New name, new website, new CONTEST!

We here at YBody USA have gone through a lot of changes this year.  The biggest and most important change is our name!  We are now The Art Factory and Party Place.  We have a new location in Midlothian, Virginia (just outside of Richmond), and have expanded our offerings.  In addition to selling the highest quality body art supplies available, we now offer workshops, classes and host parties!

We will continue to be the North American distributor of YBody glitter tattoos and accessories, but we have increased the supplies we provide as well.  You can now purchase Mehron, FAB, Global, Loew-Cornell and Silly Farm brands in our store.  We have brushes, sponges, henna, stencils (reusable and 3-layer) and any other accessory you might need.

Along with this name change, we re-launched our website with a brand new, fresh look.  We hope you find navigating easy, and we are always looking for feedback. 

Since we have these new products and this new website, we figured that the best way to showcase it would be through you, our loyal customers.  We would like to run a contest to spotlight the amazing talent of our friends. 

Here’s how it works:  this will be a rolling contest, meaning that there is no deadline.  The only requirement is that you use only the products that we sell (easy, right?).   We will be choosing photos that we think best showcases our products, so the quality of the photo matters!  We are looking for pictures of face painting, body painting, henna, and glitter tattoos.  No licensed characters please (if you don’t know how we feel about that, read here). 

Remember that this is for the top spot on our website, so we are looking for something really special.  In addition to having your artwork showcased, we will send you a thank you of $25 in store credit. 

To submit your entry, email the following to ybodyusa@gmail.comybodyusa@gmail.com:
- a photo of your artwork
- a list of the products that you used
- a photo of you
- a waiver statement granting The Art Factory the right to use your photo (make sure that your model is okay with being featured on our website)

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, please let us know!

The Art Factory Team

One year

It was exactly one year ego that I decided to collect some guts and try to actually go and face paint...
I have so many friends in the industry and have been spending so much time in conferences, it was time to give it a go...

Yes, I am an artist,  I have the BFA and papers to show for it,  but I think my struggles were real and very much like every other artist out there! If I hang out with masters in the industry and show up with elementary school level art, what will they think of me? Once you have the papers to prove your artistic skills, and you produce horrible work its eve worse!

Today, as I sit on my sofa with sore feet and what could feel like a broken back, I realize how lucky I am! My view to the world of face painting is just a window to our world through a very cool pair rainbow glasses.. I understand now that this process is a force much grater than me!

Greater than all of us face painters out there...

For the first time I can honestly say, I do not care if my art stinks! 

Sure, I want to improve my skills and get better, but when it comes to the kids it is really not about me or the art.

Its about the moment.

As painters, we have the privilege to give such power to the kids, and in just a few short minutes and a single brush create a superhero or a royal princess!

Some kids are scared, some owns the chair when they sit on it... it really does not matter, both kinds are there hoping to experience the same moment.

We give them power to believe that they can be anything they may dream of. We make them feel pretty, even if they don't believe it. We give them the power to get more attention from strangers as they stand in line with mom to check out at the grocery store, and the grandmother in front will turn around just to comment on how amazing they look!

All this power in just one moment when they sit on the chair while we paint.

This ability to give does not exist in many lines of work. The power to inspire and empower is a huge privilege!

When you sit and really think about WHY you are a face painter, or HOW you became one, think of how the rest of the world see you, and take your emotions out of the equation just for one moment.

Once you take yourself out of the picture and think abut your audience, you will notice that you can even love your art a little more, and maybe give yourself more credit when its due. The level of your art does not change the moment.

Its your conviction that does.

Sure, as artists, we need to always try new things and keep our minds fresh and excited so we don't get bored with monotonic art... that we can do when the season slows down.. Improve our skills, get a little faster, build a rocking display or get additional supply.

But for the moment a kid sits in front of us to get painted the sky is the limit!

It is part of human nature to constantly question our skills as an artist, and even HATE our own art...
It is part of growing up and becoming an adult. We are our worst critique! We can tell ourselves words that no one will ever dare telling us! When we are young we are born with a need for art, its an energy that comes out so smooth and fluid. I constantly see it with the kids that come to create at the Art Factory, they never think twice before picking up the brush and going for it...
But as adults we constantly do edit and question our skills...

Just remember, there are many kinds of art out there ... (it is a huge word!)

I come from the world of commercial art and graphics, when the art is always questioned and criticized. It is part of the process, to create a visual solution that will than get edited again and again by the customer.

Personally, it helped me grow a little thicker skin to realize that my personality is not being measured when someone HATE my art... the ART has a life of its own... I am just the driver of a bus that has its own navigation system and a destination grater than me...

Separating the two worlds is a helpful tool that helped me grow, improve and explore...
It thought me to believe in goodness and know that when my heart is in the right place the rest will just follows...

So rather than spending time getting upset about the competition I think about what I can do to inspire my customers and make them feel special. As a result, our business is growing and we are creating a following.

Best of it all are the kids that keep coming back to our chair every chance they have...


I am so very thankful,
I hope sharing my story will make you feel the same! 

Tal Thompson.

Glow Parties

The coolest party option around... Glow party.  Whether you are working the party in a professional capacity or throwing a party for a birthday kid in your family, glow parties are great fun!

To throw a successful glow party, you will need plenty of glow bracelets, a few powerful black lights, some activities that are glow-in-the dark appropriate, and of course, UV reactive face paint and UV reactive glitter tattoos!

A great activity to start a glow party is to provide all the party kids with white T-shirts and highlighters.  Let each child decorate their own shirt before they go into the "party room".  When they go in, their designs will glow in the black light because of the UV reactive quality of the highlighters!  It is a very cool effect!

