Gossamer Designs Welcomes...

Holly!      

Holly is currently finishing up her last few classes for the season at UBC, on track to complete her Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in November with a focus on installation, photography and printmaking.  

Holly has over ten years of experience working with kids in outdoor and arts education environments.  She is inspired to combine her passions of watercolour painting and working with kids by joining the face painting team at Gossamer Designs!

Make up for on-camera work

Whether it be for still photography or for film, makeup can enhance or detract from the natural beauty of an actress or model on camera. As mentioned in my Headshot Makeup for Actors post, successful textures, colours and contours for photography don't always play by the same rules as day-to-day makeup. 

A great photographer understands textures and works with whatever they are presented with - but makeup specifically for the camera helps. Makeup artists and photographers who see eye to eye are a winning combo for the model/actor. That's why I'm excited to be working with Kristine Cofsky for headshot sessions. 

Kristine is a self-taught photographer creating gorgeous images here in Vancouver - headshots, editorials and occasion photography - this gal has got an eye for beauty and finds something in people that goes deeper than their skin with her camera. 

 Our latest work together was with the talented actress, Julie Lynn Mortensen. Julie Lynn is naturally one of the most radiant women I know but she wanted a look that was different from her last batch of headshots and aligned with the types of roles she is currently going out for. Check out the beautiful results of this shoot!

Kristine and I also teamed up for part of Orb Clothing's recent catalogue. Here is a taste of some of the fruits of that labour. 

To book Kristine for your next headshot, editorial or event session, contact her through www.kristinecofskyphotography.com or at kristinecofsky@gmail.com. 



To book a makeup session with me, drop me a line at allyson@gossamerdesigns.ca

Check out the lovely Julie Lynn at www.julielynnmortensen.com

Welcoming our Newest Artist!

We are excited to announce our newest artist to the team here at Gossamer Designs.  We now have four professional face painters to help create those big smiles at your next corporate or private event. Here's a little bit about the addition to our face painting family!

Desiree is a visual artist who works primarily in painting and print making. In the Spring of 2016, she will be a graduate of the UBC Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Visual Arts and is eager to be creating and showing her art in the professional world.

Desiree has over ten years of experience working with children in both educational and care giving capacities. She is delighted to share art making with children and adults alike and finds joy in making people smile through her artistic creations. Desiree is excited to be a part of the Gossamer Designs team!

                          

Welcome, Desiree!

Gossamer Designs is a face and body painting company servicing the Lower Mainland and beyond in beautiful British Columbia. Visit our website or contact Allyson at allyson@gossamerdesigns.ca

Headshot Makeup for Actors

Hi All,

Many of you may not know that my professional life sways back and forth between Gossamer Designs and the world of acting, both on stage and on camera. I like to keep my creative outlets in motion!

A decade ago, I worked with MAC Cosmetics, where I gained many freelance makeup opportunities, especially in bridal makeup. I love helping women feel beautiful and confident! 

Lauren Dutchak

Triumph Street Photography

Makeup by Allyson Grant

With my connection in both acting and makeup artistry, I often get asked about makeup for actors headshots. From what I've studied and observed, great headshot makeup is clean and natural-looking (usually) so that people can see your features and colouring with few manipulations. If your signature everyday look is a sultry, smoky eye but you have been auditioning for a lot of no-nonsense, straight-edged cops and detectives for the past year, consider getting some shots done with a barely-there eye makeup.

Your headshot look should do two things for you: represent what you will look like when you walk into a casting room and mildly resemble the types of roles you are going out for.

Claire Garner
Isaac Haig Photography

Makeup by Allyson Grant

Definitely hire a makeup artist for your headshot session but just as importantly, don't have them glam you up too much - no matter how beautiful the look is - if you aren't going in to that casting room all dolled up most of the time! I have met several actors who loved their makeup at their headshot session but feel too "prettified" in their picture compared to what they look like in auditions.

I have recently collaborated with Isaac Haig Photography and have plans for a few more project in the coming months. With over a decade of experience both in front of the camera and handling the makeup brushes, I am excited to be focusing on more headshot-specific makeup artistry again.

