no swirls, curls, teardrops from me…

time to stretch my wings

Thanks Brady :)

I thought this was a funny twist from a non-face painter’s point of view:

Rainbow Cake

It was so awesome!

I needed some new kit organization after Face Painting for 9 weekends at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

Here are some pictures of my new set up:

Here is what I changed:

1. 1. I bought a rockin’ new Black Case that I love to pieces.  It is a lot lighter and less bulky than the ubiquitous metal tool box from Home Depot/Silly Farm.  Plus it lays open almost completely flat so I don’t have to transfer stuff from the case to the table or worry about the thing shutting or falling.  It has a nice handle and I can also add a shoulder strap.
   2. I got a “Professional Face Painter” tote as a Free Gift from Metina’s Face Paint Forum Shop.  Weeee!  It would be worth the $10 anyway – it has a nice flat bottom and wide shoulder strap.  I do wish the bottom was reinforced with a stiffy (that’s what she said!) but it is lovely so far  (NOTE: Metina let me know that there is a stiffy included with the bags!  I just misplaced mine.  I found it and tried it all together and there is no sagging.  Wee!!).  Into my tote goes everything I can’t fit into my Black Case.
   3. I have all my TAG Body Art palettes organized by color on the left side of the Black Case when open.  The palettes get closed up when they are in the case so they don’t shift around or fall out.
   4. On the right side of the open Black Case I have my few pots of Kryolan, Snaz, and Paradise plus my Black and White and Rainbow cakes and my water containers + wipes.
   5. I also changed out my water containers – I need a wide shallow one for my sponges and a tall narrow one for my brush water.  I bought the brush one (dark plastic rectangular box) at the Container Store.
   6. I bought one of those Lipstick holders to keep my glitter, fan, and Green Marble handy.
   7. For my clean sponges, I switched out using a HUUUUUUUUGE mesh bag and now I’m keeping 26 sponges in a mesh collapsible cube. The dirty ones still go into a mesh laundry bag on the side.
   8. I decided to try out using my new TAG One Stroke Split Cakes with my regular kit to see how I like them.  They are in a 3 drawer acrylic thingy. I tried to take pictures to show how the cakes fit nicely into the drawers.
   9. I’m keeping a few of my self sticky rhinestones in the bottom drawer.
   10. The rest of my loose jewels are inside/under my Brush Easel.

So there it is.

I timed myself unpacking and then repacking and I finished in under 2 minutes both times.

My next step is to get my picture display easier to carry, then my table, then my chair…. then the WORLD!!!  Muahahahahahahahhahahahaaaaaa… ahem.

The Container Store Product Descriptions and Codes:

17″ x 14″ x 4-1/2″ h Commercial-Grade Case Black
Item # 10014001

Acrylic Lipstick & Pencil Cube Clear
Item # 854100

Small 3-Drawer Acrylic Box Clear
Item # 388350

5-1/2″ Folding Mesh Cube Black
Item # 10005355

Amac Box Turquoise: 1-3/16″ sq. x 2-7/16″ h
Item # 10022858

2. Alison Kenyon

3. Nick Herrera

4. Olivier Zegers

5. Catriona Finlayson-Wilkins

Who are your top 5 Face Painter Crushes?

Michelle's Satisfied Customers

“The Maryland Renaissance Festival has always been a lofty goal of mine,” says Michelle “Heff” Heffner, the owner and lead artist behind Bright & Shining Face Painting. “This is the event which I am always questioned about. At every birthday party, corporate picnic and holiday party we service, there is at least one family that asks if I have ever face painted at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. And now I can say ‘Why yes! Will I see you there?’”

Michelle started her face painting business in Columbia, MD in a fairly typical fashion: she painted the children at her daughter’s birthday party. Paintbrush in hand, she turned the guests into fantasy creatures. “Boy, was that a hot mess,” Michelle recalls, “It took me almost 2 hours to paint less than 10 kids and I had no idea what was actually going on at the party!”

Now 2 years and many birthday parties later, she has achieved her goal of working as a face painter at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. She met her contact through her local network of professional face painters. “We all watch out for each other and try to help our friends realize their own goals,” Michelle says, “And now all of my face painting friends are jealous!”

Look for Michelle at the Body Parts Face Painting booth at the Maryland Renaissance Festival this season. She will be the face painter with the wild red hair and the over-joyed smile on her face.

Click this link to see Photos of designs painted by Michelle Heffner at the 2010 Maryland Renaissance Festival.

# # #

Contact: Michelle Heffner

Michelle.Heffner@gmail.com

443-878-2654

www.brightandshining.com

443-878-2654

The pay-as-you-go plan was turning out to be too expensive for us so we signed up for an honest to goodness smartphone.

Now I can check email when I’m upstairs!  (Don’t act like that isn’t a big deal – because it is.  I promise you.)

Me: Who inspires you the most, right now?

Mark: My Students!  Every single one of them.

Me: What is your single favorite color to use?

Mark: Pink or Dark Pink (Paradise)

Me: Which color (beside white and black!) do you find yourself re-purchasing most often?

Mark: Wild orchid (Paradise)

Me: What are you practicing or doodling the most, lately?

Mark: I doodle when I teach and then I try to make them into something beautiful!  Otherwise, not much doodling.

Me: What design are you happy to paint over and over again?

Mark: Tigers and Butterflies.  I’m happy with either of those.

Me: Are you spending most of your time Face Painting or Body Painting, lately?

Mark: Let me put it this way: Face Painting is my Career.  Body Painting is my hobby.

Me: Where does most of your inspiration come from?

Mark: For the body painting, inspiration usually comes about a week before the shoot.  Like if I see a billboard while I’m driving.  I try to imagine the different shapes of the body in the design “Hey, That looks like a butt!” or “That could be the arm extending into the breast!”.

Me: What should we order for you on a Starbucks run?

Mark: White Chocolate Mocha w/a double shot of espresso

Thanks for your time, Mark.  Keep on rockin’!

when painting ten dots would work?

“done” is relative.