Old school

So... I finally broke down and got a monthly subscription to fabatv. I'm really drawn to the beautiful masks and butterflies, so I started watching a couple of videos and I couldn't help but notice that the instructors were REALLY old school in the way they lay on their colors! Seriously. They took 10 minutes just to put their bases on because they were laying everything on one color at a time and blending out. Doesn't everyone use arty cakes and split cakes these days for that? Seriously... I wanted to jump through the screen and say, "Here, try this..." These ladies have been painting for YEARS AND YEARS. The finished designs were SOOOOO amazing. WOW. I learned a ton from their line work and technique. But I couldn't help but wonder why they weren't trying new and easier products. Too stubborn to move on?? I have only been painting for about 5 years, so I am all about changing up my setup to accomodate new techniques. Do those of you that have been painting longer find it hard to adopt new techniques?? On a side note, the Wolfe bros did an AMAZING zombie that only took maybe 6 minutes. Wish I had subscribed before October!!

I've heard many of the seasoned veterans reference some of the new techniques as "fads". Also, some feel that it is added expense that is unnecessary. Also, some like to keep their kits condensed and adding all the split cakes and rainbows just take up too much space. I personally love the new techniques and have adopted them, but I've also only been at this for 4 years.

Interesting.. "fads". lol. Seems like if I can cut my butterfly down from 10 min to 5... I'll add what I need to my kit to make it happen. Lynne Jamieson was so cute with the arty cakes. It was like she was afraid of them... but she did a great job with them. she kept saying, "I don't know if this is going to work".... then she would say, "WOW. Awesome."

I know the Wolfe Brothers were quite derisive (nb. 2 years ago when they were here, they might have changed opinion by now) of one-stroke painting. They thought it took just as long to figure out what size and shape of brush to use with which cake of paint as it does to just sponge and line the old way.

To be fair, when you watch them with their half sponges and number 5 round brushes... it's hard to argue with the results! Perhaps it's the same with people using stencils? Maybe to longstanding painters it feels like 'cheating'

I"m still a noob, but the way I figure it, is that any tool is a tool.

If you don't know how to write longhand, your shorthand is gonna suck. Ok...not the best anology, but you get the idea. If you have the 'real' painting down, then using stuff to cut down your time in a line situation, PPF, festival atmosphere is fair game! But I do notice that if I'm doing something intense, I don't use 1 stroke much at all. If you are not overly artistically gifted, you can make something that would have been 'eh' and turn it into WOW with the split cakes. And if you can already WOW without them, you can often 'OMG!' with them! Love my brushes, loves me some sponges, have kabuki brush will travel, lizard scale stencils rule and don't get between me and my lovely splitcakes!!

I should mention that I'm still only half converted to arty cakes. Not to split cakes, or the big spongeable rainbows, LOVE those, but the eeny weeny rainbow cakes. Still don't use them as much as I probably could and my results vary from "omg wow" to "oh wow, wish i'd done that with something else".

Ha. Me too. I have SOOOO many artys and I pretty much only use them for cheek butterflies and flowers. I really need to try and use them for my full face butterfiles. Think I will try and play tomorrow.

I just ordered a whole bunch of stencils. I love love love the large rainbow cakes. I am addicted to buying them. I also have a lot of arty cakes but I havent quite dug into those as much. Mine are the old style small squares but now they have the longer ones that seem better.
I am a subsciber to FABA tv and really enjoy most of the videos. I was surprised as well by some of the artists and how uncomfortable they seem. Poor Donna Dewberry had a really hard time and the subscribers had no mercy on her in the comment section. But Mark Reid, HOLLY COW- that guy can paint! Marcella, Lynne and Silly Heather- I could watch them all day.

I use large rainbows n splits, but that's about it. I really do prefer to load my sponge/brush with multiple colours myself and I love the look that happens when I blend. I have competed in a couple body competitions where people thought I had air brushed my colours, because of the blending. To me it's fun

It's been said before but we so totally need a "like" button, cause Kim I' "like that comment. There is a time and place for every tool. most of the big wigs aren't painting ppf with crazy long lines anymore. They are getting the big bucks to do big jobs, and when they did ppf I guess that's what they did. I've got my rainbow splits for butterflies and crazy busy jobs but honestly I think mums and the like sometime look and go "oh yeah i could do that" even though they probably couldn't just cause they think thy split is some kinda magic short cut.

This is true. Sometimes I'm tempted to let some mums try it and see. While it's super fast and easy when you get the hang of it, it does not do the job for you and if you don't know where to place it in the first place, you still won't get a 'wow' butterfly.

Linework is everything

hi you guys...

i'll be teaching arty cakes on fabatv in a couple of weeks. i have three classes in mind. and, i'll also be painting on dec. 2nd at the paint a thon. many of you may not know that i'm the creator of arty brush cakes. and, i agree...they are much faster;0

thanks!

ttfn

rebecca

I have only been face and bodypainting for a year now, so I discovered the splitcakes/ articakes pretty soon after I started and I love them. But there are times where I prefere sponging on the colours individually over using articakes/splitcakes.

