Body painting hire in Australia: the complete guide

The painting is the show. That is the thing to understand before you book one, because people often picture a finished model standing in a corner and miss that the hours of work getting there are the most watchable part. Guests drift back every twenty minutes to see how far it has come, and by the end there is a small crowd waiting for the last brushstroke.

Body painters listed here work across Victoria and Queensland in the main, with artists in New South Wales, Western Australia and further afield. The rates underneath are pulled from what those artists are asking right now. The two practical questions are always the same: how long does each design take, and where does the model get changed.

The live figures are in the table underneath. This is priced by artist hours more than by anything else, so read any quote by asking how many hours it covers and how many designs fit into them. A face and shoulder design is quick. A full torso piece with detail and blending is most of an afternoon, and there is no way to rush it that does not show.

Two other things move the number. Whether the model is supplied by the artist or by you, which is a booking of a person as well as a painter. And whether the paint itself is a separate cost, since professional cosmetic-grade paint is not cheap and a full body design uses a lot of it. Ask for both to be spelled out.

Ask the artist how long one design takes, then work backwards from when you want it finished. A painter working in front of guests is slower than one working in a quiet room, because people ask questions and that is half the point. If you want two completed looks across an evening, you are usually looking at a painter who starts well before doors open.

There is a good middle path that many people miss. Have the artist begin the first design before guests arrive so there is something impressive to see from the start, then do the second live through the event. The room gets a finished piece and a work in progress at the same time, and nobody spends the first hour looking at a blank shoulder.

Give the artist a proper spot rather than a corner of a bar. They need a table for paints and brushes, good light, a chair or a stool for the model and enough clear floor that guests can stand and watch without knocking anything. Somewhere with a wall behind it works best, because people naturally form a semicircle.

Lighting is the thing venues get wrong. A painter working under dim mood lighting cannot judge colour and the finished design is invisible to your guests anyway. Ask for a practical light on the station, and if the artist is using ultraviolet or glow paint, ask about a UV light and a dark enough corner for it to work, which is a different requirement pulling the opposite way.

Whatever the coverage of the design, the model needs a private room with a door to change in and to clean up in afterwards, plus somewhere to store clothes and a bag safely. A toilet cubicle is not a changing room, and a screen in the corner of a function space is not privacy. Sort this with the venue before you confirm the booking.

Agree the photography rule up front as well. Some artists and models are relaxed about guest phones, some restrict commercial use of the images, and some want a sign or an announcement. Settle it when you book and tell whoever is running the room, so nobody has an uncomfortable conversation halfway through the night. And check the design brief matches your audience, because coverage that suits a late night launch is not the brief for a family fete.

Professional body paint is water-based cosmetic product, it needs time to dry between layers and it can transfer onto fabric before it sets. Tell the venue if the model will be moving through a room with pale upholstery or near a bridal party in white. Ask the artist how long the design takes to set and what it does in heat, because an outdoor event in summer is harder on a design than an air-conditioned room.

Ask about patch testing too. A responsible artist will raise skin sensitivity before you do, particularly if you are supplying the model. And find out what the clean-up needs: warm water, towels, a shower if there is one, and a bin for wipes. It is a small list and the venue will say yes to all of it if you ask a week out rather than on the night.

What is the time on one design, and how many fit inside the booking? Do you supply the model or do we? What does the painting station need in space, table and light? Where does the model change and clean up? And what is your rule on guests photographing the work?

Ask to see photographs of finished designs and, if you can, a short video of the artist working. Reviews are rare in this category so the portfolio is what you have. Look for designs in the same style you are picturing rather than a general gallery, and ask whether that particular piece was done live at an event or in a studio with unlimited time.