Miss Sparkles face painter Exeter and Exmouth Devon Blog

On 10th & 11th October Miss Sparkles face & body painter, Shelley, took part in the international bodypainting festival, Bodyfactory held within the stunning location of The Eden Project, Cornwall. Along with her beautiful model, Izabela Kowalewska from Bristol.

This exciting 2 day event attracted 47 artists from all over the UK and abroad, each creating spectacular works of art on the human canvas.

Artists spent up to 6 hours each creating their art on both days (with stoppages for lunch and rest breaks of course) and this years event focused on Eden & sustainability as its core theme. Perfect considering the surroundings.

Shelley's day one piece was inspired by the fight against deforestation and the protection of Orang-Utans from the destruction of their homes to create palm oil. Aptly called 'Mother of the Amazon' and represented the warrior like life force of the jungle, fighting back, protecting its inhabitants.

Day two saw the creation of a piece called 'Sustain me' which represented the destruction of our oceans by human greed and ignorance by unsustainable fishing methods. The headpiece made entirely from destructive materials, commonly found washed up on beaches & in the bellies of fish and other sea-life.

The event is the brain child of Nic & Pete Langridge from Cornwall. Their idea was to bring together body painters, models and photographers to create thought provoking works of art amongst them. You can find details of Nicola's own bodypainting work here:

www.facebook.com/nicotinebodypaintersuk

I think you will agree that they have certainly succeeded in their mission as the event as now been running for 5 years. What started as a small local gathering of artists back in 2010 has now grown to epic proportions.

Shelley is now looking forward to her next body painting event in November to be held in Malta and of course, Paintopia, Norwich in May 2016 where she will be painting along side some of the worlds most renowned face & body artists.

A day filled with beautiful sunshine, happy smiling faces and the roar of engines awaited me at Westpoint Arena, Exeter.

BHP Fuel fest is a fantastic day out for those with a penchant for performance cars, stunt bikes and everything in between, fun for all the family too.

I had a marvellous time painting gorgeous faces all day long, including this fab lady who wanted to share her love for her beloved BMW!

Hope to see you all there again next year : )

A momentous occasion occurred on Saturday 6th June in the Manor Gardens, Exmouth. The first ever LGBT Pride picnic.

Rainbow balloons adorned the entranceway to this paradise of fun. Dubbed 'Rainbow day' by the many children I painted, this made me smile.

Celebrating the amazing diversity that exists in this small town and all the while raising awareness and much needed funds for the Stonewall Charity, who's work concentrates on eliminating bullying and discrimination for the LGBT communities.

From midday til 6.30pm, I painted faces, young and old without stopping for a break, the loo or lunch!! Hard work for sure, but it was all worth it for the happy faces I saw smiling at their reflections in the mirror when they saw themselves after being painted.

Along with bouncy castle fun there was body piercing, rainbow hats, rainbow flags, dancing, wine, cider and cheeky laughter along with plenty of musical entertainment.

I hope if you attended this marvellous event, you had a smashing time. Whatever your persuasion :)

Coming up on June 6th will be Exmouths first ever LGBT Pride Picnic!

From 12 noon, Manor Gardens, Exmouth will be the venue for this beautiful celebration of diversity. Raising funds for the Stonewall charity who provide resources, information, advice and support for all LGBT issues.

Your donations will help this rights charity to continue its fantastic work, raising awareness for the LGBT community and pushing for acceptance in all walks of life.

Firmly flying the rainbow flag in celebration of equality and diversity will be Miss Sparkles who will be providing face & body painting alongside Mr Sparkles with his glitter tattoos. Come and find us for a gorgeous face design, rainbow glitter tattoo or perhaps push the boat out with a body painting!

Supported by many other local businesses, the pride picnic is a family friendly day for the whole community to enjoy. On the day there will be plenty to entertain you; LIVE music from Exeter based singer songwriter, Ryn, the fabulous sounds of jazz band 'Just Misbehavin' and pop fun from Wired plus performances from local groups. Couple that with delicious food & drink and throw in plenty of smiles and happiness for good measure!

Hope to see all of you there : ) don't miss out!

