My First Contest

Last night, I prepared and submitted my first ever entry to a contest! It's very exciting and I'm rather proud of myself. In the face painting world, it is customary to compete, be it on line competitions or at conventions. There are all sorts of things an artist can do. One series of competitions on-line is held by a paint manufacturer, and they have a whole list of categories like butterflies, holiday, utilize the ear, or even including a man's beard in the design. The competitons at conventions are day-long events and the body art is elaborate. They hold an awards ceremony and people get all dressed up.

My entry is for a painter's forum I belong to. Each month they have a new topic to help foster creativity. The submission has to be in the form of a how-to to help others learn how to paint. We have all month to submit an entry, and after the end of the month, the members vote on the best. This month, the winner wins a Kryolan UV Palatte.

The topic was "Changing Seasons." I spent a while thinking about this one. Eventually I was inspired by the movies like Fantasia and Thumbelina that have faries fly around and bring in each season. I thought of the dawn and little faries waking up the flowers for Spring.

Wish me Luck!

~Jen

Row Cavity Killaz!

The first annual IUPUI Regatta was Awesome! The weather couldn't have been better. There were lots of fun things to do, plenty of kids, the racing was fun, and the food was good!

Again, a day of firsts! Fox 59 came by and filmed Lana painting. That night I saw her on the 11 o'clock news painting the dreaded Pirate of the Canal! Way to go Lana! Then later, a camera came by from IUPUI and caught me painting a hard-core blondie who wanted a dragon! One lady asked us if we would paint her Chihuahua, Beans. As we don't discriminate against Canine-Americans, Lana went for it. That little dog actually smiled through it! Click on the pic to see everything up close!!!!

Ryan came along, as usual, and took tons of pics. On his site, http://www.ryanbaxterphotography.ifp3.com/, he has a gallery just for us, plus loads of pictures from the day: the people, the racing, the rubber duckies!

So much fun! I think we'll be back next year!

~Jen

Under the Tenth Street Bridge

Well, Almost.

Yesterday, Lana and I had the pleasure of meeting with the event coordinator for the IUPUI Canal Regatta. We got to finalize plans, find out what other fun things will be there, and pick a location. It's very exciting. There are going to be a lot of kid-attractions on the horseshoe end of the canal by Buggs Temple. There will also be bands performing and the canoe races will begin on that end. We picked a nice, shady spot just south of the 10th street Bridge. I'm so excited!!!

Now we have to work on a few designs that are appropriate to the event... oars, school mascot, lifesavers? Should be good!

Go Jags!

~Jen

Coming Events!!

Things are really beginning to pick up and the weekend schedule is filling, so book your party soon if you have a birthday in need of some extra pizzaz!

Saturday, September 19th is the first annual IUPUI Regatta on the Canal downtown. PartiGras will be there for the fun festivities on the water! It's from 11:30-6pm and it sounds like it will be a lot of fun.

Halloween plans are being set, and we hope to be a part of the Irvington Halloween Festival. There is a long history of doing the holiday right in that neighborhood, and I'm just itching to get in on it! Same bat time, same bat channel.... stay tuned for more info.

Although we are starting to get busier, there is still availability. Email us at partigras@gmail.com.

Jennifer was Robbing the Bank Friday Night!

Last night, I had the opportunity to paint at the Art Bank, which is located at 811 Massachusetts Ave. It was a First Friday event, so there were artists of all sorts (including my husband who still has work showing... you go hubby), many were showing and creating, there was a rocking band, food, what more could someone ask for? Apparently there is usually a market there on Fridays from 4-8, so I may be back, because they offer freshly grown produce as well! I had so much fun and stayed busy the whole night. I did the usual spidermen, always a fave, and got to test drive Lucille, my new huge toolbox on wheels, and it will make set up for both festivals and birthday parties a breeze. So, here's some pics... and everyone should run out to the ArtBank ASAP! A very cool place to be.

The Taste of Downtown

It was hot, sunny, and sweaty, but loads of fun and a great learning experience too! We had a great location next to the entrance to the winery. We learned that we need a better table, as my little one wanted to come apart easy! We also learned that Lana and I both burn easy. But it was good... we tried some new things. I tried a more stylistic SpiderMan with more tear-drop shaped webbing. Lana had a request for a Blue Spiderman which looked great! We also had some new paint to try, which can be seen in Lana's Red and Black Dragon, the Mermaid, and the Flowers and Butterfly. More pics can be seen on Ryan's site, http://www.ryanbaxterphotography.ifp3.com/. We got to make some contacts for birthday partys and another event. And to end the evening well, we have been invited back for next year! Yay!

~Jen

What goes good with wine? Face painting! Oh, and Cheese!

Excellent news! PartiGras is teaming up with Easley Winery to bring face painting to the Taste of Downtown on Saturday, August 8th! Lana and I are so very excited. I got the call yesterday from a co-worker who helps us facepaint for the annual picnic and also works for Easley. She told the Wonderful Makers of Excellent Wines of our skills, and they asked her to invite us to be their guest. We get to set up shop, offering our excellent skills to the masses, and in exchange we paint the Easley Children for free. Yippee!

As another exciting addition, Ryan Baxter Photography has made his services available for the event (that would be the "cheese" part of the title). He will be photographing our work and posting the images to his website, http://www.ryanbaxterphotography.ifp3.com/, so that the memory of our work can outlive the washcloth. Our clients will be able to get a free digital image if they would like. Very cool.

For the next week, Lana and I will be scurrying around making sure we have everything we need and praying for a beautiful day! (I bought a new bandana for my hair just for the occasion!) And next Saturday, 4-10, we expect to see everyone on College Ave! Check out the details at www.easleywinery.com/taste_of_downtown/

See Ya there!

~Jen