Sexy rainbow cat body painting

Amanda was one of the first models that I shot in my studio.

She's a dancer & it shows. The models get to listen to the music that they like while we shoot. Amanda chose Billie Holliday.

We listen at Pandora.com, it's a great service. You enter your favorite artist or song and they play music that is similar. You can give the songs a thumbs up or down and the service learns what your personal tastes are. It can also put all your favorites together in a mix. Since I found Pandora, I don't listen to regular radio anymore. Oh, and it's free!

I'm not digging the backdrop so much. Oh well, you live and you learn, hopefully!

How to Face Paint A Tiger on About.com

Here's another video from the series that I did for About.com.

http://video.about.com/painting/Tiger-With-Face-Paint-.htm

Tigers and other large cats are very popular designs for both face and body painting. I think that their popularity hearkens back to when body painting was primarily used in ceremonial magic. Or 'ceremonial magick', for the purists. Back in a time when a handheld piece of knapped flint was the latest in technology and the most advanced weapon, I could understand wishing to emulate the tigers' strength, grace and hunting prowess. Now, it's mostly adult women who wish to be body painted like a tiger as part of the whole sexy, feline thing and children who want to be face painted like a tiger because of the fierce power that the tiger represents.

I will tell you a story that always makes me cry.

My son was the guest of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Robert Wood Johnson Hospital for about 2 weeks a decade or so ago. The doctors were originally 'not optimistic'. But they worked their miracles and he was well again. I will be eternally grateful to them. I would have like to endowed a wing or something but my budgetary constraints didn't allow it. I volunteered to face paint there instead. The childlife staff had gotten to know me pretty well during my son's stay there and was very comfortable with me. I painted kids all over pediatrics, in the pediatric ICU, kids undergoing dialysis and in the cancer hospital. It was in the cancer hospital that I met Nana. She was a scared five year old. Her mom was even more scared. Nana did want to be painted though. She chose to be a tiger. I painted her face and an amazing transformation happened. She went from a very timid and frail child to a fierce pouncing tiger. Nurses cowered in fear from her. She roared and she lept. She bared her claws and her teeth. An equally amazing thing happened to her mom, she laughed, she got to enjoy her child being a child for a much too brief time. Nana and her mom giggled and roared together. Polaroids were taken.

Later that summer, at Nana's funeral, her mom talked about that day and how special it was to her.

There is magic in face and body painting. Use it for good.

Miss Rockett Girl @ the beach!

Even though we're currently having a blizzard, I just booked my first shoot of the year for the beach! Nova is the hardy soul, don't worry, we're waiting until the end of April.

I can't wait until it's warm enough to shoot outside. My studio is about an hour from the nude beach.

Since I'm trying to think warm thoughts, here's a picture of Miss Rockett Girl rocking her mermaid body paint at the beach last summer. You've seen other images of her in my blog and on my website. I'm very blessed to have models who are up for pretty much anything. Life is good.

Save $ on drugs so you can buy art! Or art supplies!

I saw this on about.com. I thought the advice was good. Like many of the great unwashed hoards, my artist hubby & myself lack health insurance. We also have prescription drugs that we need regularly.
One of the things that we do that isn't on the list is to go to the doctors office armed with a printout of the list of $4 walmart prescriptions ($10 for 3 months supply). You can find the list at http://i.walmartimages.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/customer_list.pdf They also have a list of store brand OTC drugs at http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/OTC_drug_List.pdf
These can save you LOTSA money. One real life example, my darling hubby used to pay $90 a month for his generic prescription. We were delighted when we found it at Costco for $30. We positively did a happy dance in the aisle when we were able to get it at Walmart for 3 bucks. That $77 DIFFERENCE on a single prescription make the difference between being able to be med compliant in some months.
The about.com article is at http://frugalliving.about.com/od/beautyhealthcare/tp/Prescriptions.htm
Top 9 Ways to Cut Your Prescription Costs
By Erin Huffstetler, About.com
Prescription drug costs can be outrageous – even when you have health insurance. Here's a round-up of nine ways to cut those costs:
1. Ask for Drugs with Generics
Drugs reps are good at swaying doctors towards the newest and most expensive prescription drugs, so you can't always assume that your doctor is going to prescribe the most affordable drug option. Before you leave the office, ask if the medication prescribed has a generic. If it doesn't, follow up by asking if there's a drug with a generic that would work as well for your condition. It's a simple question that could save a lot.
Want to be a more informed consumer? Pick up a copy of The Pill Book, and you can quickly check to see which drugs have a generic.

2. Seek Samples
Doctors' offices and hospitals often receive samples of new prescriptions. If you doctor insists on a name-brand medication, ask if he has any samples that he could give you. With a bit of luck you could receive a full course of an antibiotic or a month's supply of a maintenance drug free of charge.
Did You Know? Pharmacies also receive free sample from drug companies. Check with your pharmacist to see if they have any free samples of over-the-counter medications that you need. This can be a great way to try out new allergy or heartburn medicines, among others.
3. Request Coupons Coupons aren't just for groceries. Check with your doctor and pharmacist to see if they have any coupons or rebate offers for the prescriptions that you take. Still no luck? Visit the manufacturer's website to request coupons by mail.
4. Shop Around You shop around for everything else, so why not your prescriptions? Before you have any prescription filled, call around to several local pharmacies to find out who has the best price on your medication. This is especially beneficial if you don't have drug coverage – as the base price can vary extensively from pharmacy to pharmacy.
5. Go the Mail Order Route More and more insurance companies are pushing the use of mail order pharmacies, so check with your provider to see if they offer any discounts for using such a service. Often, you can get a three months supply of your prescription for the cost of a single co-pay – a very good deal indeed.
6. Split Pills If you are taking a tablet that comes in more than one strength (say 15mg and 30mg), you may be able to cut your medication costs by having the higher strength tablets cut in half. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist to see if this is a viable option for you. Most pharmacies will happily split the pills for you, but you can purchase an inexpensive pill splitter, if you need to do it yourself.
7. Ask about OTCs Many of today’s over-the-counter drugs are former prescription drugs. Before you fill a prescription, talk to your doctor to see if an OTC might meet your needs.
8. Use a Discount Card
No prescription coverage? Don't resign yourself to paying full price; instead check around to see if you're eligible for a prescription discount card with any organization that you belong to – say AARP or even your auto insurance provider (mine offers a discount card to all members).
No luck turning up a free card? Shop around for a paid pharmacy discount card. In most cases, the savings will more than make up for the cost of membership.
9. Investigate Hardship Programs Budget too tight to cover the medication that you need? Don’t do without! Check with the maker of your prescription to see if they offer any hardship programs. You can often get your medication for free or at a reduced cost, if you can’t afford to pay retail. Here’s a link to two programs: Pfizer, Merck.

Tava Body Painting on the Tyra Banks show

My team did these body painting for Tava, a new Pepsi product. The body paint designs were based on the product artwork. We had to incorporate the product graphics & work around the bathing suits. The designs had to modified on the fly because we were allowed one less painter than originally planned for and we, of course, had less time to paint than originally planned for. It all worked out fine. We're used to being adaptable. The client was delighted. Life is good.