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Happy Painting,
Melissa Halvorsen, a.k.a The Painted Otter
Oh my goodness! I have been so crazy busy it’s not even funny. First, we moved. Then, three days later, I went to Africa (which was AMAZING!). Then I came home and unpacked. Then I painted until my arms fell off. Literally. Right onto the ground. Don’t even ask how I’m typing this right now . . .
Fortunately, I have been taking pictures. I’m just sorry it’s taken me so long to post them.
I finally managed to snap some photos at a party. Things are still crazy, but I’m forcing myself to take on fewer gigs as I prepare to move to a new house and go to Africa with my Papa Bear. I may get to face paint in Africa, so keep posted for photos of that.
Is party was full of rainbow lovers. I had rainbow butterflies, zebras, lions, and unicorns.
It’s been far too long since I’ve posted. My Living Social Deal was very successful, and I’ve been run ragged trying to keep up with everything. Consequentially, I haven’t had much time for taking photos or painting projects at home. I’m posting what I’ve got along with some photos from a family sidewalk chalk session. Enjoy!
My unfinished Nala
This is my mini-me’s raccoon. Note its many legs. 🙂
My hubby’s Bubbles.
Portrait of me by my husband. He obviously sees me through the lens of love.
Just thought I’d share this photo with you. It’s from a face painting website, facepaintingtips.com. They have great deals on supplies and frequent sales, so check them out, this is from their latest email. Recognize that cute little mini me model?
Since we have two fun holidays coming up, I thought I’d work on some Easter and St. Patrick’s designs today. First, some Easter stuff.
I have to credit for this bunny design to Daizy Design. I’ve mentioned her before. She is amazing! Be sure to check her out.
So, that was supposed to be an Easter egg in the middle of her forehead, but I didn’t get the shape right. Oh well.
Here is a fun little shamrock tribal. I used glitter, but you could go without for a boy or a man.
I also wanted to do a Celtic knot mask, and since I was in the mood, I did a step by step. First, the finished product:
Step 1: use a green one stroke cake to make a petal in the middle of the forehead and some frills around the eyes.
Step 2: use a gold split cake (this is old gold and copper by tag) to add another layer of petals and some more color on the corners of the eyes.
Step 3: come back in with your green to add the final tier of petals.
Step 4: Add a Celtic knot as a centerpiece. You can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Since I am painting on myself, I kept it really simple. Paint the knot with dark green or, if you want to skip the next step, black. At this stage, I also added a few dark green teardrops to add depth to the finished design.
Step 5: Add outlines, shadows and highlights to the knot to make it stand out. This is what will really make it pop.
Step 6: Add teardrops, swirls, dots and other embellishments in black to create the desired shape and look. For a guy, use tribals. Add some white at the end to create a polished look.
I’d love to see your takes on this design. Let me know if there a any other step by steps you want to see on the blog.
This morning I got to help a little girl with her school presentation on Pandas.
I bet she got an A!
Then, this evening, I got to celebrate one of my favorite people, Mini Me! She requested a “Jungle Jaguar” party, so we invited everyone to bring their favorite stuffed animal, and I painted their faces to match their furry friends. It was so fun, if a little chaotic painting and running a party at the same time.
I have to include a shot of the cupcakes because I worked so hard on the little animals. 🙂
Way back last fall I did an awesome gig for an ad agency that wanted to send out a Halloween card instead of a Christmas card to their clients. They hired me to do zombie makeup for their entire staff. I had a blast with them, and they were kind enough to let me crash the photo shoot. I finally got the images back. I loved how they turned out!
I still have a long way to go, but I’ve had fun practicing my tribals.
And just for fun, a random vampire and rainbow mask.
I had the most amazing time attending a workshop this week taught by Jay Bautista and Pashur. It was focused on tribals, and I can’t recommend it enough. Pashur is retiring from teaching this year, so if you get a chance to go to one of his workshops, don’t pass it up!
Tribal painted by me.
This is my friend’s son. He was nice enough to come model for us and put up with relentless teasing.
Tribals by Pashur.
Heart with tribal accents by me.
Cupcake with tribals by Laura Pennock.
Rose with tribal accents by Denise Cold.
Two color interwoven tribals by Jay.
Collaborative piece by Jay and Pashur.
I’ve been remiss in updating. Lately I’ve been working a lot of jobs where there simply isn’t time to take photos. Fortunately, I had a great “wild thing” birthday that was more low key and a lot of fun. The birthday girl asked to be a purple gorilla, which was a first for me, but I think she turned out darling!
I also had a fun Mardi Gras party last week. I did a lot of practice on my masks. The only photo from the party itself is of a lovely young woman who requested a purple elephant. It was such a unique petition that I had to snap a quick photo.
The Painted Otter 