Maria Moore | Becoming Moonlight

Body Art and Mental Health

Art has a way of letting our brains speak without using words (1). Body art can be used as an outlet for people who struggle with their mental health (2). This can be done via permanent or temporary methods. However, not everyone who has a tattoo or does body art is struggling with mental health. Whether you’re observing, producing the art, or being used as a model, body art can play an important role in a healing process.

Body art of a sketch of a smiling person with a model that shows signs of stress in the brain area.

The Artist

The human body is a unique canvas. Learning to work on bodies is an acquired skill as bodies have various shapes, bumps, scars, and pigmentation. It’s a continuous learning experience and it helps you think on your feet when a plan doesn’t work out.

Sometimes an artist will spend several hours working for a single photo or video. The art is then washed off, never to be seen in person again. The image becomes a new form of art when it becomes a photograph or video. Whether one person or a million sees your work, it’s all worth it in the end. Not all art has to be shared.

The Model

Flowers are painted on an arm in a watercolor fashion.

In some circumstances, being painted on can feel tranquil. Models may have to hold uncomfortable positions that can prevent the feeling of tranquility, however.

I’ve had models fall asleep while I’ve painted them or tell me that it felt great to get paid to relax. The strokes of a soft brush against skin can be soothing, especially if you’re feeling down or struggling with a negative state of mind (3).

The Art Itself

Body art of tiny bugs literally crawling out of the skin of an arm.

Viewing art has plenty of positive benefits on our brain such as relieving stress (4). It can also help us feel like we’re not alone. Have you ever come across a piece that you felt connected with? Perhaps it made you feel understood. Art can offer insight into how someone else is feeling by using visual means. In the photo above, there are bugs crawling around the skin and the hand is held in a tense position reaching into the dark. This is a personal representation of anxiety.

My Experience

My mental illness casserole recipe contains a dash of OCD, a pinch of depression, and a whole lot of PTSD and anxiety . Creating and photographing body art helps me work through these. I find tranquility when I’m painting. I have music playing, I’m focused, and I usually have a plan of what I want to accomplish. Body art teaches me to have patience with myself. It reminds me that I may picture one thing, but the outcome may be something much different. I become focused in the present when I create. Sometimes I surprise myself, and sometimes I disappoint myself. The disappoints are a gentle reminder that perfection is an unrealistic standard, and that is okay. I’ll always keep painting as long as I know people who don’t mind letting me borrow their bodies for a few hours.

There are plenty of reasons to give body art a try, whether you decide to be the artist, model, or both. Mehandi sells wonderful mediums that you can use regardless of what stage of art you’re in.

Here are some links on more information using different mediums of body art:

http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2017/10/18/white-henna-gilding/
http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2017/10/02/henna-on-body-part-one/
http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2017/10/10/henna-on-body-part-two/

Important numbers:
If you’re contemplating suicide, please call: 1-800-273-8255
If you’re in a crisis text HOME 741741
If you’re ever in an emergency situation call 911

*This article is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental illnesses. This article is meant for entertainment purposes only and shares my personal experience.

Maria • Licensed Cosmetologist of Ohio • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist

Citations

Stephanie Lewis Harter (2007) Visual Art Making for Therapist Growth and Self-Care, Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 20:2, 167-182, DOI: 10.1080/10720530601074721
Shekhar, Divya. “When Words Fail: How Body Art Is Helping People to Narrate Stories on Mental Health Issues.” The Economic Times, 19 June 2018, economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/when-words-fail-how-body-art-is-helping-people-to-narrate-stories-on-mental-health-issues/articleshow/64643091.cms?from=mdr.
Fetell, Ingrid. “Sad Times Call for Soft Textures.” Psychology Today, 20 June 2011, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/design-and-the-mind/201106/sad-times-call-soft-textures.
Gallery, Park West. “Art and Health: The Real-World Benefits of Viewing Art.” Park West Gallery, 26 Feb. 2020, www.parkwestgallery.com/art-and-health-the-benefits-of-viewing-art/#:%7E:text=It’s%20true%E2%80%94recent%20studies%20and,and%20boosting%20critical%20thinking%20skills.

Mehron with my Daughter

Do you hear that?

It’s the sound of bright pastel colors!

I had drawn a cute design of a chick popping out of a decorated egg. My daughter saw my design and thought it was so cool; she wanted it on her face. We found some time to apply it to her face, but we didn’t like the outcome. It looked great on paper but not so much in person. (She is too embarrassed to share the picture.)