For inquiries about headshot makeup or recommendations for headshot photographers in Vancouver, contact me at allyson@gossamerdesigns.ca

Allyson Grant
 Triumph Street Photography
Isaac Haig Photography

www.gossamerdesigns.ca

A Decade of Vancouver Smiles

This August marks my tenth year of living in Vancouver - it is hard to believe that a decade has gone by since I drove my trusty little Civic across the country on a mostly unplanned adventure! I had been face painting for many years prior to my arrival, but started my own face painting business after having been in Vancouver only a few months. To my great joy, I have built a solid repeat clientele base, painting at many annual corporate BBQ's, community centre events, and birthday parties. It is with delight that I greet enthused smiles year after year, and discover children who have grown 10 inches taller, or have a foot more hair. And mostly, my amazement lies in their memories of remembering what they've had painted in previous years! One particular birthday girl just had her seventh birthday a few weeks ago and I was honoured to be hired again by her father, having painted faces for her second and third birthdays as well. Juliette, I hope you have a wonderful seventh year and I look forward to seeing you and your friends at another birthday party in the future.

Juliette's second birthday

Juliette's third birthday

Juliette's seventh birthday

The Honour of Belly Painting

Being a face and body painter is an absolute joy, no question. And having the opportunity to celebrate pregnancy by painting my clients is a total honour. So I was especially grateful for the bonding and intimate experiences of painting a few of my friends while they were pregnant over the past year and a half. Carmen, an intelligent and intuitive firecracker of a woman, had baby Taiga in February 2011, just days after we painted her. Her talented photographer husband took beautifully moody and peaceful photos of the process and product, which was such a treat. Carmen completely left the design creation in my hands - a nerve-wracking and delightfully creative process. Belly painting photo by www.tanakayoshinori.com Delightfully, the following year Carmen's sister Jill, a close friend of mine, announced that she was expecting. Jill didn't want a design that was a registered character or even specifically illustrative. She is influenced by some Eastern practices and philosophies in her life so I came up with a design to reflect this - a henna-inspired image full of warmth and tranquility. Jill gave birth this March to healthy little Hugo. Ella, who I went to university with and have known for a decade requested a belly painting almost as soon as she knew she was pregnant - what an honour! Ella is an extremely thoughtful, kind and talented person, not to mention an amazing Mom already to her first little one, Mia. Mia hung out with us through the painting process, quiet, curious, and content the whole time we spent together. Ella is now the proud Mom of little boy Kipling as well. All three ladies had little boys! It is profound to feel the movements of a wee human being, waiting patiently to meet the world, under the stroke of my brush. Thank you to these new Mommas for including me in your pregnancy experience. Congratulations to Carmen, Yoshi, Jill, Derek, Ella and Luca - you are beautiful parents and I am inspired by you all. I look forward to sharing many more laughs over the years and perhaps painting your children's faces some day too! The unique and intimate experience of pregnancy painting makes a wonderful gift and lifetime memories. For further information, contact me at allyson@gossamerdesigns.ca

A Shout Out to the WCFBPA!

I am thrilled to have placed in the top 3 for a few more contest entries with the West Coast Face and Body Painting Association's bi-monthly contest and I wanted to thank you for your votes. This past contest was Easter Faces and I entered two designs and won first and second place! Thank you to Wolfe Face Art for sponsoring this month's contest. Wolfe Face Art products are vibrant and a great choice for professional face and body artists. (www.wolfefx.com) The contest entries can be viewed at http://www.westcoastfacepainters.com/contest_april2012easterfacepainting.html

I also won first place for the Valentine's Legs or Arms contest with the following entry below:

Thank you to Kristine and Nicole for being such lovely and cooperative models. Stay in tune with my facebook page for postings about my public face painting events and newest contest entries. Here comes the summer!

Thanks for your support!

Happy New Year! I am off to an exciting start for 2012 - lots of creative opportunities coming my way in various avenues of my life.

One of my commitments to myself artistically over the past several months has been to start creating face and body painting that is outside of my comfort zone. For me, this means anything that isn't part of my book of designs - unicorns, Spidermen, butterflies - my "easy" range.

I found an online forum that offers contests to North American West Coast Face and Body Artists and decided that I would enter at least one design every contest, no matter what the theme is. I can't believe I'm writing that here! That means I REALLY have to stay committed!

Well, as some of you know if you follow my facebook page, I garnered 1st place for my first entry in the Monster faces category. Thanks to an intense looking model and the votes of the public, my Snakehead Monster design (pictured)beat out the other entries. Fun!

The second contest I entered was Princess Faces. I really decided to go out on a limb for this one. I knew that most entries would be beautiful and full of swirls and flowers and wonderful girlieness and although I find that very appealing to paint and view, it didn't feel like an inspired challenge to me this time. So I took a risk and interpreted the theme my way: I painted the faces of iconic fictional princesses onto my models face. I placed third for this contest and felt brave for having submitted an "out there" entry.

