Body Paint! (or, So You Want To Go Green)

   I've had a lot of questions about having green skin, so a little more on that here. To go green, I use an alcohol based dye and an airbrush.  I've been using Skin Illustrator liquid, but there are a few brands out there. For Gamora, I used about 60% green and 40% Jester Yellow.

There's no friends like con friends!

  Water based vs alcohol based: There are a lot of good water based paints out there, and they're a good place to start. They're cost effective and easy to obtain, and with a good sealer are not a bad choice for learning. The down side is that no matter how well you seal, it will rub off on your costume, your props, other people, etc. If you're only painting for a photo shoot or are painting your skin in such a way that the color won't have much contact with your costume or anything else (say, a tattoo or maybe you just need to paint your face, something like that) it's probably not a bad way to go. Just don't expect it to last all day.
  Alcohol dyes don't.come.off. For real. You can put the stuff on in the morning and it'll still be there that night. I've had very minor rub off on my collar and at the joints of my fingers, but other than that, it's there to stay. Exhibit A:

This was taken a few hours after a con, after changing out of my costume, eating, and working in the yard some. Still quite green.

 The biggest drawback, of course, is the cost.  Skin Illustrator runs around $11 per ounce and it takes 6-7 ounces to do my face, torso, arms and back. We didn't paint the middle of my back to save some money, but because of the cutouts on the vest we had to do the sides of my back. Mark out only the parts of your skin that will show to avoid unnecessarily wasting dye!
  Liquid alcohol dyes can be sponged or brushed on, but I prefer an airbrush because it gives a much smoother application. Of course, it helps to have a partner to do this, and one you don't mind being highly personal with you depending on what you have to paint! Most alcohol dyes can be sealed either under the dye or over it depending on the brand, but personally I don't use a sealer. It makes me feel sticky and it doesn't really seem necessary with the staying power it already has.
 There are removers on the market for alcohol dyes but I've never tried them. I find that scrubbing with baby oil (and if necessary, rubbing alcohol for any stubborn spots) does the job just fine.  Not gonna lie, it takes a while and a LOT of scrubbing, but it works. A shower will not. Exhibit B:

I can remove the dye from my arms and face and such myself, but obviously I can't reach my back. This is after removing all the dye I could reach and after taking a long shower.  For real....this stuff stays on.

  I find that there is a slight sheen with the dye and it's most noticeable on my face. To combat this, I made some green powder by adding some powdered food color to baby powder and brushing it all over my face.
 
Other info-

  Remove your body hair. All of it. Don't think there's enough hair to worry about?  That's cool. I didn't either, the first time.  Go ahead and paint yourself.
  Yeah. That paint sticks to every tiny hair and makes you look like a muppet or a cactus or something.  So, razor, wax, Nair, whatever floats your boat.  But make sure you get it all!
     Side note: If you have a cut/scrape/abrasion and get Nair in it and leave it for ten minutes, it'll make it worse.  A lot worse.
      Side side note: If you spray alcohol dye into resulting open wound it will sting like bejeesus. Just saying.

  Painting your entire face will alter your perception of color slightly. I can only assume this is due to different colors of light being absorbed/reflected by your skin, but it's a little disorienting if you're not prepared for it. (My boyfriend claims I'm hyper-sensitive to things like this, so it may not happen to everyone.  But it's weird.)

  Painting your face all one color will also make it look really flat in pictures. If you haven't learned about facial contouring yet, now would be a good time!

  Most grown-ups at cons are wary of touching body paint. Most kids are not. This has never been a problem with alcohol dye but something to be aware of with water based paint.

  I carry disposable gloves for potty time, and a straw for drinking time.

  It takes around an hour to paint my upper body one solid color. Make sure you're dry before moving (fortunately alcohol dye dries pretty fast) and having a fan around helps with the fumes.  Unfortunately, the alcohol dye is REALLY COLD and the fan makes it worse, so it's kind of a toss up between being able to breathe and being not freezing.

  If you're airbrushing, use a smaller tip for the face than the body.  It takes longer, but there's so much overspray with the larger tips that it makes it really, really hard to breathe.

  Clean up your mess with some rubbing alcohol.  Hotel maids don't love colored residue everywhere.

And I think that's about it! And if not, just ask! :)