The next day, my daughter took it upon herself to draw out her own design. We decided to try again but with what she liked. We still stayed with the egg design. We did not do a base color, like some may normally do because as a kid it’s hard to sit still. Everything was a distraction!

We started at the top with our main design: hearts and circles.

The Mehron paints work very well with a spritz of water. It doesn’t take too much to get it working. There are a variety of colors to choose from. We had a nice selection to work with but someone decided they wanted a color we didn’t have. We mixed blue and pink to get a nice lilac color.

We moved down the face with the rest of our design and she came out as a beautiful egg! This was a fun thing to do, while we are at home for the time being. She felt very involved by picking her own design and getting to wear makeup. It made one happy child (for an hour). I’m sure we’ll use these more to have some fun. She may even get to paint my face.

Want to try Mehron Paradise Paints? Get them here: https://www.mehandi.com/Mehron-Paradise-Bodypaint-p/mehron_01.htm

Damaris • Licensed Cosmetologist • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist

TEMPTU vs Becoming Moonlight Body Art

TEMPTU is a paint used on the body that can last for several days. Becoming Moonlight gilding paste is a body art adhesive that is applied via cone and stays as a raised design on the skin for several days. Both are required to be sealed with mica powder. I was curious…which lasts longer? Which is easier to use?

I practiced both designs on paper before attempting to draw them on my leg. I then practiced both the TEMPTU design and the Becoming Moonlight design on my arm. The TEMPTU on the back of my hand looked great and did not budge when washing my hands. The Becoming Moonlight on my inner wrist was not so good. My lines were shaky and uneven. This is only the second or third time I have worked with both body art mediums.

Pros and Cons

I personally found it a little easier to control the Becoming Moonlight cone than painting with TEMPTU. With the paintbrush you have to make sure you are using even pressure the whole time and that you have enough of the paint on the brush. TEMPTU dries quickly on the skin and hair or lint doesn’t stick to it over time.

The Becoming Moonlight cone needs even pressure for the paste to flow evenly. I did have a little trouble getting the pressure on the cone to flow the way I wanted to at first, but I got adjusted and was able to complete my design. Over time, small lint and hair from my clothes stuck to the Becoming Moonlight paste.

24 hours later…

The design on my leg with the TEMPTU was great! I was very pleased with the placement, design and the way the Becoming Moonlight mica powder adhered to it. After a shower, the design done with TEMPTU did not seem affected.

The Becoming Moonlight design had fuzz and hair stuck to it and was starting to lift in a few small areas. This method of body art works better in areas where clothes are not going to create friction against the design since the paste remains raised.

5 days later…

After 5 days both the TEMPTU and the Becoming Moonlight paste were still on my skin. I was very impressed with the staying power of both. Placement makes a huge difference in how long the art will last.

The TEMPTU stayed on better than the Becoming Moonlight paste. I was able to shave over TEMPTU with minimal wear and tear to the design. Since the Becoming Moonlight paste was raised, I chose to shave around it.

Overall, TEMPTU stayed better. If my pants weren’t rubbing against the Becoming Moonlight design, the outcome would have been different, however, it’s winter in Ohio… so pants are kind of needed.

TEMPTU is good for week-long wear, shooting a video or a movie, or a temporary tattoo on vacation. Becoming Moonlight paste is good for a weekend festival, holiday parties, homecoming, prom etc.

I am still learning to use these materials but the more I use them, the more comfortable I feel. With more practice, I will start to feel even more confident in my skills as a new artist!

How to create white Henna with TEMPTU: https://www.mehandi.com/Articles.asp?ID=273

I was inspired by patterns in this free ebook for both designs: http://www.hennapage.com/henna/what/freebooks/patterns1.pdf

You can view more free pattern books from www.hennapage.com

Click here to read more about TEMPTU

Liz • Ancient Sunrise Specialist

Airbrushing with TEMPTU

If you have never used TEMPTU, you should definitely give it a try. This form of body art can be done by painting with a brush on the skin or by using an airbrush gun. I’ll admit that I still need to…brush up…on my skills 😂. Bad puns aside, I probably went through most human emotions while airbrushing with TEMPTU.

TEMPTU is a paint that can stay on the skin for several days. It should be sealed with mica powder once the paint is tacky, in order to prolong the paint. When I say it lasts, I mean it lasts. I wore Black Dura Platinum on my face (without a mica powder) for a rock concert and it stayed on for two days after (despite sweating, moshing, using makeup remover, and scrubbing). Rubbing alcohol makes the paint come off easily, but I had forgotten this fact.