Pictured here on my model: Princess Leia, The Paperbag Princess, She-ra Princess of Power, and Snow White (my interpretation, not the Disney version! I had to do research to be sure she was, in fact a princess).

The point of blogging about this isn't to brag (although it is a good opportunity for me to thank those who voted - thank you!!) but rather to publicly announce my artistic commitment to continue pushing myself outside of the box. I LOVE my birthday parties and my corporate events AND I need to continue developing my interpretations of how I paint, for my own fulfillment.

Having said that, watch for my latest entry coming soon on the next West Coast Face and Body Painters website. http://www.westcoastfacepainters.com/contestindex.html
The contest will be up by February and my entry will be the bee's knees! (That's a hint and that's all I will say!)

Thanks for your support,
Allyson

Getting creative

Hi All,

It's been a long time since I posted here but my good excuse is that I had a busy summer full of birthday parties, farmer's markets, corporate events, community barbeques... the list goes on!

Now that the busy season is slowing down, I am feeling the pull to create outside of the box a bit. Unicorns and superheros are great fun, but I am craving challenge outside of my comfort zone.

I recently asked a friend if we could do a back painting and this is what we came up with. I was fortunate to have the wonderful Will Minsky take photos in the forest for this project and am thankful that my model braved the wet and cold to create this lovely... er... "interesting" character.

Makeup and body painting by Allyson Grant - www.gossamerdesigns.ca
Photography by Will Minsky - www.williamminsky.com

Alice in Wonderland

Last month, I had the pleasure to work with a talented and hard working cast of young performers in Abbotsford for a production of Alice in Wonderland, the Musical. Their energetic and enthusiastic production director, Mr. Paul Lilly, was a joy to work along side and gave me artistic license to create unique looks for the 4 characters I was assigned to: The March Hare, The Cheshire Cat (played by three different actors), the Dormouse and the White Rabbit.

The excitement of the students was contagious! I had a blast helping them bring their characters to life for the run of the show. And with my background and training in acting, it was a joy to be backstage at a beautiful theatre complex. Thanks to Chief Dan George Middle School for such an enriching opportunity!

I love Birthday Parties!

I did a very fun Monster themed birthday party for a 3 year old over the weekend. The kids were fantastic and loved being their characters, some of which included a butterfly, The Hulk, a few Spidermen, Batman and a Rainbow Glitter Girl... So what if they didn't all want to be Monsters?! It is such a treat to see that initial look on their face when they see what they have "become" in the mirror!

The Mom who hired me wrote me this beautiful message the next day:

Thank you so much for coming to Liams birthday party! Your face painting talents were more amazing than I had expected! And not only that, but your patient, warm and nurturing personality kept the kids engaged and comfortable.

I have kept your business card in hopes of having you visit future birthday parties! I also handed out your card to each parent because they were ALL interested in having you at their parties as well.

I cannot thank you enough. You made Liam's bday party a success!

Remembering Our Spirit

The Vancouver Winter Olympics are old news. Eight months ago, the city and much of the nation was enraptured with the trials and tribulations, victories and defeats of our country’s athletes and the energy in the air across Vancouver was tangible. Although The Games have come and gone and my summer and fall thus far have been filled with personal considerations and creative endeavors, I find myself reflecting on the spirit of The Games as the chill in the air starts to fill this new season.

I consider myself a lucky participant of the spirit of The Games during the weeks that they transpired. I attended a few exciting competitions, took advantage of the Live City entertainment with friends, and was one of the many cheering, crying, high-fiving bodies at Robson and Granville the day we won our coveted Men’s Hockey Gold.

But as an artist, I was also able to participate with and add to the spirit of The Games in a way that was incredibly deep and moving for me. I was hired at several community centres where children’s cheeks waggled under my brush as they excitedly told me more about the Olympic Flame than I ever knew. I was contacted by private clients to paint patriotic faces for events they were going to, one of whom ended up as a two-page, larger-than-life screaming fan spread in Maclean’s Olympic Commemorative Edition. I painted for the BC Pavilion for the hard-working government officials who helped make it all happen. I painted more maple leafs in a month than every Canada Day event I’ve done in my face painting lifetime combined. I was hired by the Yukon Government to create unique face and body paint on an urban youth dance troupe who were flown down to participate in a medals ceremony show at BC Place... The list goes on.

I was able to have brief and creative interactions with a huge amount of people that left me touched and inspired by the enthusiasm and connection we all shared. And as I write this, I am left with the realization that I get to experience this connection with people – mostly children – on a weekly basis with my work. I am honoured that people choose to share 5, 10, 15 minutes of face to face time with me. Thank you to all who have had a seat at my station and have let me create art on their skin. I suppose The Games were a condensed version of my yearly experiences with what I do and that’s why, as I put on my boots and down-filled vest, and my nose turns pink in the cool evening air, a smile comes to my face as I remember it all.

