HAMISH Finlay knows how to show his true colours – he flies the Australian flag on his face.
The eight-year-old St Joseph’s primary school student provided a skin “canvas” for local artist Suzi Fantauzzo.
“The flag takes about 10 minutes to do, double the time of a normal design. I use a sponge to fill in the full face then do the outline of the cross and the stars of the Southern Cross,” said Mrs Fantauzzo of Doreen.
The mother of two began painting faces about four years ago.
“I did the first face as a favour and now it’s a full-time business,” she said. “I have always worked in the corporate world doing administration, but face painting has taught me I can do anything I want and encourage others to try.
She is self-taught and said “I run classes, but have never been to one”.
“I can’t paint on paper or canvas, just faces, which is funny because we have a famous artist Vincent Fantauzzo [a portrait painter who has exhibited worldwide] in the family,” she said.
“Girls love butterfly faces and boys Spider-Man, usually the boys can’t wait to get home because they have a Spider-Man costume there.
“The most challenging face was a Gene Simmons of Kiss face for a man in his ’50s.
“The biggest disappointment was at a kid’s party where I had just done all their faces then they ran out under the sprinklers and all my work washed off.”
She said it took about five minutes to do standard designs using professional non-toxic face paint.
“I love working with children but now I have to bribe my own two girls if I want to practise on them because they are over it.”