No glow party would be complete without UV reactive face paints.  These paints look cool under normal conditions, but when you turn out the lights, and turn on the black lights, they literally shine!  Global face paints UV reactive paints are amazing under black lights.  Simple designs like polka dots on arms using daubers work great for non-professional painters.  For those with more experience, they sky is the limit!

UV reactive glitter tattoos are a huge hit at glow parties!  These go on the same as regular glitter tattoos, the glitter is just UV reactive.  You will still need 3-layer stencils and body glue in addition to the UV reactive glitter.  Apply the stencil, then a thin layer of glue, then brush on the UV reactive glitter.  It is especially fun to put the tattoos on in the regular light and then send them in the "party room" with the black lights on so that they can see them glow.  UV reactive glitters go on the same as regular glitter, but they have a matte finish.  They don't sparkle, but they sure do glow in the black light!

Do you have any questions about throwing or working at a black light party?  Let us know, and we'll be happy to help you!  YBodyUSA@Gmail.com

Festival & Party Set Ups

We are often asked how we set up for events.  The answer is that it depends on the venue.  We have a few different set ups depending on the type of event we are doing.

For festivals, we like to use our large roll up poster.  This is for a number of reasons.  The main reason is that the colorful designs and large scale, always draw a crowd to our festival tent.  The roll up also shows off the range of tattoo stencil options we can provide, so we can "show off" for potential new clients.  We organize our tattoo stencils in two CD storage cases.  A line manager helps the clients decide on a glitter tattoo design, takes their money and hands over the chosen stencil and an alcohol prep pad.  That way, when the client gets to our chair, there is never a question as to who has paid and who hasn't.  The roll up poster is especially designed so that the glitter tattoos that will appeal to the smaller set is right at eye level.  The rest of the designs are grouped by subject and it is really does serve dual purposes, both advertising great glitter tattoos and a great organizing tool.


 
For small parties, I use small jewelry trays and I will bring a small variety of glitter tattoos depending on the age of the party guests.  For younger guests I only bring a few choices, and for older kids I bring more.  I always bring tattoo stencils like flowers, or tribal designs as well, because the adults almost always want to get in on the fun too!  Our stencil sets are always a great choice for parties as well.  The poster is a great professional way to display your glitter tattoo choices and keeps little fingers off your tattoo stencils.


How do you set up for your events?  Let us know at ybodyusa@gmail.com, we'd love to hear!

New Face Painting Products!

Calling all Face Painters!

To all our glitter tattoo friends who also paint faces, we have great news, we have added new face paint products to make you happy!

Global Face Paint:

This is a new Australian brand of face paint which is highly pigmented.  Everyone who tries it is impressed with the beautiful colors.  Our friends at Kapital Kidvention LOVED the global magenta, the dark blue and all of the pearl colors.  The solids are great for blending and line work!  The metallic and pearls are shimmery and work great for blending and bases.  Don't forget about the awesome neon global paints for black light parties!  You are really going to want to try these paints.

Global FX Glitter Gels:

These glitter gels are amazing and HUGE!  The bottles are 36 mL are do not need an extra tip.  They add that extra detail and sparkle to all your paintings.  The only problem you will have with these glitter gels is deciding which color you want to try first!

Arty Brush Cakes:

If you have never tried an Arty Cake, now is your chance!  These one stroke cakes have an array of colors in each stroke which will make your painting super quick and beautiful.  Use them to make your butterflies, monsters, and princesses even more special!

We are going to continue to products for face painting.  If you have ideas, requests or suggestions, please let us know!

IMATS Wrap-Up & Tips

We went to the International Makeup Artist Tradeshow last weekend.  It was our first time experiencing this show and we encountered some surprises.  I thought I would provide a wrap up and some tips for those of you attending IMATS in other locations or in the years to come.

IMATS started out as a show for makeup artists to stock up on supplies, but in the past few years it has changed into a shopping event for the general public.  Be prepared for lots of crowds, walking and spending!

·         Buy tickets early, the show was sold out and tickets were not being sold at the door!

·         Wear comfortable shoes, you could be walking upwards of 7 hours in a day.

·         Set a budget.  Trust me – you will want to spend, spend, spend!  Without a realistic budget, you could very easily end up with a case of buyer’s remorse.

·         Be prepared to wait in line.   The line to get in to IMATS as doors opened on Saturday morning was over four blocks long and about an hour.  If you are just going to check things out and do not have a specific list, you can arrive a little later and avoid most of the lines. 

·         There are also lines for specific booths.  Sugarpill, Lime Crime, Stila, Makeup Geek and MAC seemed to have the most consistent lines, sometimes very long.  We found that around 3:30, however, that a lot of the crowd will clear out and you can walk right up to these booths.  Very few of them had sold out of any items at that time on IMATS Day 1, and it was much less stressful.  It also gave us more of an opportunity to talk with the vendors, which was really fun!

·         Wear black if you want to fit in with the crowd J

·         Bring a camera, or make sure you have storage & charge on your phone.  There are stunning make-up and special effects demonstrations going on over the 2 days, as well as student competitions.

It was an awesome new experience.  I hope that if you have the opportunity to go that you enjoy it as much as we did!

NEW!! Aprons

The big news at Ybody USA is our line of aprons!  Show up at your Glitter Tattoo, Balloon Twisting or Face painting gig wearing one of our stylish glittery aprons and you are sure to be a hit!

These aprons are sturdy and durable, perfect for parties and festivals.  You will stand out in a crowd and look professional doing it.  The added bonus is that these are manufactured in the USA!

Our aprons are the newest addition to our professional wardrobe line.  If aprons aren't your thing – make sure you check out our T-shirts.

Send us a picture of you in your new apron or T-shirt, we’d love to see you!