Email: Deborah@OhioBodyArt.com - Voicemail: 614.656.2205 - DESDEMONA'S BODYPAINT BIG-TOP CABARET!

A little bit about me and what I do...

How did you get started as a body painter?

I have a background in theater and in art. I started doing body art as a henna artist in 2000, and after a few years I started to attend a few face and body art conventions. Once I saw the body painting I was enthralled! Body painting is a combination of all of my loves: body art, paint, color, sculpture, and theater. My very first full body painting was at the World Bodypainting Festival in Seeboden Austria, and there I met so many brilliant artists who were so supportive and helpful and have been inspiring me ever since.
If you'd like to see some of my henna work visit my sister-site: www.OhioBodyArt.com

Where are you located?

I live in a suburb of Columbus Ohio, but I love to travel and will happily travel to you or meet you at the location of your choice. Want to do a body painting á la Gauguin in Tahiti? I'm your gal! I am a travel junkie and I have been to about 38 countries and 6 continents! I love to explore other places, taste the foods of different lands, and take in the art and culture of different peoples. Send me an email if you'd like body painting at your destination wedding or anniversary vacation.

Is that all really paint? Or is it photoshopped?

It IS really all paint! You can often see the brushtrokes in the final piece. However, that said, I do some finalizing of the image in photoshop to make sure that my backgrounds are black-black or white-white and to erase errant hairs or shadows or lint that may detract from the final piece of art.

What kind of paint do you use? How do you apply it?

I use a variety of paints that are formulated to be used on skin. Most of them are water based and I apply them with artist's brushes and sometimes with sponges, my fingers, or an airbrush. Body paint make up is highly pigmented, pliable, and dries quickly. There are many modern myths out there about actors or models dying because their skin couldn't "breathe" with the paint on, but this cannot happen with high quality body paints. I use the same products that they use on Broadway in shows like "Cats" and the same products used in productions like the Cirque du Soleil shows.

How long does it take to do that?!?! How long does it last?

When painting a full body for a competition the artists are generally given about 6 hours from the time you can pick up your brush to the time you put it down. For a piece of my own or a commission piece the painting will generally take a full day, this includes painting and photographing the work. Then the model washes it down the drain at the end of the day!