by heart disease and are all heart surgery survivors. These individuals show the breadth of heart conditions that devastate the lives of millions each year. They are alive today largely thanks to the research the BHF have funded. The images bring to light how more than one in four people (26%) die from heart and circulatory disease in the UK each year.

London bus body painting

Camouflage body painting in London for British Heart Foundation

Vintage Red London Bus

The first photoshoot was at the Ensign Bus Company in Essex. Our volunteer was 55 year old Mark Ellis who was born with a form of congenital heart disease called pulmonary stenosis and had open heart surgery just days before his sixth birthday. He’s now celebrating more than 50 years since surviving open heart surgery. I had to body paint Mark and camouflage him into the front of a vintage red London bus. Mark was very patient and great fun to work with and he was really interesting to chat to whilst the painting was taking place. Photographer Anthony Upton TNR.

Body Painting in Playhouse Theatre, London

Camouflage body painting for British Heart Foundation

The Playhouse Theatre

The second photoshoot was at Playhouse Theatre where I had to body paint 34 year old Laura  Fordham from South East London. Laura was diagnosed with a rare heart condition just days before her wedding and has lived with a pacemaker since 2013 to prevent her from going into a cardiac arrest. Laura was absolutely lovely to work with and I painted her whilst she was sitting in the seating area at the theatre and camouflaged her into the background of the theatre’s seats. Photographer David Parry.

Camouflage body painting in library

Camouflage body painting for BHF in Royal Society of Medicine Library

The Royal Society of Medicine Library

The third camouflage painting was at the Royal Society of Medicine library where I painted Rachel McCauley from Sussex. Rachel contracted a viral infection which affected her heart muscle and the lining of her heart early in 2017. I camouflaged Rachel against two bookcases of red books in the library. Rachel was a brilliant model to work with and the body painting went very smoothly. Photographer David Parry.

Telephone box camouflage body painting

Iconic red telephone box camouflage body painting for BHF

Iconic Red Telephone Box

The final image involved painting Karen Jackson in front of an iconic red telephone box. We had a tremendously early start for this shoot and I left home at 3.30 am to get to the location and set up ready for the arrival of Karen at 5.15 am. Despite the early hour Karen, who underwent a heart transplant 11 years ago was up for the challenge of the body painting and again very good fun and interesting to work with. Photographer David Parry.

Camouflage body painting cancer research

Camouflage body painting for Cancer Research UK

Victoria Station – Human Billboard for Cancer Research UK

Back in 2013 I was very pleased to be commissioned to paint 4 models at Victoria Station in London. I had to camouflage them against a backdrop which was a billboard from the ‘Beat Cancer Sooner’ TV advertisement, encouraging the nation to come up with a million actions to fight cancer over a 6 week period. All of our amazing models were cancer survivors. Adam, Anna, Parminder and Linda were brilliant to work with, standing very still for several hours whilst me and my team completed the painting. This was a great campaign to be involved in. It generated a huge amount of interest at the station and was also featured on the ITV news.

I’ve body painted literally hundreds of models during my career and worked on numerous high profile camouflage body painting assignments. Some of these jobs have involved painting members of the public, not professional models. Camouflage body painting can be very tiring. The painting can take several hours and the model has to remain perfectly still during the process, although there are breaks in the painting process for the models to move around etc. But I’m always blown away by the enthusiasm and commitment that my non- professional models show. They’re always very interested in the whole body painting process. It’s usually their first experience with this type of art and they always do their utmost to make the painting go smoothly. These four wonderful volunteers for the British Heart Foundation campaign and the CRUK campaign were no exception and an absolute delight to work with.

Game of Thrones PR

Game of Thrones PR campaign Tower Bridge, London

Body Painting  in London for ‘Game of Thrones’ Launch

Last July I was commissioned by Taylor Herring PR to work on the Sky Atlantic launch of the eagerly awaited seventh season of the hugely popular ‘Game of Thrones’. This entailed fitting the prosthetics and body painting the 5 actors who would be replicating the characters from the cult TV show. Once we had completed the transformation the actors looked absolutely awesome. They made several scary appearances during the week-long promotion starting at Hadrian’s Wall, where at first light the Night King was seen on horseback making his way south. We then moved on to Sheffield and Glasgow and finished at iconic landmarks in London including, Oxford Circus, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace. The White Walkers and Night King even popped up at tube stations to give the commuters a fright! It really was great fun, most of my team, myself included, are huge ‘Game of Thrones’ fans, so it was brilliant to work with the prosthetics and such realistic characters.  Their unusual appearance around the streets of London, particularly at Buckingham Palace certainly turned a few heads.

This was an incredibly successful campaign for Taylor Herring and generated more than 100 pieces of media coverage and an unbelievable 20 million video views.

body painting, body painting artist, body painting for PR, body painting London, bodypainting, camouflage body painting, Carolyn Roper, getmadeup
Body Painting Marketing and PR, Camouflage, Film & TV |

March 8, 2018

| Carolyn Roper

Camouflage Body Painting

Camouflage body painting is a very popular style of body art and I’ve been very lucky to work on some really interesting projects during my career. I’ve painted on numerous great assignments in some amazing locations including Atlanta, Cape Town, the Dominican Republic and Monaco.

Camouflage body painting is more specialised than a straight forward body paint and it can be quite tricky. The level of difficulty usually depends on the background that the model has to be blended in to. Personally, I prefer a busy background as the details make it easier to ‘lose’ the model. Sometimes it’s important that the model is completely invisible until they reveal themselves. But usually the model is partially camouflaged and can still be seen against the background.

Camouflage Body Painting for Film and TV

My camouflage body painting has been seen on film and in many TV and online advertisements including the Hollywood movie ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ and for clients including The Ford Motor Company, LG Phones, Panasonic Viera, Irish National Lottery, Neckerman Belgian Travel Agency, Opticrom and Royal Caribbean Cruises. I’ve also made guest appearances to demonstrate my camouflage body art on The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and Blue Peter.

Below are a few or my favourite assignments in more detail.

Camouflage body painting Rob Riggle

Camouflage body painting for Hollywood movie ‘Dumb & Dumber To’

‘Dumb and Dumber To’ Hollywood Movie

This has got to be one of my all-time favourite camouflage body painting assignments. In 2013 I painted the American actor Rob Riggle as Captain Lippencott for the Hollywood movie ‘Dumb and Dumber To’. For this assignment it was very important that Rob’s character wasn’t seen until he moved out of position so I had to successfully camouflage Rob in 2 locations using only body paint so that he would ‘disappear’ completely. One background for the painting was a brick wall, but the one that I enjoyed the most was painting Rob to blend in with the front of a vending machine. Using a very detailed background can be quite time consuming, but it makes it much easier to really hide the model. It was also important that the camouflage body painting worked very effectively as the producers Peter and Bobby Farrelly didn’t want to use any CGI or post production work to enhance the camouflage effect, so my painting had to be spot on. Everyone on set was really pleased with the finished results and Rob was an absolute delight to work.

