Welcome to the "LepreCon 28"
bodypainting webpage. This bodypainting was part of LepreCon
28, Arizona's
annual art-oriented science fiction and fantasy convention featuring the largest SF/F
art show in the Southwest! This year's event was held at the
Embassy Suites on May 17-19th and my live bodypainting
demonstration took place on Saturday night starting at 11:30 p.m.
I had
searched extensively for just the right model for this project and when
I found Tawnya Gentleman's on-line portfolio, I knew that she would be
perfect for the part. Tawnya specializes in fantasy character
modeling, but her website at www.tawnyagentleman.com
shows her versatility that even extends into her acting abilities.
I've
learned to never underestimate the contribution of a great make-up
artist for bodypainting images. I am honored to have Phoenix's top
make-up artist as a friend and her name is Dori Randall and her website
is www.dorirandall.com .
Dori arrived early to apply Tawnya's make-up before the audience was
shuffled in to the room and as always did a fantastic job...Thanks Dori!
I brought
my digital camera to the event, but more importantly I brought
professional photographer Don Crossland too. Don is a total pro
and was able to set up an on-location studio using strobe lights and
medium format film. I was pretty happy with a lot of my digital
shots, but when I saw Don's images I was blown away at how they popped
off the page. The shots that you see here on the internet don't do
justice to how "real" the photos actually look. Don,
your a weapon!
Most
people don't realize how much planning and coordinating goes in to doing
a bodypainting session. For this project I had to book the show
itself with the people running LepreCon 28 and then I had to confirm the
time and availability with the model, the make-up artist, and the
photographer. One of the next things that I normally do is a
rough-draft version of what I plan to paint. For this project I
took an image from Tawnya's website and then, using Photoshop, I painted
on the proposed outfit. This helps to give the model an idea of
what to expect from the session.
Now on to the
session itself. Before the audience was ushered in, Tawnya was
given a "modesty cover" of paint so that she wouldn't be
completely nude when the demonstration began. The onlookers were
comprised of approximately 50 convention attendees and we were all piled
into a two-bedroom suite at the north Phoenix resort. As I
explained my bodypainting techniques step-by-step, the atmosphere
remained jovial and fun. Throughout the hour and a half ordeal, a
few people had questions for Tawnya and I, while others were silently
watching, and one fellow was helping to entertain the crowd by telling
(bad) jokes. Overall, a good time was had by all.
The main paint
used for this project was Deviant brand liquid latex applied with a
sponge brush. To give the cuffs and pants an extra shiny sheen,
the latex was sprayed with Deviant's Slick which is similar to Pam
cooking spray effectively. The gold and bronze areas were also
first painted with black liquid latex and then dusted with Ben-Nye
make-up dusts. The accessories that topped off the image were a
headress that I bought at the convention, a black cape modified to have
a gold ringed tie, a couple of swords, and Tawnya's belly-button ring
and boots. Other than that, it's nothing but paint!
Unfortunately I was not able to take many progress pictures of this
session, however, the entire session was digitally video taped and
portions will most likely be made available in the near future on-line.
The storm troopers that were integrated into the
photoshoot are a part of an organization called 501st
Dune Sea Garrison. Their mission (a very noble one I might
add) is to to bring smiles to the faces of children, of all ages, by appearing around the Valley.
Talon is transformed into the imperial queen with storm troopers by her
side. She is the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia and
therefore the grand daughter of Darth Vader in episode 7.
If you are interested in ordering a print from this
photoshoot or would like additional information on bodypainting, please
feel free to contact mark@futureclassx.com
and visit my website at www.futureclassx.com
. Please browse through the additional images from the show below. Thanks for visiting! |