Who hasn’t seen the classic skull candy Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) face painting?
It must be one of the most popular full mask face paintings around (one below I made on my husband)
According to National Geographic the Day of the Dead originated several thousand years ago with the Aztec, Toltec and other Nahua people who considered mourning the dead disrespectful. They considered death to be just another phase in the cycle of life and celebrated the departed by leaving offerings that would assist them in their onward trials. In recent time’s the festival seems to have been embraced by Mexicans of all walks of life, and are two days of colour, festivities and rituals rife with meaning; at the core of which is love and respect for ones who have passed over.
For those of us not closely connected to the culture probably the most familiar association is with the sugar skull face paintings. Like the ones below I made for some clients,
The face painting itself is called La Calavera Catrina, or the ‘elegant skull’. It has its origins in the early 20th century at the hands of a Mexican illustrator named José Guadalupe Posada. His works, often expressionistic and satirical, were quite popular during that time. He was best known for his animated skulls (calaveras) which would be used in satirical art in the place of human faces, to drop home the message that underneath we are all, rich and poor, the same. For example during an epidemic of cholera in his lifetime he illustrated a man in the body of a snake surrounded by a group of skulls. The skulls that surrounded him were depicted with worldly objects with a sarcastic and ironic ballad describing how cholera had affected every section of society. His depiction of La Calavera Catrina (the famous day of the dead face painting) is believed to be satirizing those aspiring for aristocratic norms of the day.
Leaving aside the historical significance I believe this face painting design has become wildly popular and I often get requests for Day of the Dead skull face paintings and have done quite a few different versions of the original design.
Half face masks are ideal for those who might be feeling a little less adventurous
As you might have guessed the highest demand is around the Halloween parties and in past years I have charged $50 for a full mask and $30 for a half mask if clients are able to travel to my place in seven hills for the face painting. I can travel to other parts of Sydney but it might be limited by distance and group bookings would be preferable.
I can also travel for a party where charges would be per hour with a minimum booking of three hours (I keep minimum hours lesser for kids parties because full masks take more time to make) during Halloween season.
The design is also popular during face painting for kids birthday parties across Sydney,
And I have made it even in outdoor festivals
Below is a before and after of a Day of the Dead face painting in progress
Day of the dead is an extremely social festival with festivities in streets and public squares where people would often dress up as skeletons and get face paintings done to resemble the calavera Catrina. The internet is rife with images of parades of people with skull candy face paintings. Mexico sounds like a good place to be a face painter lol.
P.S. – For more of my work please visit me in facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nitasfacepainting/photos