Glitter Tattooing - Ybody Pink Glue - Review

One of the most important things to me is having the right kit for the job.  First of all it needs to be safe and fit for purpose, and secondly it needs to do the job well.  There are a lot of body glues on the market, but my preferred brand is Ybody.  I have tried a couple of others very briefly, but Ybody wins hands down.  I talk with a lot of body artists and one question I have been asked on countless occasions is "how do your glitter tattoos look so good for so long, when mine tend to look quite worn after a couple of days?".  This is a much discussed subject, and it is not always entirely down to the brand of glue, but Ybody does tend to have more staying power.

Ybody Pink Glue, available from Facade Bodyart Supplies, goes onto the skin very easily.  The bottle is the same size as a standard nail varnish bottle, but the contents go a long way because only a very thin layer is required.  The brush inside the bottle, also like a nail varnish brush, is perfect for applying the glue to stencil designs, and with a little practice, for creating very delicate freehand designs.  I would never have believed this until I tried it myself!!

It has a watery consistency to begin with, making it great to work with, especially for freehand work.  As the glue dries on the skin, it becomes clear and very sticky.  If using a stencil, the stencil should ideally be removed before the glue dries clear to prevent it becoming stringy and leaving a ragged edge.  Once completely clear, the glue is sticky, ready for glitter and as long as nothing comes in contact with it, will stay that way for as long as you like; giving you plenty of time to be as adventurous as you like with colour combinations and blending.  Be sure to press the glitter firmly onto the glue using a dry sponge before brushing away the excess.  Here's one I prepared earlier!!

Mini Canvas

How small does a canvas have to be before it becomes too small to be considered real art?  or is there really no limit?  Well this has to be classed as art because it is called 'nail art', and it is one of the activities that I am insured to do under my visual artist insurance!

I love trying new things and although I have done a fair bit of 'standard' nail art before, this was me playing with nail varnish as an art tool rather than its traditional use as a make-up item.  I can say for sure that it doesn't blend very well and should probably be used in an area with good ventilation!

The thumb nail probably needs some explanation, but I want to see if anyone can guess what it is supposed to be!  The ladybird; which would have been better the other way round, was last to be done and to be honest, by that point I was seriously suffering from the fumes because nail varnish is not great for use on projects that take more than a few minutes!  Next up is a flame effect with a little blending, but that was not easy, added extra time and contributed to my fume induced ladybird.  The tiger stripes are my favourite, quite traditional for nail art, but quick, easy and effective.  On my little finger, a little more 'canvas-like' arty with summery flowers, not so much blending going on so much easier to execute with this sticky medium.

The sad thing about nail art is that it doesn't last very long.  It chips and flakes and soon needs refreshing.  But this complaint is ironic coming from somebody who usually paints on flesh with water based face and body paint, and knows that within hours of painting, the art - in its natural form - is gone!  So sad :-(

Frozen garden

Frost and ice, although very cold and dreaded by most, is always beautiful in its own way.  I thought it would be nice to capture the delicate and crystalised frost in the garden yesterday to help me get used to the new camera.  It is amazing that whist the garden is looking bare and bleak at the moment, one small branch on its own can look so pretty.

2012 - The year of the blog!

Welcome to my new blog.  I would love to tell you a little bit about what I plan to post here, but in reality I don't know that myself yet!  I have a few ideas, and it will all be related in some way to 'arts and crafts' because that is something that has been a consistent passion in my life and fits in perfectly with my job as a visual artist.  I hope to learn some new skills and share my journey here, for example, photography.... is that art?  I think so, others may not!  I have been inspired by some friends to explore photography so after thinking about it for some time I upgraded my camera and hope to produce some lovely pictures, some of which I will share here on my journey to acquire this new skill.

I love painting, though often my creations don't last very long because my favourite canvas is flesh.  This is a great crossover with my aim to become a good photographer because I will hopefully be able to produce high quality images of my face and body art.  I paint in acrylics (not on flesh!) occasionally, though I hope to do more of this in 2012 as I expand my business to include handmade gifts and trinkets.

I will post about, and review, some of the products I use and will be exploring new arts and crafts, new brands and most of all, I will enjoy expanding the scope of my work.  Signing off now, but I will hopefully have something meaningful to share very soon!