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Thank you so much to everyone that came along to our workshop held in Auckland. It was a real pleasure meeting all you wonderful people and painting with you. 

This was the first time I had taught outside of my hometown so there were quite a few nerves flying up on the plane that morning. As soon as the first few people walked through those doors surprisingly those nerves all disappeared. It was so lovely to see familiar faces of people just like myself who share the same passion towards face painting that I do.

It was amazing to have the attention of a room full of people and watching them take in every single word you say. 

Seeing other people getting so excited about designs and concepts that I had to share was quite a humbling experience. I have heard it said before but being able to teach and share something with others is really quite rewarding. 

I have learnt so much working on these workshops. I have learnt how to stand infront of a room of people and share something I have a real passion for. I have learnt how teach. I have learnt how to break down each design and work out they way my mind sees things. A lot of the stuff I have done just because, now I have more of an understanding of the reason behind each concept in a way that I am able to share with others. I have also learnt from other artists in the class with their questions, suggestions and even just watching them paint. I have learnt to love face painting a brand new way.

I am so excited to be able to share with many more of you over at FABAIC in a couple of weeks time, and I am already begining to think about where I want to take it after that....

Thank you so much to everyone who has shown their interest in our step by step book by registering for updates.

Unfortunately my preperations for the books release have slowed down signifigantly over the last couple of months with so many other exciting things happening around here. And with FABAIC only just around the corner I have had to take a wee break. 

I am now hoping to have it all ready to go by August. (If not sooner!)

I am so sorry to keep you all waiting, as I know how excited you all have been! I promise it will be worth the wait.

For now I will leave you with a little sneak preview of one of my favourite designs......

Christy xx

I have had many requests lately from people asking what brand of colours/paints do I use for painting faces.

Now before I wear out my fingertips typing the same response over and over I thought it would be a good idea to write one slightly more indepth blog post. As any face painter knows there is no simple answer.

All the face paints I use are professional, cosmetic grade face paint, approved by the FDA. These paints are designed specifically for painting the body and on faces. They are easy to use, easy to wash of and should not cause irritation to the skin. (However, Some people with sensitive may react to some brands)

I do not use the cheap paints you would usually buy in your local department store, and I wouldn't reccommend them either. There is however one brand that I have seen more commonly in our local store which I would definitely reccommend, Snazaroo. (Read more here...) It may be slightly more expensive but this paint goes a long way. It is also very gently and safe to use on your childrens skin and washes away easily, it is well worth every cent. This is the paint I started painting with and I still use many of the colours I originally started with. 

I have used a variety of different paints, and I have learnt that there is no one brand that is perfect for everything. There are brands that are softer and creamier that are great for painting bases. These brands include Snazaroo, Paradise and FAB and are all brands that I work with in my kit. 

If you are after a nice crisp line then you are going to want a brand that isn't quite as good at blending, you are going to want a waxier paint. Brands such as TAG, Wolfe and DFX are great for line work. My personal favourite for black is TAG or Wolfe (I tend to favour tag more often when painting on children as Wolfe has a tendancy to stain on certain skin types) and Wolfe for White. These 3 brands have many beautiful vibrant colours that you just cant get enough of.

Then there are the rainbow cakes and split cakes which I absolutely love! These are often a mixture of brands/colours put into the same cake which make applying a combination of colours to the face simple and quick. Silly farm carries a great range of beautiful colours, as well as TAG. 

We also can not forget the beautiful powders, glitters, gels.... there are so many to choose from. You want to make sure you are using quality products safe to use for painting faces. Many trusted face paint supply companies will also sell these too.

You can't really go worng with the brands I have mentioned above, narrowing down your options can be difficult. I generally choose my paints for their colour. Each brand has a slightly different colour range which is the reason I use such a variety of brands. You can do a little bit of research and find colour swatches of colour comparrasons to see how the paint looks on the skin, or.... you can just buy them all and try them out for your self.

Here is a photo of all the colours I have collected over the years. I would probably take only half of this out with me when I paint. I tend to cycle my paints and I am often rediscovering new colours that I can add to my collection.

There are many other great brands of face paint out there that I have yet to try. Kryolan, Ben Nye, Chameleon, to name just a few.

If you are keen to get started with face and body art, there are many fantastic online suppliers of professional face painting products all around the world. Grab some colours and have a go. I do have to warn you though, buying face paints and pretty colours is highly addictive! Before you know it you may even end up with a collection as wild as mine.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions. If you have any more feel free to add them to the comments below.

Christy x

Another weekend full of face painty goodness... and lots of chocolate! What could be better!

This past week Daziy Design Face Painting has caught the attention of the world. 

Our designs have been very popular, from the dailymail in the uk to Buzz Feed... any everything else in between.

Where else have you seen Daizy Design this week...?

 LINKS

By popular request we have been working hard on creating our very first step by step instructional book.

We have put together simple instructions for some of your favourite designs as well as some exciting new ones. 

We hope to get it all together shortly, but for now we just have a wee sneak peak for you. 

Sign up to recieve updates and be the first to know when it is ready,  and you will be instantly put in the draw to win a free copy!

Click HERE for more information!

If you ever go to paint a face, of course, one of the key tools you need to begin is Paint.

When I first started the only type of face paint I had heard of was the cheap (usually liquid) paint, bought from the 2 dollar stores. Little did I know there was a whole amazing range of paints out there that would transform the way I saw face painting.

