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)

Yesterday was a super day because there was a feature about belly painting on Puoli Seitsemän (Half Past Six) program on TV. It was an honor to be part of it and talk about this wonderful experience that more and more mothers-to-be want to have. :)

If you missed the broadcast, you can watch it online here on Yle Areena. Belly paint starts from 21:35.

There's also a nice article about it (in Finnish) on Yle's website.

​The insert was filmed last spring and I got to paint this beautiful mandala on Inka's belly. ​
She loved it, and as I say on the clip, when I see that happy smile on someone's face, I feel I've done something special with my painting. It touches me every time. 

You can see more of my belly paintings and learn about this special art form on my Belly painting page.