Body painting for Neckermann Travel

Camouflage body painting in the Dominican Republic

Neckerman Belgian Travel Agency TV Advertisement 

One of the nicest locations that I’ve worked in had to be a beautiful beach resort in The Dominican Republic. I was commissioned to body paint a number of models into different scenarios all with a beach and sea background. As there were multiple models to be painted I took my team member Emily with me to help to speed up the painting time. It was incredibly hot and for one of the scenarios we were up to our waists in the sea, painting before the sun went down. There was some free time at the end of the filming for sun bathing and shopping which was just wonderful.

Opticrom camouflage body painting

Camouflage body painting for Opticrom TV idents

Opticrom TV Idents

This was a lovely assignment. I was commissioned by Caravan Production Company to camouflage the heads and shoulders of 4 models and blend them in with some beautiful floral backgrounds which were painted by the very talented artist Gill Bustamante. We were hoping to get the painting finished in one day, so I took along my friend and team member Laura Scimone to help to speed up the painting time. The original artwork was beautiful and the finished film appeared daily throughout the summer on the ‘Pollen Watch’ segment on ‘Good Morning Britain’ to publicise Opticrom Hayfever Eye Drops.

Body painting Alan Titchmarsh Show

Behind the scenes body painting for The Alan Titchmarsh Show

Alan Titchmarsh Television Show Guest Appearance

In 2013 I was invited to appear on the Alan Titchmarsh show as a guest artist to demonstrate my camouflage body painting skills. I had to paint a model on a table covered with vegetables and successfully camouflage him against the produce. I took along one of my team Alex, and it should have been quite a relaxed morning before we went ‘live’ at 3 pm. But the weight of the model, plus all the vegetables, made the table collapse and we had to wait for emergency repairs to be made. So it ended up with quite a frantic painting session to get the model finished before the show started.  But the overall effect was really good and the assembled live audience didn’t spot the model lying in amongst the vegetables until he moved his arm and leg and revealed himself.

Camouflage Body Painting for PR Campaigns.

Camouflage body painting is also used extensively for PR campaigns and publicity stunts. These assignments are great fun but are usually very tight on the timings, so I usually take along one of my team to help to get the body painting finished as quickly as possible. Many of these campaigns are filmed outside so usually involve the models wearing clothing which is much more difficult and time consuming than painting directly on the body.

Body painting Houses of Parliament

Camouflage body painting for RBL ‘Count them in’ campaign

The Royal British Legion

One of the largest PR campaigns that I worked on involved body painting veterans into various locations around the UK for the Royal British Legion’s ‘Count Them In’ campaign. I was commissioned by Taylor Herring to paint the 4 volunteer veterans starting with a library in Manchester, a rugby stadium in Cardiff, a café in Plymouth, finishing in front of the houses of parliament in London. All the models were wearing clothing and my fellow artist and team member Laura Scimone joined me in our dash around the country painting the fantastic volunteers. This proved to be a hugely successful campaign covered by numerous daily newspapers and had a huge online presence.

Vegetable stall camouflage body painting

Camouflage body painting for launch of ‘Covert Affairs’ TV Show

Covert Affairs TV Programme

I also enjoyed working on the launch of Really TV’s CIA drama ‘Covert Affairs’ in 2013. I painted a model at 3 different London locations including a market stall, a London bus and a black cab. At the vegetable stall in Portobello Market the model was lying on the actual stall wearing a body suit and I had to camouflage her into the actual vegetables. All the details in the background made the model blend in very easily and we were all pleased with the end result. This image still pops up regularly all around the world and is the subject of at least 2 meme’s.

Park Mark body painting

Camouflage body painting for ‘Park Mark’ campaign

National Car Parks ‘Park Mark’ campaign

Another large multi-centre campaign which required camouflage body painting was for the British Parking Association. I had to body paint several models who were wearing body suits or clothing and blend them into various backgrounds in different car parks around the UK. We visited Cambridge, Nottingham. Stratford upon Avon and Warwick. This was to highlight the ‘Park Mark® Safer Parking Scheme’ which is a Police Crime Prevention Initiative and is aimed at reducing both crime and the fear of crime in parking facilities. Two of the camouflaged body paintings actually appeared on the back of double decker busses which were seen out and about in Norwich.

Rae Morris video body painting

Camouflage body painting for Rae Morris ‘Closer’ music video

Camouflage Body Painting for the Music Industry

I’ve done quite a bit of body painting for the music industry over the years. My work has used for CD and book covers and fine art prints. One of the assignments that needed my camouflage body painting skills was the music video for the release of the CD single ‘Closer’ by the very talented Rae Morris. There were numerous models and dancers who would need to ‘disappear’ in the video and one particularly tricky image where I had to camouflage a model into a garden bench.  The open slat design of the bench needed really precise painting to successfully hide the model, who would actually be sitting on the bench next to Rae. Due to the size of the shoot and the timings I took along my team and we all painted our socks off to achieve a great end result for the client.

body painting, body painting artist, body painting for advertising, body painting for marketing, body painting for PR, body painting London, bodypainting, camouflage body painting, camouflage body painting artist, Carolyn Roper, getmadeup
My Work Assignments |

March 6, 2018

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting and Make-up Review for 2017

Yes, I know I’m very late with a round-up of 2017 in my strange world of body painting and make-up. But it’s been a bit of a crazy year what with a busy working life and a major house move in the mix.  We moved into our new house last June and are still up to our eyes with updating and redecorating our new abode. I’ve put together a few of the highlights from 2017 and I’m looking forward to more body painting fun in 2018.

X Factor artists 2017 Tour

X Factor Live Tour 2017

X Factor Live Tour 2017

I started 2017 with a trip around the UK as the make-up artist for the X Factor Arena Tour. I’ve been involved with the tour since 2014 so I’m very familiar with the routine of the exciting live shows and the coach travel and hotel stop-overs in between the venues. Last year the tour visited 15 venues including Glasgow, Belfast, Bournemouth and Brighton. Getting to know the different set of performers every year is really interesting and we always have lots of fun combined with the hard work of getting everyone looking their best for their live performances. The atmosphere backstage is electric and the response from the huge audiences is amazing. When the tour finishes I always miss the faces of the friends that I’ve made over the weeks and the giggles that we’ve had travelling around on our tour coach.