I’ve been dying to airbrush with TEMPTU, but haven’t really attempted it in my body art projects at Mehandi, as my airbrushing skills could use improvement. I recommend practicing on a piece of paper first, or an area on your body that you don’t plan on showing off any time soon. I kept scrap paper nearby and performed spray tests to check paint flow frequently.

A few things I noticed…

If you do not shake the bottle enough before using the paint, the pigments may not come out the way you’d expect.
Bottles that have been opened for a couple of years may be thicker and harder to work with.
- Newly opened bottles seemed to work much better.
A little bit of alcohol mixed in with thicker paint might help. Avoid the eye area and do not apply this over other areas that already have paint on the surface. It will remove other paint, or cause it to run.
- This isn’t recommended if the paint is working fine, as it will make the art have a shorter life span or appear weaker.

I turned a post-it note into a heart stencil. I folded the paper in half and cutting a heart out of the center. Something stronger, but bendable would be more ideal as a stencil for TEMPTU. Before the airbrushing started, it seems that completing a full look to go with the hearts would be appropriate.

The Look

Mehron Metallic Powder in Gold was applied to my cheeks and tip of my nose. Becoming Moonlight mica powder in Bridal Red was applied under my eyes and to the corner of my eyes blending into Orchid and doing the inner corners with a touch of Gold Metallic powder. Unfortunately, I lightly ruined one eye due to user error with airbrushing (that reminds me- don’t aim for your eye while airbrushing). I used neutral shades of the Mehron Paradise Palette on my lips.

On one side of my face, I painted a couple of hearts to compare it to the airbrush hearts. The “Beet” TEMPTU bottle was a bit too old to use and clogged the airbrush gun quite a few times. I used “Henna” TEMPTU which was much easier to use as it was recently opened. Here you can see the results of both pigments.

From a distance, the heart on the top left side looks like a pimple. The purple hearts on the right side of my cheek were both painted on.

While the heart looks nice, the eye makeup is a little messed up due to spraying air into my eye and causing it to water.

Airbrushing wins!

In the end, airbrushing gave more of an even appearance to the hearts. It also dried faster. When using a stencil, airbrushing definitely takes the cake, as the painting over a stencil was uneven and messy. Airbrushing can also help achieve details that aren’t done as easily or quickly by painting. It can help layer paint without feeling that the paint is heavy. I hope to bring more body art pieces to Mehandi using airbrushing with TEMPTU.

To read more about TEMPTU techniques, check out this blog: http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2019/03/14/how-to-celtic-style-designs/

Maria • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist • LPC

Adding Body Art into your Everyday Look

♥️ Happy Valentine’s Day! ♥️

Love is in the air but the looks are what we’re serving.

I will be going over how to add body art into your every day look. This can be easy and fit right into your schedule. I’m not a jewelry person so it makes it easy to accent with body art instead. There are so many uses for the Mehron Metallic Powders. Who doesn’t like something shiny, right? I’m going to use it to make my design on my wrist and hand.

Making a design is easy. You can draw it out first or just apply freely.

Tools

To make your mix you’ll want to get your Mehron Mixing Liquid and pour a small amount into a bottle cap lid or small container. A small amount of the Metallic powder will go a long way. You may need more if you want a bigger design. Once this is mixed, you’re ready to go.

I started with my big design first, in the middle of my hand.
I’m going with a diamond.

I can work around this and add in bracelets.

I add smaller details like rings and dots last.

These products can be used on all ages. For a longer-lasting design, you can put it farther up your arm, as it will wash away with soap and water.

Read about “white henna” here: http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2017/10/18/white-henna-gilding/

Damaris • Ancient Sunrise Specialist • LLC

New to White Henna – Part 2

The idea that you have to be an artist to use a Becoming Moonlight® gilding cone for body art is false. I’ve only used a gilding cone once before this, which was tracing my mermaid tattoo. The keyword there is “trace”. I am not really artistic, so I am going to share my beginners’ experience using a Becoming Moonlight® gilding cone with you.

For my first design, I attempted a starfish. Truthfully, it was awful. My lines were messy and too close together and the right pressure wasn’t applied to the cone for the paste to come out evenly. My next step was dumping the powder and glitters onto the paste right away. I didn’t follow the instructions (which is to let the paste sit for 5 to 10 minutes first). Oops! This resulted in my design being messed up further.

