BODY arts, facial paintings and special effects are not tattoos.
They are temporary art forms, painted on the human skin, lasting only several hours or a few days — and have been used in special film effects to portray a cut or a wound on the actors.
The skills are honed over a period of time to ensure the authenticity of the effects produced.
A phoenix
For talented Mohd Sharizan Tahir, 18, these skills come quite naturally.
“I’m the eldest in a family of seven children and mostly on my own. I usually look around for something to do to occupy my time. I like playing with colours, so I draw on papers and colour them up all the time,” he said.
Sometimes he also paints on himself.
He excelled in drawing and colouring in primary school. When he enrolled in Form One at Sanzac Secondary School, the 18-year-old from Sembulan, Sabah, was recognised for his good eye for colours as well as his drawing and colouring skills.
He was asked by the teachers to create murals in the school hall. He came up with some attractive designs together with three of his friends “and we’re very proud of our work.”
From then on, decorating the stage for school events became his specialty – something he really enjoyed doing.
“The teachers trusted me with this assignment until I left school after Form Five,” he recalled.
After leaving school, he began looking seriously into make-up and make-over as a career. He learned the ropes by watching the professionals at work, TV programmes and reading up on the subject.
He also put his “raw artistic talents” to good use.
For instance, he emphasises the softness of strong angles on squarish faces by using darker shades, and highlights the cheekbones on longish faces.
A supernatural being
He also learned to apply make-up for casual outings, evening wear and weddings, becoming so good at it that he is now promoting his services on Facebook, and has been to Manila, the Philippines, to promote his trade.
“Getting paid for something I love doing is a bonus,” he shared.
At first, his parents were not too keen on his chosen career path but after they came to know he could generate income with his skills, they relented and even bought him make-up paraphernalia.
Later, he became interested in body arts.
“I’m naturally curious, so I tried it on myself first. For instance, if I wanted to create a wound on my face, I would use paints to do it. Tissue papers and the right artistic combination of colours can create a zombie look, or something similarly scary.”
Sharizan can now create body arts that depict Nature, animals and other-worldly landscapes. He hopes one day to work in the film industry as a make-up artist.
For now, he is available for creating special effects during Halloween and special occasions besides the usual make-up for brides.
When not doing make-up and special effects, he dances with a contemporary dance group, led by Esther Applonious.
“We choreograph our own dances and perform all over the state — and outside as well through invitation,” he said.
His cherished dream is to open a studio that specialises in “all forms of artistic creations” – from weddings to special effects.
He also hopes to set up a hub that offers the services of dancers and performers.
He agrees it is a grand dream but believes he has a lot of years to achieve it, especially with support from friends, families and financial bodies.
“Artistic expressions pay,” he said.
SPECIAL EFFECTS: Painted-on cuts.