Heroes and Villians body painting

Heroes and Villians body painted for Globestar Management in Rome

Body Painting in Rome

In April I was booked by Globestar Management to body paint for a prestigious event at a fabulous venue in Rome. The party had a ‘Heroes and Villains’ theme and there were numerous models that had to be transformed into various characters along with some body painted human statues who would pose gracefully around the venue. As there were multiple models to paint I took along my friend and fellow artist Emily Dowdeswell to speed up the painting time and also join me on my sight  seeing and pasta eating outing! Any booking with Globestar is always good fun and this trip was no exception. The models were great fun to work with and the body painting went very smoothly. We managed to dash around this amazing city and eat our own body weight in pasta and gelato.

Tuk tuk in New Delhi

Tuk tuk in New Delhi

An Exciting Trip to New Delhi

In May we had a whistle stop tour to India to make-up and body paint the performers at an after party for a fabulous Indian wedding. I put together a team of 2 body artists, 2 make-up artists and 2 male models who would be painted as Greek Gods. The organisation by Acrobat Productions was superb as usual and we all met up at Heathrow airport for the flight to New Delhi. I’ve been lucky to work in India once before when we were body painting for an exclusive event in Mumbai. This was my first time in New Delhi and as we stepped off the plane I’m sure the temperature was hotter than the sun! Thankfully we were in a lovely hotel with a beautiful pool to cool off in, in between the rehearsals and the actual event. On the day of the show we had to keep the make-up and body paint in the fridge as everything was melting in the heat, including us! We managed to get out and about to see some local sites and visit the markets so that we could fill our suitcases with the obligatory souvenirs.

Isle St Marguerite, South of France

Isle St Marguerite, South of France

Body Painting in the South of France

I was no sooner back from India when I was booked to work with a team of artists to body paint for an exclusive private event on Isle St Marguerite, which is little island off the South coast of France. We flew into Nice and then had to get a boat over to the island. We painted several robotic characters for the party and then had to bounce back across the waves in a small boat in the dark to the mainland. Definitely not recommended for those without good sea legs!

Characters from Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones promotion in London

Body Painting for The Game of Thrones Promotion

In July I was commissioned by Taylor Herring PR to work on the Sky Atlantic launch of the new series of ‘Game of Thrones’. This entailed fitting the prosthetics and body painting the actors and models who would be replicating the characters from the cult TV show. They made several scary appearances during the week-long promotion starting at Hadrian’s Wall. We then moved on to Sheffield and Glasgow and finished at iconic landmarks in London. The White Walkers and Night King even popped up at tube stations to give the commuters a fright! It was really great fun, most of my team are huge ‘Game of Thrones’ fan so it was brilliant to work with the prosthetics and such realistic characters. Their appearance in London, particularly at Buckingham Palace certainly turned a few heads.

Barcelona architecture

Iconic building in Barcelona

Barcelona

In November I had another booking from Globestar Management with a make-up job for an event in Barcelona.  There were several characters to transform into walk about acts for the event, so I packed my wig glue, coloured hair spray and gems along with my body paints and flew off to the sun. Again, everyone was brilliant to work with, the models looked great and we managed to get a quick look around this beautiful city before the flight home.

More interesting assignments to end the year

Other highlights from 2017 include the body painting for the new ‘Dermalex’ TV advertisement. This involved painting lettering onto the bodies of several models. This was much harder than it sounds as the words had to be completely straight on the curves of the body.

Dermalex body painting

Body painted model for Dermalex TV advert

I also worked on a really fun assignment for Channel 4 for a ‘Wickes’ promotion where households were chosen to have their room fantasies brought to life. One of the designs involved recreating a room with a theme that would tie in with Hammer House of Horror films and seances for a 21st birthday party. The guests had to be transformed using costumes and make-up so that they resembled characters from the vintage black and white horror movies.

body painting, body painting artist, body painting for marketing, body painting for PR, bodypainting, Carolyn Roper, getmadeup
Camouflage, Film & TV |

January 25, 2017

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting for Blue Peter

Carolyn Roper Blue Peter body painting

Blue Peter presenter Radzi Chinyanganya camouflage body painted on the Show

Several months ago I was contacted by one of the producers for the children’s television show Blue Peter. He was interested in my camouflage body painting and invited me to appear on the show to paint one of the presenters.

I remember watching Blue Peter when I was younger and my parents remember watching it too. So I had a look at Wikipedia to find out a few more facts about this iconic show.

Looking Back

The first programme was shown on the BBC way back in 1958 and there have been more than 4,000 episodes since then, making it the longest running children’s TV show in the world. The show includes various viewer and presenter ‘challenges’ and also the very popular (and my particular favourite) arts and crafts projects that viewers could recreate at home. Blue Peter has always featured a number of pets. My mother said that most people from her generation affectionately remember the presenter John Noakes and his border collie ‘Shep’ from the 1970’s.

1 a Blue Peter 3 WP blogThe Blue Peter Badge

The badge in the shape of a shield with a white background and blue ship logo was originally introduced in 1963 and was coveted by every child who watched the programme. This version of the badge is what the presenters still wear. Viewers can send in letters or art work to try and win one. There are now also several other badges for various achievements including the Gold badge which is the highest award and given for exceptional achievement. Gold badge holders include David Beckham, JK Rowling Tom Daley and Queen Elizabeth II.

The Presenters

There have been numerous presenters over the years. My parents recall Peter Purves, John Noakes and Valerie Singleton whose highlight on the show was when she very famously accompanied Princess Anne on her first solo trip overseas in a Kenyan Royal Safari in 1971. The current presenters are Barney Harwood, Lindsay Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya – who would be my model for my appearance on the show.

1 a blue peter WP BlogMy Body Painting Challenge

So it was with all this history under my belt that I set off from London to the studio in Manchester with my fellow artist Laura Scimone. The show would be broadcast live and I already knew that the painting time was limited so I took Laura along to ensure that we would be finished in time for the show to go live at 5 pm.

I travelled up to Manchester the morning of the live show and we had approximately 4 hours to complete the bodypainting whilst also allowing Radzi enough time to fit in rehearsals.

It’s always a challenge when I see a location for the first time on the day of a shoot and the Blue Peter studio offered up quite a few technical challenges for a body paint. I’d seen photos of the studio space prior to the show day but what couldn’t be seen in the photos was a detailed grid pattern that wraps around the entire studio! I knew that it was going to be a race against time to get all the detail onto Radzi in the amount of hours we had since all the grid squares had to be painted on individually.  It might have been difficult, but that’s what I particularly like about doing make up or bodypainting for live TV. The extra pressure of knowing that you have to get it finished and looking perfect always makes it even more exciting!