I used lighter colors, which made it hard to see on my pale skin. I felt frustrated throughout most of the process and disappointed that I didn’t just get it right. I decided to try again.

My second design was a flower in the same spot as my starfish, the underside of my wrist. The design was cramped and I used lighter colors again, however, my lines were a little better! I let the paste sit for a few minutes to get tacky, which allowed the glitter and paste to stick a little better for me. Overall, my second time making my own design wasn’t as frustrating as the first time.

What is it they say? “Third time’s a charm?” I mastered my design! It’s not perfect, but it is much better.

This time, I did a flower on the back of my hand using “Jet” Becoming Moonlight® glitter. My lines were better and the design was a little more spread out. I followed all of the steps, and I’m pretty confident that had something to do with my design turning out better.

Using this method of body art was awkward at first because it takes time to adjust to holding a cone. The more I practiced, the better I became at adjusting the pressure of my hand squeezing the cone so I would have even lines. I think we all have artistic abilities within us, but sometimes you have to dig! If I can do this, so can you!

Read Liz’s first-time experience here: http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2020/01/17/new-to-white-henna-part-1/

Patty • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist

New to White Henna – Part 1

I have only ever worked with the Becoming Moonlight Gilding Paste cone one time before. It is a great product for beginners like me, as well as those experienced with body art. The paste stays white and raised which I really like because it makes it easy to see where you are working. Getting used to the feel of the cone is different than working with a paintbrush or pencils. You have to hold it so that you have firm pressure, but not so tight that the paste flows unevenly. This can take some time to get used to. I have learned a lot when working with the Becoming Moonlight Gilding cone.

For my design, I practiced freehand on paper before drawing on my hand. This was to get used to the feel of the cone, and how much pressure you need to allow the paste to come out evenly. Once I was happy with my design on paper, I mimicked the design on my left hand.

My first few lines were a little shaky and not very symmetrical. Having clean and even lines come with the experience of using a cone for body art. Your art does not have to be perfect to look good. Becoming Moonlight® Gilding paste is not permanent and can be easily taken off.

I was able to add a little more paste to the middle to allow the paste to touch in the center.

Parts of my design were not touching when I finished, however, I was able to fix this by adding a little more paste, then powder and glitter to touch it up.

Once the paste is on the skin, it has to sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the paste to become tacky before it can be sealed with mica powder or glitter. I made the mistake of not waiting long enough and had to redo a small part of my design.

The small flat brush I used for the mica powder was perfect because the mica clumped together on the tip of the bristles. I cleaned the brush in between colors so that the powders did not mix. I used the same brush for applying glitter, which did not work as well. I learned that I need a wider flat brush for applying the glitter to the design.

Using a brush to wipe the extra powder away is helpful.

I chose teal glitter and purple mica powder for my design because I like the way that those colors complement each other. Lighter colors would not look as good on my fair skin as they would on someone else. By contrast, the colors I chose may not look good on everyone either.

In conclusion, I like working with the Becoming Moonlight Gilding Paste cone. The freedom to draw and express ones-self in body art feels awesome! You can trace a design or make up your own. If you mess up, you can wash it off and start over. This is not easily done with other types of body art mediums. The paste can also be peeled off for work or school. It is great for a day or weekend event.

Tips:

If there is an air bubble in the cone, the paste sputters when coming out. This can be wiped off with an alcohol covered cotton swab. The area should be dry before reapplying the paste.
If the paste is not tacky, the adhesive will stick to the brush being used to apply the glitter or mica powder and lift from the skin.
To use multiple colors or glitters in your design, I found it easier to complete the part of the design for one color, then go back and add additional paste for other colors.
The mica and glitter colors should complement each other. The colors you or the client chooses should also look good with the skin tone they are being put on.

Read Patty’s experience with white henna here: http://www.becomingmoonlight.blog/2020/01/31/new-to-white-henna-part-2/

Liz • Ancient Sunrise® Specialist

You can become an artist, too! Order cones, powders, and glitter here: https://www.mehandi.com/Becoming-Moonlight-Gilding-Paste-p/3979.htm
https://www.mehandi.com/Becoming-Moonlight-Glitter-p/glitter_01.htm
https://www.mehandi.com/Becoming-Moonlight-Gilding-Powder-p/gild-pwdr_01.htm