Darling Designs - Face & Body Art Artist: Deanna Bussell
Who is the Artist of Darling Designs and How Did She Get Started?
Deanna, artist and founder of Darling Designs - Face & Body Art, began face painting when she was 16 years old. In 1992 Deanna was still in high school and working at Burger King in Jackson, New Jersey when her boss, Mary, decided to add some entertainment to their weekly kids night. A few of Deanna's friends told Mary that Deanna knew how to draw and paint and before Deanna knew it Mary had bought her a horrible polyester clown suit and a basic face painting kit.
The next Tuesday night kids night, there was a surprise package waiting for Deanna when she clocked in for her shift. Mary handed over the costume and paints and Deanna's face painting career began. From that point on Deanna no longer worked the drive-thru or register on kids night; instead she spent hours painting basic cheek art hearts, flowers, swords, and shields - nothing like today's face and body art paintings. Not long after graduating high school Deanna ditched the clown costume but kept the paints; her love of face painting has become a major part of her life. As of 2011, Deanna has been face painting for the last 19 years! Maybe it is because face and body art is a fantastic creative outlet... or maybe Deanna is just a big kid at heart... whatever the reason, Deanna is glad to be out there painting no matter the size of the event.
The next Tuesday night kids night, there was a surprise package waiting for Deanna when she clocked in for her shift. Mary handed over the costume and paints and Deanna's face painting career began. From that point on Deanna no longer worked the drive-thru or register on kids night; instead she spent hours painting basic cheek art hearts, flowers, swords, and shields - nothing like today's face and body art paintings. Not long after graduating high school Deanna ditched the clown costume but kept the paints; her love of face painting has become a major part of her life. As of 2011, Deanna has been face painting for the last 19 years! Maybe it is because face and body art is a fantastic creative outlet... or maybe Deanna is just a big kid at heart... whatever the reason, Deanna is glad to be out there painting no matter the size of the event.
2010 - Year in Review
2010 brought a whirlwind of geeks, heroes & villains, wild animals, butterflies, and a jazzy new black fedora. 2010 was officially the ground breaking year.
Darling Designs - Face & Body Art (as a business) crossed over from a much loved Hobby to a bona fide Small Business. Actually this came as a surprise to Deanna because she's been painting for years and years - but according to the Tax Accountant it all about the Benjamins... In 2010 Deanna invested in a new professional Glimmer Glitter Tattoo kit as well a whole collection of Rainbow Split Cakes. Between the new paints and the fantastic on-line learning resources Deanna's designs and painting techniques are evolving into pure awesomeness!
Darling Designs - Face & Body Art (as a business) crossed over from a much loved Hobby to a bona fide Small Business. Actually this came as a surprise to Deanna because she's been painting for years and years - but according to the Tax Accountant it all about the Benjamins... In 2010 Deanna invested in a new professional Glimmer Glitter Tattoo kit as well a whole collection of Rainbow Split Cakes. Between the new paints and the fantastic on-line learning resources Deanna's designs and painting techniques are evolving into pure awesomeness!
2009 - Year in Review
Coming Soon :o)
2008 - Year in Review
Coming Soon :o)
2007 - Year in Review
2007 was all about beast and blooms - Deanna spent the year improving her swirls and line work while trying to perfect the cutest kitty cat ever. There was also some pretty heated debate over Deanna's 'cute as a button' red nose. (shhh - Its not real - but don't tell anyone.) Apparently there is a line drawn between clowns and everyone else. Deanna was advised that even though the red nose was as 'cute as a button' the fact that she was wearing the nose indicated that she was indeed a clown and not just a face artist. Just for the record - Deanna would like to state that, "At no point did I claim to be a clown - the red nose is a great focal point for the children to look at while I paint them." Regardless as to why Deanna wore the nose, did not override the fact that the line had been crossed and she was now considered some sort of clown and not the colorful character she inspired to be. 2007 turned out to be the last year that the infamous red nose was worn as part of her regular face painting attire. (But she still has it hidden away for special occasions and just-in-case moments.)
2006 - Year in Review - Face Painting
Coming Soon :o)
2006 - Year in Review - Henna & Face Art
In 2006 Deanna opted to branch out and expand her artistic horizons. She spend too many hours researching all that is Henna (also known as Mendi) Tattoos. Henna has been used since the Bronze Age to dye skin (including body art), hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. For skin dyeing, a paste of ground henna is placed in contact with the skin from a few hours to overnight. Henna stains can last a few days to a month depending on the quality of the paste, individual skin type, and how long the paste is allowed to stay on the skin. Deanna tested lots of variates on the market from store bought kits from 'World Market,' bulk dried henna power, and several premade brands. Deanna found that the very best henna past was homemade using the bulk dried henna powder, super-strong brewed black tea with whole cloves, lemon juice, and essential oils. Did you know that the best way to test the staining power of henna paste is to put it in a regular ziplock baggie, seal it, and let it sit on a white sheet of paper for 6-12 hours? If the henna paste is fresh and prepared well the stain will permeate the plastic and actually stain the white paper below it. Deanna's home-brewed henna paste stained the page in 3. Good stuff!
2005 - Year in Review
In 2005 Deanna was attending Tarleton State University - Central Texas as a full-time undergraduate student in the Early Childhood Program - Face painting was moved to the back seat; however, due to all the required Childhood Lab Hours Deanna was able to work face painting and school work into one!
Through the Early Childhood Center at Central Texas College - Deanna volunteered her services throughout 2005: The annual Greek Fest, Sugerloaf Fall Carnival, Month of the Military Child Picnic, the annual Madrigal Dinner, Heart-Walk of CTC, and other assorted community and charity events.
Through the Early Childhood Center at Central Texas College - Deanna volunteered her services throughout 2005: The annual Greek Fest, Sugerloaf Fall Carnival, Month of the Military Child Picnic, the annual Madrigal Dinner, Heart-Walk of CTC, and other assorted community and charity events.
2004 - Year in Review
2004 was an exciting year! For starters, Deanna finally purchased a digital camera so there are actually photos of Deanna painting, her paint station, and faces she painted that year. In 2004
Deanna was invited to face paint at two major events; the annual Tarleton State University - Central Texas Fall Festival and the Tablerock Fantasy Faire in Salado, TX.
The world of face and body art had started to gain popularity and the face and body art community was evolving. In 2004 Deanna was branching out and learning how to use new water-color like paints to create the most incredible full face designs.
Deanna was invited to face paint at two major events; the annual Tarleton State University - Central Texas Fall Festival and the Tablerock Fantasy Faire in Salado, TX.
The world of face and body art had started to gain popularity and the face and body art community was evolving. In 2004 Deanna was branching out and learning how to use new water-color like paints to create the most incredible full face designs.