We also had to run through the script whilst I was painting and I was worried that when it came to the live show that I would somehow mess up one of my answers or forget what to say! Thankfully once to show got going the adrenalin managed to carry me though!

1 a blue peter 5 WP BlogThere was also an interactive section that featured 3 children painting various animals onto their hands. This was great fun and the children did very well.

So all in all it was a very enjoyable day. Everyone was really friendly and Radzi was a delight to work with and a very patient model. Plus at the grand old age of 34 I was absolutely thrilled to get my own Blue Peter badge!!

Blue Peter body painting, body painting, Body painting for TV, camouflage body painting, Carolyn Roper
Body Painting as a Career, My Work Assignments |

September 16, 2016

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting Illusions and 3 Dimensional Designs

As I’ve previously mentioned in an earlier blog, for a successful career as a commercial body artist versatility is key! You have to be confident that you can paint in any style that your client requires, whether it be logos, tattoos or camouflage body painting. And although very well known for my camouflage work, one of my particular favourites is painting 3 dimensional and illusion designs. I love the way that you can create something so different from the norm and really trick the eye using only body paint.

3D body painting Carolyn Roper

3D body painting at Olympia, London

3 Dimensional Body Painting at Olympia Beauty London

In 2014 I represented Mistair at the Olympia Beauty show which is one of the UK’s best trade events in the beauty industry. Held annually at Olympia in London the show attracts salon and spa owners, make-up artists, nail technicians and students. There are numerous demonstrations taking place during the event including several student competitions. I painted model Laurence Caird with a 3-dimensional design inspired by the work of tattoo artist Jesse Rix. I also gave a talk during the show about ‘Commercial Body Painting as a Career’ and one of the prizes awarded by Mistair in the student body painting competition was an industry day with yours truly! The finished design on Laurence is one of my all-time favourites and was a huge hit on my Instagram page, where it’s racked up more than 1,000 ‘likes’.

Biffy Clyro ‘Machines’ 3 Dimensional Body Painting

Biffy Clyro 'Machines' body painting Carolyn Roper

Biffy Clyro ‘Machines’ illusional body painting. Photo: Rupert Truman

I’ve done quite a bit of body painting over the years for the late great Storm Thorgerson, the artistic genius behind numerous iconic album covers including Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. One of the designs that I really enjoyed working on was back in 2007 and was for the 4th single from the album ‘Puzzle’ which was entitled ‘Machines’ by the Scottish rock band ‘Biffy Clyro’. There were a series of body painted images for the album and subsequent singles. For ‘Machines’ I painted the model with Storm’s design of a metallic torso showing beneath the model’s shirt. The photography is by Storm Studios photographer Rupert Truman.

 

'Terminator' style body painting Carolyn Roper

‘Terminator’ style body painting

Terminator Style Hand Painting

Another real favourite of mine is the hand that I painted with an illusional terminator style. Last year I started my own Youtube channel and made several time lapse videos featuring 3 dimensional body paintings, superheroes and various other designs. For this time lapse I painted my own hand and I think it worked out particularly well. I really like the end of the video where my hand takes on a creepy life of its own! This image has also been a big hit on my Instagram page with more than 800 ‘likes’.

Watch the time-lapse video here

 

3D chains body painting Carolyn Roper

3D chains body painting illusion

3 Dimensional Chains Body Painting

Another body painting that I designed for my Youtube channel was a 3 dimensional chain link that I painted on my friend and model Liam Boyle. I made a time lapse video that demonstrated the use of highlighting and shadows that really makes the chains stand out and look as if they’re literally hanging down the front of Liam’s torso. This was another Instagram favourite with more than a 1000 ‘likes’. I’m really looking forward to putting together more time lapse videos, but I’ve been so busy with commercial work recently that my filming fun has had to take a bit of a back seat for now.

Watch the time lapse video here

 

Metallic body painting illusion Carolyn Roper

Metallic body painting illusion

Metallic Neck Illusion Body Painting

Way back in 2007 I was asked to submit some images for an article on my body painting that ‘Illusion’ (the face and body art magazine) was putting together. They requested previously unpublished photos. Most of my work is commercial and has already been shown in either newspapers or magazines, or on bill boards around London. So I got together with my photographer friend Joseph Sinclair and designed some new images especially for the magazine. One of the new designs was the metallic neck effect that I painted on model Stephan D’Bart. This was my first illusional body painting and I think it worked out really well.

 

3D face Carolyn Roper

3D face illusion design

3 Dimensional Face Painting

Another design that I created back in 2007 for Illusion magazine was a 3 dimensional face painting. This was originally inspired by a piece of work that I found in one of my art books by the Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger. I made tiny shapes from liquid latex and attached them to the model Sam’s face with spirit gum. Then I painted him with black face paint before finally adding a touch of gold paint to bring out the detail on the latex pieces. The photography was by Hass Idriss.

 

 

Body painting illusion Carolyn Roper

Body painting illusion at IMATS London

3 Dimensional Body Painting at IMATS London

I also painted an illusional design at IMATS (International Make-up Artists Trade Show) held at Olympia Exhibition Centre in London in June. I was delighted to be commissioned to paint on the Screenface London stand. Screenface is an amazing supplier of all things make-up and body art related, and Screenface products have been used in numerous films over the last 30 years including Monty Python, Harry Potter and Indiana Jones. For the demonstration I painted my great model Kyle James, again using lots of highlights and shadows in my design to show metallic parts and torn flesh. Kyle had to step in at the last minute, but I think you’ll agree that he proved to be a marvellous living canvas for my design. You can read more about IMATS in general, in one of my earlier blogs.

3d body paint, 3d body painting, body painting, body painting career, body painting illusions, Carolyn Roper, getmadeup
Body Painting as a Career, Body Painting Marketing and PR |

September 2, 2016

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting in London for PR Campaigns and Publicity Stunts

I’ve done quite a lot of international work during my career which is always interesting when you get the chance to visit other parts of the world and see new cultures. But I’m based in London and so I’ve also worked on numerous advertising and PR campaigns in and around this beautiful city, including some fun publicity stunts.

These campaigns all used body painting as the method to deliver their message to the public in a unique and eye catching way. Whether it be for a light hearted PR campaign to advertise a business or possibly a product launch. Or maybe the client might want to highlight an important issue that would be of great interest to members of the general public. Whatever the reason, body painted models never fail to attract attention.

