Let's imagine there was a company specializing in vegetable food products and they wanted to promote them. How would they advertise something as generic as vegetables? 

Well first they could come up with a good slogan. something that encourages people to eat more veggies. It could be something like "More vegetables one day a week means 52 better days in a year." That's very good. 

But how would they make their ad stand out from the crowds of tomatoes, salads and peppers that are the seen in vegetable commercials? They know good copy isn't enough. So what do they do to catch people's attention visually?

They choose body painting. 

APETIT is the company we just imagined. They trusted the idea of their marketing partner Hasan & Partners and took a step in creating something totally different to what you are used to seeing in TV commercials, let alone in vegetable promotions. And I'm so happy and proud all of them trusted me to be the creator for the challenging body painting illusions.

I was contacted by the director Aleksi Koskinen from Hasan & Partners right in the beginning of the project. I stepped in from the beginning of the design phase which was essential, as my knowledge on body painting and it's possibilities helped in mapping out the final visual goal. The vegetables to be created were our design choices and naturally then approved by the client. 

I was commissioned to create the designs and sketches for the paintings. After the actual painting days I also got to view the final images and film and give my proof on the edits. I really love it that the client respected my wish to keep the paintings as natural as possible with minimum edits - the beauty of body painting lies in it's authenticity.

I also used my contact network and booked the most suitable models for this project. All of them were dancers and former athletes who are used to working with their bodies and have strength to hold poses that look easy, but in real life feel totally opposite. 

My personal challenge in this was to create multi-body illusions which are one of the most difficult forms of body painting. At the same time I wanted to create something that would blow everyone's mind away and meet (preferably exceed) my client's expectations. I never do less than what I can, instead I always try to give more. I'm so grateful for this project, and it feels so amazing to get this feedback afterwards:

Links about the campaign:

• ​Apetit-website
• ​Marmai: Apetit valitsi hasanin uudeksi kumppanikseen "Uskaltaisin väittää, että tämä kampanja erottuu" 6.4.2018

Oh my god, this is going to be so fab! That was my first thought when producer Taina Sirola called me and asked me to join the team for a TV commercial for Veikkaus. I was so excited to hear the stars of the film and my models would be horses! I had never painted horses before, but I was up for the challenge.

I knew we'd have to work on the horses' terms and do everything the way that would be the nicest for them. I asked a little advice from my German collegue who had painted a horse before and got some good tips from her. It was good we also had a test day before the actual shooting days to see how the horses liked us and the whole idea of being painted. I was a little bit nervous in advance, but for no reason. Our furry friends were totally relaxed!

We had two long days and altogether we painted 6 different horses. They were all well behaved and such lovely characters. Some of them couldn't care less we around, some were more curious and some almost fell asleep under the brush. <3 At the end of the day they got a bit restless because the trotting scenes of course got their adrenaline rolling. But they were still absolute stars and for us the two days were pure animal therapy. <3

This was one of the memorable projects I've ever worked for and I'm so excited it's got a lot of attention in the media too. Here are two articles about the project, for the first one I was interviewed and got to share the artist's view. 

Iltasanomat: Taiteilija maalasi hevoset kauttaaltaan hohtaviksi tv-tähdiksi: ”Barbie on varsinainen missi”.
M & M:  Veikkaus lähti uudistamaan ravipelaamisen brändiä: "On tuotu mukaan vähän rock-henkeä" .

Here is the killer final TV commercial we created.
I think we are all so proud of this outcome. This was the best way to finish the year 2017.

I'm so happy this happened - I got my body painting on the cover of a magazine! And actually it is one of the first (if not the first) Finnish magazines to have body painting on the cover. And what's even better, is thatSeura is not a fashion or design publication, but a magazine with stories of interesting people, societal issues and of course with a TV guide and crosswords puzzle, and aimed for an audience of 50+. 

BUT, how cool is this magazine to have body painting on actress-singer Maria Ylipää, who they interviewed - such a brave and open-minded take on their normally very traditional style. Love it! I've worked as a make-up artist for Seura for years and I knew this was coming at some point. We were all waiting for the right time and the right person to model for it. So I think Maria was perfect for this! So powerful, as were the pictures in the end. 

What do you think? The feature story was about the seven deadly sins. Can you guess which one(s) she was portraying? 

Seura (issue 47/ 2017): "Näyttelijä Maria Ylipää: Alastomuuden pitää olla perusteltua." 

Body painting, make-up & hair: Riina Laine
Photos: Tommi Tuomi/ Otavamedia

MAKING OF PHOTOS: Pia Karapää

Watch the making-of video below

Body painting is colourful, visually eye-catching and a fantastic tool to use in commercial context. Events, videos, performances and adverts really benefit from using body painting - it always catches people's attention and thus gets loads of exposure and makes the amount of social media shares skyrocket. 

But body painting has another kind of quality to it too. Something that is purely magical and transformational. This side of body painting affects the person who comes under the brush.

Body painting is liberating.

It increases your self-acceptance.

It makes you feel good in your own skin.

It helps you see your body and yourself in a more positive light.

It's fun and even relaxing. Perfect way to tune out stress.
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Being body painted can be a life-changing experience. It's very personal and even emotional. Many say it's an eye-opener to your own inner self. It connects you with your body and at the same time you become something else, a living piece of art that breathes through you. The painting elevates you and it also covers you. It's a feeling like no other. 

I asked people on my Facebook page what they thought the magic behind body painting was. Three common responses were trust, acceptance and honesty. Being seen as a canvas through artist's eyes and being touched in a non-sexual way, the whole process builds your confidence, shows you are accepted just as you are. The connection with the artist and the approving looks from the viewers can ultimately transform the way you see yourself.
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"...My body can be/become anything. My body is exactly what I consider it to be." (Sonya H)