Your Body Paint Questions Answered

Body paint!

But what exactly is body paint, and how can it fit into an event?

In this blog, we discuss the what, when and why of this art form, as well as answering some common Q&As, both from our clients and from our social media audience.

What is body paint?

Body paint is an artwork on a person. You can get part body, half body (usually waist up) and full body. Being a piece of art, it is rare that 2 body paints are identical, and at Event Flair we like to custom design our body paint to each event, with the option of elevating it with handmade wearable art pieces. Body painted models are really popular for product launches, Halloween (especially so for Halloween as body/face altering prosthetics can be used), New Year’s Eve (very popular!), company awards, repeat events and for anything that's creative or ‘out of the box’.


How long does it take?

Well, our artist would probably say as long as she can have (!), but the simple answer is - it really depends on the design. This can be from two hours (one base colour) right up to 10 - 12 hours (full body paint with detail).

We have done partial body paint for an event that had someone in gold but with a toga costume – so face, chest, arms and legs were painted, which took approx. 1.5hrs.

For a full body paint with detailed patterns for a NYE event – we allowed 10 hours (and it was EPIC).

Understanding that event planners often want to put a schedule together, we can usually estimate timings from finding out what people have in mind, any time restraints already present and budget.


What do body painted models do at an event?

Often body painted models act as living statues at events - the artwork alone with all its layers is often a real spectacle in itself! Our models have either dance or movement training, so they will move from pose to pose with style, and make shapes with their body based on the design they are in. In saying that, we will always take the opportunity to use the full talents of our performers – one time we had a body painted lizard on trapeze from the ceiling!

Does the paint wash off easily?

Short answer – yes and no. There is a story for this question – when my husband and I got engaged, I was actually in full body paint. What a story, right? Overwhelmed with happiness (of course), my happy tears dripped down my face, but the paint more or less stayed strong! So, to answer the question - after a body paint gig, a good shower is usually needed and a good scrub on the elbows, knees and around the ears. The paint is fairly robust, but I probably wouldn't put your body painted models out in the rain, as you want to keep the designs looking as good as possible.

I thought body painted models don't wear any clothes. How is that appropriate at an event?

I kind of laugh when I read this one as it is something that we get asked a lot, and I thought that it might be a good idea for me to address! Body painted models can be fully nude, but it is not so common in New Zealand, and we have chosen not to have fully nude body painted models available at Event Flair. 

Sometimes body painted models wear bikinis or shorts and these items are painted over, but it can often create uneven lines on the skin, drawing more attending to how little the person is wearing, so we tend to steer away from this. Less costume always looks better with body paint, but so we can fit every client’s needs/requirements/level of comfort when we costume body paint, we use items that accentuate the paint. We do this with wearable art or 3D pieces, or to create as clean coverage lines as possible we have special latex stick on underwear we use which creates a smooth surface for our painters (and makes it look like you’re wearing a body suit!).

We always show a selection of photos to our clients when body paint is requested, make sure we understand what they are comfortable with, and create design and costume from there.


Why should I choose body paint for my event?

It is extremely eye catching. The detail is extraordinary, and it really makes a statement. If you are going for memorable, this is a great option.

I hope that this blog helped you to learn some cool things about body paint! If you had any further questions, or would like to have some body painted performers at your event, feel free to contact us here.

- Theresa, Creative Director at Event Flair