I’ve worked at several iconic London locations, and also on campaigns that made use of props such as the very famous London Red Buses and black cabs. Below are some of my favourite assignments from in and around the city.

Victoria Station – Human Billboard for CRUK

The CRUK Human Billboard at Victoria Station

The CRUK Human Billboard at Victoria Station

Back in 2013 I was very pleased to be commissioned to paint 4 models at Victoria Station in London. I had to camouflage them against a backdrop which was a billboard from the ‘Beat Cancer Sooner’ TV advertisement, encouraging the nation to come up with a million actions to fight cancer over a 6 week period. All of our amazing models were cancer survivors. Adam, Anna, Parminder and Linda were brilliant to work with, standing very still for several hours whilst me and my team completed the painting. This was a great campaign to be involved in. It generated a huge amount of interest at the station and was also featured on the ITV news.

Regent Street – ‘Bloom/LUSH ‘Save our Seas PR Campaign’

Carolyn Roper Lush promotion

Save our Seas’ PR Campaign in London

Bloom is a non- profit organisation whose wonderful work includes preserving the marine environment from unnecessary destruction. In September 2014 they teamed up with ‘LUSH’ an international cosmetics company who use only vegetarian or vegan recipes in their products. They hosted a campaign which included a ‘live’ performance of body painting involving 20 countries and 12 other body artists. The campaign highlighted the diversity of deep sea life and how easily it could be destroyed by deep sea bottom trawlers in remote waters in Europe. On the day of the campaign I was responsible for painting for the English location and painted my lovely model with an image of a squid at the ‘Lush’ cosmetics store in Regent St London. Whilst other artists painted various other deep sea creatures simultaneously at various flag ship LUSH stores around Europe including Spain, Italy, Finland and Croatia.

St Pancras Station – ‘International Tiger Day’

Painting for ‘Save Wild Tigers

Painting for ‘Save Wild Tigers

As a passionate lover of all animals and wildlife I was very pleased to be involved with a campaign to highlight the plight of the wild tiger. The 29th of July 2015 was ‘International Tiger Day’ and countries across the globe supported the campaign which raised awareness of the fact that there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild which is a 97% decrease in the last century. Action must be taken now if these beautiful creatures are to be saved from extinction in the next 10 years. So I was commissioned to design a live art installation at St Pancras station in London as an eye catching way of promoting the campaign. It was a really early start with cabs at 3 am so that we could get our great models, Susie and Victoria, ready for the rush hour commuter traffic at 7am.

St Pancras Station – ‘NHS Blood Donor National Campaign’

NHS Blood Donor PR Campaign

NHS Blood Donor PR Campaign

Another very important campaign featuring St Pancras Station was for the NHS and the launch of their campaign to attract more blood donors to increase blood stocks to 30% above their usual level. This was to cope with the increase of visitors for the Olympic Games in 2012. Photographer Adrian Brooks from Imagewise was behind the body art-ery concept and I was then commissioned by Red Consultancy to design the body paint for the 8 models showing the 4 main blood groups. This was another incredibly early start with cabs booked for myself and my team to get us to the location for 4 am to start the painting. The models then went off to various London locations including St Pancras Station. All the models were very brave coping with the problems caused by the weather as they were only dressed in their underwear. But this was a hugely successful campaign for the NHS and Red Consultancy won an award for ‘Excellence in the Use of Innovative Media Outreach’

Sloane Square Tube Station – ‘X Men First Class Promotion’

 Mystique and Azazel at Sloane SquareIn 2011 I transformed 2 models into Mystique and Azazel for the release of ‘X Men First Class’ on DVD and Blu Ray. This included hand making all the latex pieces for Mystique which were then attached to her skin before we painted her body completely blue. Azazel was painted and adorned with his trade mark scar down his forehead to his cheek down across his left eye. There was a week of PR activity with the characters appearing at various locations around London, including a ‘pop up’ lounge at Victoria Station decorated in the style of the 1960’s. The lounge was opened by Jason Flemying who plays Azazel in the film. The models  also waited for the tube at Sloane Square and were also then photographed sitting on the busy train.      

 

Iconic Red London Bus – ‘A Suit That Fits’

A great publicity stunt on a London busBack in 2006 I was commissioned by the guys at the London based company ‘A Suit That Fits’ to paint a model so that he appeared to be wearing a full 3 piece suit. Once the painting was completed our great model went off around London basically posing in just his underpants. He was photographed in various iconic London locations and situations including St Paul’s Cathedral, The Houses of Parliament and he even hitched a lift on a London Bus and posed standing in a red telephone kiosk. This was a really fun campaign and I find it hard to believe that it was 10 years ago.

 

 

 

Knightsbridge Harvey Nichols – ‘Diet Coke’

Body painted models posing in the window at Harvey NicholsHarvey Nichols is a beautiful luxury department store located in Knightsbridge. In 2012 I was commissioned by Lexis Agency to paint 2 models with the new design of 2 limited edition Coke bottles ‘Night and Day’ designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. It was another very early start, I think we started painting around 3 am. Once the models were painted they posed in the store window where they attracted a huge amount of attention from passer’s by at the peak of the rush hour. Again this was a very successful campaign and generated 909 pieces of coverage across 33 national and consumer print titles.

London Black Cab – ‘Covert Affairs’ PR Campaign

Camouflage body painting for ‘Covert AffairsIn 2013 I really enjoyed working on the launch of the UK premiere of Really TV’s CIA drama ‘Covert Affairs’ I had to blend 3 models into 3 different locations to publicise the launch of the show. One model was painted into a fruit and vegetable stall in Portobello Market. Another model sat on the back seat of a London bus so that she virtually disappeared and took fellow passengers by surprise. But one of the trickiest locations was when we were blending a model into the side of a black cab. Camouflage body painting works best if there is an intricate background – all the details make it easier to make the model disappear. The side of the cab was quite plain and there were lots of reflections from the windows. But the end result worked out really well.

