Pop art meets Comic Imagery LOTD

Yes another of mine late night post kittens   J

I had to get real crafty this Halloween and what happens when one doesn’t have a costume and gets invited to this flamboyant party (well your boy is going to be there so we might just call it fab as well!).The Pop Art Makeup looks are well known for the bold primary colors, exaggerated contours and lots of Ben-Day dots. Now the question arise what exactly are  Ben-day dots? The Ben-Day dots  printing process, named after illustrator and printer Benjamin Henry Day, Jr. is a technique dating from 1879.Depending on the effect, color and optical illusion needed, small colored dots are closely spaced, widely spaced or overlapping. Magenta dots, for example, are widely spaced to create pink. Pulp comic books of the 1950's and 1960's used Ben-Day dots in the four process colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) to inexpensively create shading and secondary colors such as green, purple, orange and flesh tones.They are visually striking, fun to do and wear and highly appreciated for a fashion project, a costume party or a Halloween character design.

 The Comic Book Character Makeup that I’m about to give you points on is an eccentric look and calls for great confidence and an open mind towards makeup and art in general.

When creating a Pop Art Makeup design, you want to look like you just stepped out of a Comic Book. Lichtenstein’s heroines are generally used for inspiration and guidance to achieve this look.

His best known works, such as Drowning Girl, the M-Maybe Girl and the Ohhh…Alright… Girl are Comic Book Characters from “Run For Love!” DC Comics and are considered Pop Art icons and a constant source of inspiration for Pop Art Makeup looks.

Lichtenstein’s post-1963 comics-based women look hard, crisp, brittle, and uniformly modish in appearance, as if they all came out of the same pot of makeup.

The look calls for certain elements, as portrayed by Lichtenstein’s heroines:

·         Thick outlines;

·         Scketched mimical expressions;

·         Bold & vibrant colors;

·         Applied art;

·         Patterns;

·         Ben-Day dots, as if created by photographic reproduction;

·         Large zones of flat colors;

·         High contrast between the subject and the back ground;

·         Comical, decorative, fashionable and fanciful technical manner.

In Pop art, material is sometimes visually removed from its known context, isolated or combined with unrelated material. The concept of pop art refers not as much to the art itself as to the attitudes that led to it, and although the art itself might be considered eccentric, its interpretation calls for undemanding social observations.

·    What are the key elements that give the uniqueness of Pop Art?

·    When examining pop art images, you’ll find there are several key elements that tie these seemingly unrelated art pieces together, and for our purpose – mashing them into a Pop Art Character Makeup – it is essential to decipher and adapt them to your design.

Not the first time I’ve seen images of make up like this but I think it looks awesome. I’ve noticed a growing trend of artists trying to make real life look like pictures rather than making pictures that look like real life. I really Like this image and I just wanted to share it.

Also today I’ve tried doing a full faced tutorial and I shot everything on the front camera cellphone :P So apologies for the quality.

1.I've started with clean moisturised face. This look is to achieve that stepped out of the comic book look. Hence a clear skin is must .The foundation lies in well moisturised face.

2.Next I use the Garnier BB cream,you can use a foundation if you want .I rarely use foundations.

3. I use a flat top foundation brush from my Coastal Scents kit and use it to buff the loose powder on my entire face.

4.Using the camouflage palette from Coastal Scents I use the 2 concealers that I’m pointing to highlight and conceal any spots on my face.

Okay now starts the fun part.I’ve personally used a liner and face paint for my face.I know you’re all great at face  painting and have won competitions but trust me you do tend to get shaky so a steady hand use your pinky finger to rest all your weight. Even a better option get a friend along ,you could do each other makeup and go as the twin!

5.Contour your eyebrows with a liquid liner and a brush, striving to achieve sharp edges. If you need to perfect the edges, use a Q tip dipped in cleanser or concealer.

6. After you achieved perfectly contoured eyebrows in an angled 50s shape, use the same eyeliner applicator or brush to draw a line down the center of your nose, on one side of the bridge of the nose and around the nostrils.  Thick outlines are a characteristic so don’t worry if your outlines are slick.

Basically we are going to highlight all the highpoints on our face.

7. Your eyes and lips will be only areas (except the dots, ofcourse) where you’ll have bold & vibrant flat colors, so choose a color blocking shade and apply it with hard edge.So I chose a purple and a pink eyeshadow for my eyes.I really wanted them to pop. Your another set of friendly options are neon greens,vibrant oranges or turquoise.

8. Next I drew some fake lashes on my lower lids. You could wear falsies too ,whereas in the parallel universe I’ve to wash everything and go to sleep after this :P No editing here cos I wanted you to see my lashes clearly.Fill i

n your lips with a bold red and add white for that 3 dimensional luscious effect.

9.We are one step closer to ending this. Patience girl, time to place  your Ben-days dots .I asked Sanky to do it for me he used red face paint and the end of a brush ,we stopped halfway to achieve a gradual spread effect.You should definitely add a wig  preferably yellow or red :)

Voila!You are ready to rock this look.

·         I personally enjoy a mix of  vintage & pop art and  if you are one of those archetypal treasure hunters you'll like it too. I had so much fun shooting for this LOTD and I hope it really does make you smile and you try it.
I’ll be back very soon doodles. Till then,

Stay Chic

Xoxo