Body Paint Artist

Body Paint Artists create designs on human skin, and are similar to a Tattoo Artist in that the body is their canvas. As a Body Paint Artist, though, you don’t use permanent ink. Instead, you use water-based paints to create images that last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

There are many opportunities for Body Paint Artists. For example, you may travel to fairs and birthday parties to work with children. Your job may involve painting a little boy’s face to look like a superhero’s. Or a teenage girl may ask for a temporary tattoo—a butterfly on her shoulder, perhaps.

Still, your job may involve painting more of the body. You may work in the entertainment industry, especially on science fiction movie and television sets, transforming beautiful Actors into slimy, green aliens and scary yet lifeless zombies.

Magazines and advertising agencies may even commission you for photo shoots. A photo spread may call for an Artist who has experience painting an entirely nude body. So, you must be comfortable creating full-body designs.

You must keep a professional demeanor—there isn’t room for bashfulness. And you also want to make sure the Model or Actor is at ease.

Sometimes, your client will have a detailed drawing that they’ll want you to recreate. Other times, they’ll flip through and select from a binder of patterns that you’ve created. Regardless of how much artistic freedom you’re given, the job takes a combination of skill and creativity.