Houses of Parliament Westminster – ‘Royal British Legion’

 Royal British Legion ‘Count them In’ PR CampaigLast but by no means least, is the recent campaign for the Royal British Legion. The ‘Count Them In’ campaign highlighted the fact that veterans are not registered on the current census and are thus ‘invisible’. I camouflaged veteran Darren Fuller into the Houses of Parliament. This was a pretty difficult challenge as we started painting Darren at 5 in the morning, so the lighting was changing constantly as the sun rose. But we were all really pleased with the end results and Darren was an absolute star to work with. This was the final body paint in a series of 4, all set in various locations around the UK. The whole campaign was a huge hit with the media and was featured in numerous papers and online media. For me, it was an honour to meet and paint the models who were all veterans from the armed forces and an absolute joy to work with.

body painters, body painting, body painting artist, body painting for marketing, body painting for PR, body painting London, bodypainters, bodypainting, Carolyn Roper, getmadeup
Body Painting as a Career |

August 19, 2016

| Carolyn Roper

My most Frequently Asked Questions Part 2

This is a follow-up to my last blog post called ‘Body Painting and Makeup as a Career FAQ’S’ .If you haven’t ready that one. please click here

Do you prefer make-up or body painting?

Working with the brilliant Ben Haenow X Factor winner 2014

Working with the brilliant Ben Haenow X Factor winner 2014

These two sides of my business are very different, but I really enjoy both of them. As well as being very well known for my body painting I’ve been part of the make-up team for the contestants on the X Factor for the last 4 years, working under Celebrity Make-up Artist and X Factor Chief Make-up Designer Julia Carta. It’s always great to pick up my make-up brushes which is a real contrast to the body art side of the business. Body painting can be very hard work – there’s often far more work behind the scenes and pre-planning before the actual day of the shoot. Plus stretching and bending for several hours at a time can be very tiring, but the transformations are usually worth it.

What makes a good model?

My amazing model Mark Ramprakash

My amazing model Mark Ramprakash

It does depend on the design but body painting isn’t a quick process and can take several hours. A good model is one who understands the process and can stand still for long periods of time. A nice personality also makes the job more enjoyable for everyone. Friendly chatter and banter does make the time pass more quickly. I do ask that models don’t use their mobile phones whilst they’re being painted. It doesn’t look professional in front of the client and it can be difficult for me to paint them if they’re constantly moving their arms and hands around, particularly if its camouflage work where the models do need to stand perfectly still.  I’ve also painted quite a few celebrities over the years and I have to say that they’ve all been marvellous to work with. When working with a celebrity confidentiality is paramount, but I’m always impressed by their patience and ability to cope with what is usually their first introduction to the bizarre world of body painting. Mark Ramprakash was one of the first celebrities that I painted for a healthy eating campaign and he was incredibly nice to work with.

Do you prefer painting on a male or female model?

If it’s a commercial job the client is usually the one who decides on the sex of the model. Some clients prefer a female model as they seem to attract more attention when they’re painted, but it does depend on the shoot and what the images will be used for. Personally I prefer painting men as you get a smoother canvas and a larger area to paint on without having to deal with the curves of the breast area on female models.

What has been your most unusual request so far?

Meeting the lovely Dr Christian Jessen

Meeting the lovely Dr Christian Jessen

I have painted for some of the episodes of Channel 4’s ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ and was asked by the production team if I could make various small special effect pieces to replicate warts and infections  that men can contract during unsafe sex. So I got my liquid latex out and made a variety of little lumps and bumps, wrapped them up and set off on the train for the production offices in Birmingham. I think it’s fair to say that they have to be the most unusual contents of my handbag ever! Once I arrived I had to attach them to some fake penises. But these were the wrong colour so I had to paint them first to make them look more natural. As I was painting on plastic they took ages to dry so we all sat in the production office waving them in the air to speed up the process. Then once the fake penises were painted and adorned with their assorted warts and pimples Dr Christian took them on holiday to Spain where he showed them to the holidaymakers on the beach to demonstrate safe sex practices whilst having fun in the sun. So this was definitely my most unusual request so far and I think it was a really unique way to illustrate a serious health issue. A couple of years later I was invited to appear as a guest on Channel 4’s ‘Sunday Brunch’ to talk about my camouflage body painting. Dr Christian was also a guest and we reminisced about my unusual homemade attachments after the show!

Are you sad to see the paint washed off?

Once a painting is finished I’m always happy to see the end results. But as long as we’ve managed to capture the design with some good photography I don’t feel too bad once it’s washed off. Although I must admit that a tiny part of me is a bit sad as the model heads off towards the showers. Or we have to get busy with the baby wipes removing everything that has just taken a few hours to create.

What has been your most memorable job so far?

Dumb and Dumber Two

Rob Riggle camouflaged for ‘Dumb and Dumber 2

I’m very lucky to have had lots of high points during my career so it’s difficult to choose just one. Painting Rob Riggle for the Hollywood movie ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ has got to be up there as a really brilliant experience. Spending 3 weeks on the set of a major movie was incredibly interesting and such good fun. The whole crew were just so friendly.

All the work that I did with the late great Storm Thorgerson are some of the assignments that I’ll never ever forget. Working on album covers and translating his ideas into body paint was amazing. Plus spending time with him in Cape Town whilst painting for a series of fine art prints was pretty special too. In between the painting there was plenty of time for relaxing by the pool and chatting in the sunshine.

What has been your most challenging job so far?

Backstage at the Alan Titchmarsh Show’

Backstage at the Alan Titchmarsh Show

This has to be the painting for ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ again! It was one of the most memorable, but also the most challenging. Camouflaging Rob Riggle into the background for the scene with the vending machine required absolute precision with the body painting as it was important that he was completely invisible to the audience before he moved and revealed his identity. Plus there was the pressure of painting for a major Hollywood movie and knowing that the producers were not going to use any CGI or tweak anything in post- production, so the camouflage body painting had to be spot on. Luckily I was given plenty of time to complete the intricate design so the finished results turned out really well.

Another tricky job was my appearance as a guest on ‘The Alan Titchmarsh Show’ to demonstrate camouflage body art. I took along one of my team, Alex, to help speed up the painting and it should have been quite a relaxing job. The male model had to lie on a table and I had to paint him to blend in with various vegetables. But with the combined weight of the model and the veg, the table started to collapse! So we had to wait until the table could be reinforced and this was seriously eating into the painting time. The show was due to go live at 3 pm and at one point around midday when we still hadn’t managed to pick up a paint brush I was thinking that we would appear on air with a half painted model missing a few carrots, a couple of cabbages and maybe a pumpkin or two. So we had to paint as fast as humanly possible to get him ‘hidden’ in time. Thankfully it all worked out really well in the end and our human arrangement of fresh produce managed to surprise the startled audience.

What has been the proudest moment of your career to date?