There are two reasons why I don't use those things #1. They don't come in Snazaroo (which is all I use) and #2. I prefer to pick my colours independently for every design. I don't even like the look of a full rainbow altogether... too busy with too many colours. I have a few splits but mostly to save space in my laptop case. There are only one or two that I actually use as splits and sponge both colours on at once... it only saves me maybe 30 seconds though and it's only because a pink and purple butterfly or flying unicorn is like THE most requested thing.

It's taken me a LONG time to start using split cakes. I did the rainbow one lst--(do you have any idea how long a rainbow takes one color at a time with a brush? Then someone (thanks Charlotte!) showed me it was brush them all on one sponge time, and lay them out once! I was SOOO ready for a rainbow cake. Last summer, I cut up a bunch of colors and started making a few...and I DO like them! Not for everything, but certainly for regular stuff I do over and over...I am so glad for changes and learning new techniques!

I like all the paints, splits, blenders, stencils. If it has something to do with painting, I like it, and I will try to find a way to use it. I find it helpful on FABA TV that each of the artists seems to isolate a skill that I need to work on, and that helps me focus. I get someting out of everything I watch there. It has been so worth the money.

Can't wait to see your classes Rebecca!

Rebecca- I can't wait! I have almost every art cake but I haven't got the gist if them yet. When I see them used I just love the designs!

Also I don't care if a mom says it's cheating and they can do it. I FP at my sons school carnival and have tried to "recruit" some moms for help. Needless to say it didn't work out. We make it look easy because we are good at it.

rebecca wrote:hi you guys...

i'll be teaching arty cakes on fabatv in a couple of weeks. i have three classes in mind. and, i'll also be painting on dec. 2nd at the paint a thon. many of you may not know that i'm the creator of arty brush cakes. and, i agree...they are much faster;0
rebecca

YEAH! I recently subscribed and went looking for classes taught by you. I didn't find any and thought about asking you if you were going to do some. I'm excited to see them!!

Rebecca, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your work!! I am so excited to see your class! I'm all about "cheating" I guess. I have practiced my teardrops and swirls and tiger stripes for years. As far as splits and rainbows... you can blend them beautifully by patting back and forth. I guess I don't think an easier way to load my sponge is cheating. Speaking of "cheating"... I had someone ask me if I could cut a 2 part plastic stencil for a sports team. I love a challenge! The plastic I have to use with my Sillouette is pretty thin so I didn't think it would turn out... but look how cool! Not bad for a quick sponging. Now... I could outline it... highlights... whatever. I don't use stencils very often, but I'm going to create stencils for the big sports teams in my state now. I get requests ALL the time for them. Crazy Utahns and their BYU/UTAH rivalry.

I guess you would call me old school. I have split cakes, even made my own small palette of a bunch of different combos. The only ones that get used at least once a gig are the Grimas rainbow and my neon rainbow. I use the peacock about once a month.

I like the control I have with the sponge and blending and it is FASTER. As I cannot simply load a brush on a split cake and keep using it over and over, loading it for EACH person from scratch is way too time consuming (not to mention cleaning them between uses!)

It is what you get used to doing - if you know you can use a certain method well and fast you don't tend to want to mess around too much. At least not until you master it.

If I try something and I don't "get it" right away I won't spend extra time on it . I tried traditional style one-stroke - some of it was ok, the rest not so much. So... I'm not inclined to work on it. How I do my work suits me and my customers so we're all happy.

I can admire those who have mastered it like Rebecca, but I don't need to stress myself out trying to do it too.

I just did Pashurs workshop and had the same frustrations - I actually asked him if a spit could be used for a particular design he was doing and he told me " split cakes have there place"... I took that to mean he doesn't use them.

I agrre eery artists needs to know how to paint without them....
but it would also be good to see the 'experts' use them.Perry - when I stared I mad al my own spits from Paradise as I didn't want mixed brands.. but now I stick with the TAG ones as I know they are all TAG.

That is a great stencil Kat! It takes skill to be able to do those too!

Argghhh. I had a post in this thread and it didn't make it there. Anyway...

Kat, I watched the Lynne Jamison class and was screaming "Someone get this woman a rainbow cake...STAT!" but her butterflies were FABULOUS!!!! But I did have to giggle when she said something about 3 minute faces when loading the sponge with the different colors took that long. I've got to watch that class again today...she's pretty amazing.

I'm actually moving more toward one-stroke and want to do more with that. I got my Ben Nye powders and I'm loving the feeling of them and so I'm going to start using those for the bases on butterflies, masks, eye designs and add one-stroke embellishments on top.

I was looking forward to Rebecca classes too on FABA so it sounds like we're going to get our fix soon!

D.