Well, what a fantastic experience!

I was invited by the lovely Jennie Roberts, Face & Body painting queen of Norwich, to attend a 4 day training course with some of the most well known talents in the industry today to be held at the stunning location of Sprowston Manor.

Enticed by the mention of hands on tutoring from the award winning Pashur from LA's Canvas Alive as well as a selection of master-classes from award winning worldwide artistes such as twice world champion Matteo Arfanotti, Nick Wolfe, Naomi Gay, Vix Daubeney and Raphael Fieldhouse as well as Ashley Pickin from the US and Roxanne Horn from the Netherlands. With classes as diverse as one stroke flowers, comic inspired superheroes and eye designs to gore and special FX work.

During my 4 days in the beautiful city of Norwich, I made some amazing new friends – students and tutors alike, all whom shared the same passion for painting people and bringing smiles to those we have the pleasure of creating art upon.

Studying under such world renowned artistes really opened my eyes to the diversity and talent that exists in the world of painting the human canvas.

In a small class of under 30, the students had come from far and wide to share in this special event – some as far as L.A, Spain, Italy and the channel islands.

We experienced the fabulousness that is Cinco de Mayo! A Mexican holiday on 5th May where I tried Tequila the Mexican way (you sip & enjoy...not shoot and puke!) and we played lots of face painting games whilst wearing sombreros. Think this sounds crazy...I painted a monkey riding a skateboard playing maracas to win some glitter! I never did manage to get a photo of him though...

On the final evening, we went all out with special FX as Zombies and did a zombie conga line through the restaurant! Sprowston Manor didnt quite know what had hit it! That night I had the pleasure of being painted by twice world champ Matteo Arfanotti. My face was horrific. Wonderful. Such an honour to be painted by such a talented and lovely person.

The event was also a pre-session to the wonderful annual event of 'Paintopia' a hugely popular face & body painting festival, which is the brainchild of the aforementioned Jennie Roberts.

It has really enhanced my skills, pushed me to try new techniques and styles, opened my eyes to new possibilities and has introduced some amazing people into my life.

My sincere thanks goes out to my mentor and tutor, the wonderful Pashur, who's support and advice has meant the world to me. Thank you also to Jennie for introducing me to this wonderful world of crazy people with paint brushes. I feel like I have found my spiritual home and happy place!

See you all at Paintopia 2016 for more fun : )

Shelley is super excited about attending FPU-UK to brush up on her, ahem, brush skills! She has the opportunity to train with some of the worlds elite face & body painters.

Tutors include: The immensely talented Pashur from L.A www.canvasalive.com the sublime Nick Wolfe who is without a doubt one of her true face-painting heroes www.eviltwinfx.com alongside the fabulous work of world champion Matteo Arfanotti, among many others. What a line up!

There will be many photos to share! Look out for the blog! Coming soon!

Miss Sparkles is pleased to present their brand spanking new 15x12ft castle – suitable for ages 3 to adult! Yes, that's right folks, mum and dad get to have a go as well!

Summer is well and truly on its way, why not book a castle for the day? Great fun for kids and adults alike. Hire times run from 9am – 6pm daily from just £75.00.

For alternative times, out of hours rates apply, please enquire for options and further details.

The new season officially kicked off with some fantastic fun times with the Greencoats at Ladram Bay, East Devons BEST family run holiday park. No Easter weekend would be complete without plenty of chocolate, party games and an Easter bonnet parade! They certainly didn't disappoint!

Miss Sparkles is always delighted to be asked to join in, providing professional face painting for guests age 3+ on Sunday Family Fun Days throughout the year at just £2.50 per design. Perfect for kids, teens and adults alike who want to add a little sparkle to their fun day!

With the opening of a brand spanking new indoor pool and adventure golf course, Ladram is always enhancing its park to the delight of their guests, both returning customers and new.

The team are great fun, there is always plenty to do and the park has the benefit of being in a stunning location.

Miss Sparkles will be back on the following dates:

From 12pm - Sunday May 24th

From 12pm - Sunday August 30th

Further dates to be advised, keep your eyes peeled : )