Becoming a World Champion for the 2nd time’

Becoming a World Champion for the 2nd time

I’ve had a few really proud moments during my career. There was the feedback from Peter and Bobby Farrelly the producers of ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ after I had finished the camouflage body painting for the film! Plus Jim Carrey telling me that my work was amazing! Also standing on the stage at The World Body Painting Festival in 2007 with my friend and fellow artist Carly Utting as new World Champions in the ‘Brush & Sponge’ category. And then again in 2009 when I won the ‘Special Effects’ category with my assistant Paula Southern. I was the youngest, and the first artist, in the then 12 year history of the festival to win the championship in separate categories.

body paint, body painting, body painting career, body painting for advertising, bodypainting career, getmadeup
Body Painting as a Career, My Work Assignments |

June 9, 2016

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting for IMATS London

IMATS LONDON 2016

The IMATS Show in London, 2016.

The International Make-Up Artist Trade Show (IMATS) features professional make-up and body painting in annual events covering four countries.

Since the first show in Los Angeles in 1997 IMATS, founded by Emmy Award winning make-up artist Michael Key, has now expanded and there are trade shows in New York, Los Angeles, London, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney. This 3-day event is the world of make-up’s biggest gathering of make-up artists, students and industry enthusiasts all under one roof.

Top professional artists often from the world of film and TV, and SFX experts, give demonstrations and hold seminars which gives the visitor a fantastic opportunity to hear first- hand the experiences of the very highly regarded professionals working in this fascinating and very diverse industry. There’s a whole host of exhibitors selling everything that you could possibly need for a career in make-up and/or body painting.

A Student Highlight

When I was a student doing my HND in Specialist Hair and Make-up at West Thames College a trip to London IMATS was definitely one of the highlights of the year. Listening to the seminars from my heroes in the world of make-up. Seeing the incredible SFX demonstrations and creations, watching the professionals at work at the various make-up booths, plus getting the opportunity to see, and try out, so many fabulous products was pretty mind blowing for a young student. I always left at the end of the day with my bag full of new brushes and beautiful products, a head buzzing with inspiration, sore feet, glittery bits everywhere and a large dent in my bank balance.

Since 2004 when I started out as a freelance make-up and body artist I’ve worked at IMATS several times both in London and New York representing various teaching academies and make-up and body art companies. This year I was delighted to be asked to demonstrate for Screenface London.

Below are some of my favourite designs from my body painting in past shows including my illusional design painted at this year’s show in London on Saturday the 4th of June.

Carolyn Roper Body Painting IMATS 2010

My body painting, IMATS 2010

London 2010 – Art Deco Body Painting

My first booking at IMATS London was for The Academy of Freelance Make-up Artists (AOFM) back in 2010. I took my inspiration for the design from the beautiful work of Polish Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka 1898-1980.

My model, Armin Grossegger, flew in from Austria especially for the event.

Once I had finished the painting I embellished the design with peacock feathers, crystals and superfine glitter.

 

 

Carolyn Roper Body Painting IMATS 2011

My H R Giger inspired body painting, IMATS 2011

London and New York 2011 – H.R.Giger and Superhero Body Painting

The following year I painted for AOFM again. At the London show in January in 2011 I used the amazing work of the Swiss surrealist artist H R Giger for my inspiration.

Then in April I hopped across the pond and represented AOFM at the IMATS show in New York. This time I decided on a series of Superhero images for my paintings.

 

Carolyn Roper Body Painting IMATS 2012

My sugar skull design, IMATS 2012

London 2012 – Sugar Skulls and Alice in Wonderland Body Painting

In 2012 I was back in London and represented Mistair. MistFX face and body paint was quite a new product on the market and very different to other paints that I had used in the past. Unlike the solid paints that are activated with water, MistFX is a liquid paint and comes in a bottle. It comes in a great range of colours, it’s very durable and gives a really lovely professional finish.

Carolyn Roper IMATS London 2012

Alice in Wonderland design, IMATS 2012

I decanted the paint from the bottle into an artist’s pallet and painted my brilliant model with a very colourful sugar skulls design.

On the second day I painted a design inspired by Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen from the 2010 film ‘Alice in Wonderland’. I was really pleased with how it turned out and this has always been one of my favourite pieces of work.

 

Carolyn Roper IMATS 2013 Superman

Superman comes to IMATS London, 2013

London 2013 – Superman Body Painting

In 2013 I painted for Mistair again and this time the Superhero theme made a re-appearance. My husband is a huge fan of anything Marvel related and we’ve got shelves full of books and comics which are always a great source of inspiration for me. My model Ryan Mackins was huge. I think he must hold the record for the tallest person that I’ve ever painted!

Carolyn Roper Body Painting IMATS 2016

My 3-D body painting, IMATS 2016

London 2016 – 3 Dimensional Body Painting Illusion

I was delighted to be commissioned by Screenface London to paint at their stand at this year’s show. We had a last minute panic when the model who had been booked broke his leg the night before the show. After several frantic phone calls, Paintopia director Jennie Roberts arranged for the brilliant Kyle James to step in and save the day. Kyle was an absolute delight to work with and I decided to accentuate his great physique with a design made up of a combination of ripped skin and metal inner workings with a bit of flesh showing through for good measure!!

IMATS exhibitors include numerous high profile brands from the world of make-up, SFX and body painting; also make-up magazines, colleges and brush companies. The wide range and quality of the products, the artist demonstrations, the student competitions, plus the seminars, makes IMATS a must for anyone interested in the industry, or for those already working as a make-up artist or body painter. Just wear some comfortable shoes and take along a purse full of money! You’ll be tempted beyond belief and already planning your visit the following year!

body painting, body painting career, Carolyn Roper, getmadeup.com, IMATS London, IMATS New York
Body Painting Marketing and PR |

May 1, 2016

| Carolyn Roper

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

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Metcalfes

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.

Carolyn Roper body painting Imats

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?

 

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Jeans

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.

 

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Sanex

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.

 

Gold Body Painting Carolyn Roper

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.

 

Carolyn Roper Dumb & Dumber To

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!

 

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Unicef

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 painted celebrities, body painting, body painting for advertising, body painting for marketing, body painting for PR, body painting for promotions, body painting models
Body Painting Marketing and PR |

April 26, 2016

| Carolyn Roper

Body Painting for Marketing: PR, Publicity and Promotional Campaigns

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Diet Coke

Diet Coke new bottle design by J P Gaultier – body painted models in Harvey Nichols window

Visually stunning body painting can be used to great effect to promote products, services or organisations. Since founding Getmadeup.com in 2004 I’ve worked with numerous marketing, advertising and PR agencies, or sometimes directly with companies and charities, to produce memorable and distinctive body painting designs. My body art has been seen on TV, in newspapers and magazines, on packaging such as CD covers and book covers, or on models at events such as exhibitions, trade shows and product launches. I have a brilliant team of artists who work with me on larger assignments so we can confidently produce stunning results on campaigns of any size, from one model on a photo shoot to multiple models in various locations for coordinated publicity stunts. Here are a few examples:

 

Body painting Carolyn Roper Diet Coke

Posing with my models outside Harvey Nichols

Launch of new Diet Coke bottle design

In 2012 fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier created a design for 2 new limited edition bottles for ‘Diet Coke’. I was commissioned by Lexis agency to paint 2 models in the new design for a live body art installation where the models would pose in a window display in Harvey Nichols to publicise the launch of the new designs. The models had to be ready for the early morning rush hour, so my team and I had a 3 a.m. call time to get the models finished for their shop window appearance.