Belly Painting Packages now available

Belly Painting: Allyson J Grant (www.gossamerdesigns.ca)
Photography: Janine Armstrong (www.janinearmstrong.com)

Do you know a wonderful woman who is pregnant? Consider the following as a unique and exciting gift! I am now offering pregnancy painting services, or as known in various parts of the world, "Gestational Painting".

Belly painting has become very popular in the UK and various parts of the States, and is gaining hype across Canada too. I have had the privilege to paint two expecting women over the past few months - what moving experiences! Over the course of the hour or so that I was painting their bellies, I watched the belly change form, or could feel the heartbeat with my fingertips as I worked. Amazing.

Jess, the first woman I worked with a few months ago, was around 7 months pregnant when she came to the studio for her session. She was open to any design as long as it wasn't too girly or boyish (as she didn't yet know the gender of the baby), so I created a Tree of Life design, which is associated with knowledge and wisdom in many cultures and religions across the globe. I am happy to report that Jess gave birth to a healthy baby boy a few weeks ago!

The second woman I had the pleasure of painting just last week was Becca, who was already just over 8 months pregnant on the day of the shoot. I knew that she liked fairies, and since she was also open to design suggestions, I decided to have a quietly coloured theme of dawn breaking, just before the fairies disappear for the day. Becca was absolutely glowing, and the photographs truly display her beauty.

I have had several opportunities now to work with a wonderful photographer named Janine (www.janinearmstrong.com), a relaxed and professional worker who is both artistic and efficient. We have created an exciting Belly Painting package which includes the following:

*Consultation prior to Creation Session to determine imagery wishes, interests and likes of Mom-to-be
*Creation Session either in studio or on location of your choosing
(consists of a 2-3hr belly painting and photography session)
*Access to web res files of the photos to select from, on an online gallery
*Option to purchase any number of prints in an array of sizes

If you are interested in giving this amazing gift to a special woman in your life or if you are pregnant (congratulations!) and want to celebrate by being painted and photographed, please contact me for details. This is a great baby shower gift - a bunch of gals could pool together to book this fun and surprizing present!

Cheers!
Allyson
allyson@gossamerdesigns.ca

Summer is here!

Hello All!

Well, despite the fact that we've had a slightly cooler start to the summer than we're used to, my face painting season is off to a wonderful start and I had a very busy June. I am so thrilled to have a job that has me interacting with some of the most honest and funny people on the planet - children. This season I've had comments like "Wow, I look fantastic" from a boy who requested blue, orange and green fireworks on his face, had a little girl tell me she loves me, and had a hoard of "regulars" from last season come barreling down the hill yelling my name at the Royal City Farmer's Market when they saw me for the first time!

I love having a job that creates a big smile every 5 minutes. I have been at several corporate and community events so far this season with many more to come and have done some exciting theme parties too, being greeted by open-mouthed awe when arriving as a fairy, or to shrieks galore of "THE PRINCESS IS HERE!" when I rang the doorbell as Princess Allyson.

Pictured here is Tijana, one of the beautiful birthday girls I had the pleasure of meeting this year when I arrived as Princess Allyson. I have also posted a tear-smudged-but-3/4-still-existing photo of her precious sister Sofie (she had a short-lived cry during the party at some point but came back as strong as ever), who wonderfully chose to have a blue fire-breathing dragon at a party where almost every other girl had a butterfly! Independent thinking - I love it!

I will be blogging occasionally about upcoming public events I will be at, as well as updates to my services, so stay posted if you want to know where to find me and what I'm up to!

Thanks for stopping by,
Allyson

Welcome to Gossamer Designs by Allyson Grant

For almost two decades, Allyson has developed a reputation of delivering amazing face and body painting experiences that bring joy to kids and smiling appreciation from parents.

Allyson discovered her passion for face and body painting in Toronto over 15 years ago and is now based in the Vancouver area. Allyson specializes in corporate and community events, private family functions and birthday parties. Her talent for providing fun, fresh and creative face and body art is matched only by her enthusiasm and magnetic personality.

It’s no surprise that Allyson gets called back time and again to add that extra magic to special events and frequently gets complimented as “the best face painter ever”! A small sampling of Allyson’s work can be found in the galleries, as well as her competitive rates and frequently asked questions. Thanks for stopping by!

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