I am asked many times what type of paint I use when painting faces. I could go on forever about all the different brands and types of paints but to someone just wanting to paint at home or for fun that can be a little overwhelming. I generally like to point people in the direction of SNAZAROO, it is a great paint to begin with, easy to use and easy to get hold of and is safe!

When I first started someone let me have a play with a kit of Snazaroo, from there I knew I needed to get some of my own and went straight out to our local book store (or almost any store that sells art supplies) and picked up 2 mini palletes of Snazaroo paint. Each kit contained 8 colours which was plenty for someone just starting out. Snazaroo is known for being so easy to mix and blend so it was simple to create what ever colour I wanted.

Snazaroo is so lovely and soft, the colours are lovely (although like any brand I do have colours I prefer over others), and really easy to work with. It is a cake makeup which you use by activating and mixing with water (more like water colours if you are used to working with other mediums). One of my favourite things about Snazaroo paints is they are so gentle on the skin, it is comfortable to wear, I trust that painting young skin it is not going to harm them, and at then end of the day it washes away without a fuss.

There are many colours in my kit that I could not do without. I love Snazaroo Red! I think it is the only brand I ever use in red. The mojority of the time it is used for spiderman, and it is the perfect spiderman colour, with great coverage and washes off so easily.

Snazaroo Orange is also great for tigers! I like to cut my paint in half and fill the other half with Snazaroo yellow for a super quick tiger mask.

Snazaroo Ochre Yellow and Snazaroo Light brown. I love this combination for most furry animals, cats, dogs, squirrels, owls.... combined they make a lovely natural colour, and are so light a delicate that it really does look like the face has become the animal.

Snazaroo Turquoise, a beautiful light and bright blue. I love a lot of light blues but I have found that in other brands this colour can be really tough to remove. I like to be confident when painting a face that the colour is going to wash away nicely at the end of the day.  Also again the colour goes on the skin so softly, and blends with other colours really well!

Snazaroo Lime Green and Snazaroo Grass Green. Just like the orange and yellow on the tiger I like to place both colours side by side in the one cake. I often use a wide brush in the middle to pick up both colours at once and create beautiful leaves and dinosaurs as well as any green creature that requires shading. Like the blues, green can often be difficult to wash of in other brands, but Snazaroo lime green washes off so well. My little Hulk may not have thanked me so much if it didn't!

Snazaroo sparkle pink. A light metallic pink that is just beautiful, and we all know how much little girls love pink!

Snazaroo black and white are also fantastic for painting base work!

Now if you decide you love face painting so much (which you will!) and you want to take it up a level, I would recomend using a waxier brand for you line work, specifically black and white. There are 2 main types of paints, the softer kind like Snazaroo which is beautiful for blending, and then the waxier brands (Wolfe, Tag etc) which are a lot stonger and don't blend quite as well but are great for painting lines that you need to stand out. After painting for 3 years I have experiments with all sorts of different professional brands and types, but I have to say Snazaroo is definitely still one of my favourites. 

Here are a few of my favourite painting using (mostly -some outlines and highlights are painted with a waxier black and white) Snazaroo.

Step By Step Valentine Mask.

Products Used:

FAB Glitter Glam

Wolfe Metallic Gold

FAB Watermelon

Wolfe White

Wolfe Black

#12 Filbert brush (Base and Heart)

#2 Snazaroo Round Brush (Red outline and roses)

#2 Leow Cornell Round Brush(white)

#1 Snazaroo Round Brush (black)

You may have noticed the blog has been a bit quiet again (no surprises there!) but honestly we have been very busy planing all sorts of exciting things for 2013!

Last year was a good year, although with the arrivial of the littlest Daizy it was reasonably un exciting. This year, however, our calender is packed full of exciting new events! As well as Painting at all sorts of great events and parties, this year is also going to include a lot of teaching. This means I get to share my love of painting with many other people too.

If you haven't heard already we are off to Florida to the FABAIC (Face and Body Art International Convention) Where we will be teaching a couple of very exciting classes. I have always wanted to go but never did I imagine going as an instructor working amongst some of the greatest artist in the industry! If you are a face painter this convention is definitely one you don't want to miss! I am really looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible. 

While we are over in Florida in May we will also be filming a class for FABAtv which is also hugely exciting. If you are a face painter and you haven't checked out FABAtv yet, you have no idea what you are missing. I have spent the last week watching and taking in as much as I can. I am feeling extreemly inspired and so excited to be able to share everything I have learnt with all of you.

For all my local artists who feel like they are missing out, never fear, we are planning a workshop right here in New Zealand.

We are still finalising details (cost, location, date etc), But at this stage mark your calendars for Friday April 26th in Auckland (hopefully near the airport for anyone traveling). Keep an eye in here and I will confirm the dates, time and location as soon as possible! Spaces will be limited.

Feel free to flick me an email, daizyde@gmail.com for more information.

We look forward to meeting many of you this year! Bring on the Madness!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday break! 

I for one and definitely looking forward to spending a few days with my family and taking a wee break.

Thank you all so much for your support throughout 2012. It has definitely been a busy year, especially with the arrival of the littlest Daizy Baby.

We are really looking forward to 2013, with many exciting things planned, including a trip to the States to share our face painting with the rest of the world!

Merry Christmas!