The following measurement and evaluation was reported by PR Week:

The campaign generated 909 pieces of coverage across 33 national and consumer print titles including The Sun, Daily Mirror, The Independent and the Daily Mail. Magazine coverage included InStyle, Heat, Closer, S, You and Star. The tour bus alone generated 70 pieces of coverage. More than 2,500 limited edition products worth £12,000 were sold on the first day.

More at the prweek.com website here

 

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker hidden amongst the vegetables for a Walkers Crisps promotional campaign

Walkers Crisps Promotion with Gary Lineker

I was delighted to take part in the ‘Gary’s Great Ingredient Hunt’ promotion for Walkers Crisps with Gary Lineker. The challenge was to use body paint to hide/camouflage Gary into 2 different backgrounds.

When I’m working with celebrities I’m aware that their time is usually pretty valuable so the timings can be quite tight. On this occasion my fellow artist and member of my team Emily Dowdeswell came along to help speed up completion of the body painting.

Body painting Carolyn Roper Gary Lineker

Using my airbrush to put the finishing touches to the body painting on Gary Lineker

“Over the years I’ve done some weird and wonderful things with Walkers, but I’ve never been made to disappear,” said the former England striker. “It will be fun to see people’s reactions when they find me in the image and realise I’m buried in amongst the fresh, homegrown ingredients.”

The photos from the campaign appeared in The Daily Mirror and Daily Star as well as numerous online media websites.

 

 

NHS Blood Donor Promotional Campaign

body painting Carolyn Roper NHS

The NHS promotion on St Pancras Station, London. Photo: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

In 2012 the NHS Blood & Transplant Service needed to increase blood stocks by 30% for the Olympics to cope with the increased visitors in the country. So I was commissioned to design a full body paint which would show veins, arteries and hearts. The design would be then painted on eight volunteers to represent the four main blood groups. On the day of the campaign we had to get the eight models ready for an early morning press call, so I put together a team of seven body artists to assist me and we started the painting at around 4 a.m.

During the painting process we were filmed for the ‘Blood art’ery’ video which gave a behind the scenes look at the work in progress. The film also features some great footage of the painted volunteers out and about in London.

body painting Carolyn Roper NHS

The body painted models made a real impact with the public on St Pancras Station, London. Photo: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

This was an extremely successful campaign. The video generated a huge amount of mainstream coverage and there was an immediate public response. In one day alone 30,000 people visited the blood.co.uk and there was in increase in calls from possible donors of 29%.

International PR Agency Red Consultancy won an award for ‘Excellence in the Use of Innovative Media Outreach’ for this campaign. Fantastic photography by Adrian Brooks.Imagewise.

You can watch the video on YouTube here

 

Camouflage Body Painting to promote launch of new TV series

Body painting Covert Affairs Carolyn Roper

This camouflage body painting to promote the TV series Covert Affairs has been viewed extensively around the World

In 2012 I was commissioned to body paint 3 camouflaged models to blend them into various London locations for a promotional campaign to launch the UK premiere of the new series of the CIA drama ‘Covert Affairs’ on Really TV. One model was camouflaged to blend into the outside of an iconic London taxi cab. Another setting was for the model to be camouflaged onto the back seat of a London bus. But the most popular image was the painting that I did in a street market. I blended the model into a fruit and vegetable stall and the reactions from the passing shoppers was brilliant. This image has been shared all around the world and has also been the subject of two meme’s!

 

Body painting Carolyn Roper Marriott

Players body painted in a Safari theme to promote the Marriott London Sevens rugby tournament

Promotion of the Marriott London Sevens rugby competition

In 2013 I was commissioned to body paint several rugby players in a safari theme to promote the launch of the Marriott London Sevens rugby tournament.

Rugby players Dan Norton, Michaela Staniford, Chris Cracknell, Tom Mitchell and Alice Richardson were painted in safari animal designs that represented their own strengths and style of play.

World Series leading try scorer Dan Norton became a Cheetah to signify his lightning pace. Norton said: “Each year the fans fancy dress outfits get better and better so we thought we’d get in on the action.

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Chris Cracknell

Rugby player Chris Cracknell looking ferocious as a body painted lion for the PR campaign

All the players were great fun to work with and it was a really enjoyable shoot for myself and my Getmadeup team of artists.

The photos received wide exposure in the media including the Daily Mail, the London Evening Standard and The Sun.

You can see Tom Mitchell and Chris Cracknell talking on YouTube about their painted characters here.

 

body painting Carolyn Roper X Men

The ‘X Men First Class’ promotion used models transformed by body painting and special effects into the characters on the London Underground

Promotion of the release of ‘X Men First Class’ on DVD and Blu Ray

In 2011 I was asked if I could transform 2 models into Mystique and Azazel for a week of PR activity to publicise the release of ‘X Men First Class’ on DVD.

For Mystique’s character I hand made all the numerous latex pieces myself and then had to reproduce the look several times on various models throughout the week. They appeared at different London locations including seated on an underground train and in a 1960’s style ‘pop up lounge’ at Victoria Station which featured a recreation of one of the sets from the film.

Body Painting Carolyn Roper Mystique

Model Sam Cooke posing as Mystique for the campaign. Photo: Stewart Williams

Here, commuters could pose for photos with the characters and also stop and join in with various activities that included playing chess in a setting that was very similar to the one that appears in the film, complete with replica 60’s Chesterfield sofas.

The lounge was opened by Jason Flemyng who plays Azazel in the film. The week’s activity ended with a photoshoot with model Sam Cooke where I transformed her into Mystique for a stunning set of photos by photographer Stewart Williams.

You can see the link for the video from the transformation on YouTube here.

body painting, body painting for advertising, body painting for marketing, body painting for PR, body painting for publicity stunts, Diet Coke bottle body painting, Gary Lineker body painting, Mystique body painting, NHS blood donor body painting

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