Recently we had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful Becca Gilmartin. Becca’s work has featured in countless magazines, commercials and music video clips. NAME DROP *FLUME, KIMBRA etc. Becca is a talented MUA however, her body art is what has separated herself form the pack to super star status. I could tell you how fashion and commercial clients want to incorporate her skills into their campaigns but personally I find it more interesting that she has painted the half naked bodies of famous footballers, musicians, celebs and even a gay porn icon. Becca has become so sought after that she now speaks regularly at major makeup shows locally and internationally including, IMATS and Spa & Beauty Expo.
We stumbled upon Becca after trawling the internet for body artists to inspire our students. Turns out, while currently Sydney based, Becca is originally from the Gold Coast. So after stalking her a bit on facebook I asked if she might be keen to run some classes. It couldn’t have come at a better time because Becca was looking for a Queensland venue to hold her body art excellence workshop. Jump a month or so later and Becca was at the school teaching our students awesome body art techniques and sharing her experience with us all.
I was especially lucky because I also got to sit in on her body art excellent workshop and got to know her personally.
Here are some images of the stunning body art created by Becca – be sure to check out more of her amazing work at beccagilmartin.com
How did you get in to makeup?
Ahh, this is hardest question to answer… I didn’t know it was a career when I first got started. I was working at Dracular’s Caberet on the Gold Coast and I loved helping to create everyones makeup looks. While working for Dracs I started doing some face painting at the Dolphin arcaded (which doesn’t actually exist anymore) and I thought to myself, maybe I could do this as a job. So I discovered makeup artistry by accident haha.
How would you describe your makeup style?
I Don’t really have one exactly because I’m always doing what my client wants. However, I’ve become known for my body art and last year someone described me as the Pat McGrath of intricate body art so I’ll take that haha. Otherwise I try and keep things clean and beautiful. Tricky question!
Do you have a favourite makeup product or brand?
Not really, I love treasure hunting! I think every brand has strengths and star products and as makeup artist I find myself using all sorts of things. At the moment one of my favourite things is a $10 glam eyes lash curler from Manicare. Just a cheapy pharmacy product but it’s amazing! You can get it close to the roots because its half the size of most other curlers.
What is the highlight of your career so far?
It only happened just recently in November. Warner bros flew me to LA to shoot Kimbra’s album cover in the Joshua Tree Dessert. It was an incredible experience and I loved working with the whole team. Oh and while I was there, I was running around doing some errands for the photographer while he shot Tyra Banks. That was very cool! I can’t wait to get back to LA to do some more work in the future.
Whats the craziest thing that has ever happened to you on set?
Last year I directed makeup for a show at Sydney fashion week and I ended up being awake for 31hours. The day before I was working on other projects when some models pulled out and we had to make last minute changes to the show. The body art started at 1am the morning of the show so I didn’t end up getting to bed at all! It wasn’t necessarily something crazy that happened but it was crazy I could keep my eyes open!
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
There isn’t just one source it comes from a variety of places. I’d say most of it comes from my secret boards on pinterest but I also love looking at other peoples makeup, typography, fashion and art.
Who is your favourite makeup artist?
There are many amazing makeup artists who inspire me. Obvious picks for me are Val Garlanded and Pat McGrath. Their work is fantastic! Also Alice Ghendrih. She is the french Pat McGrath of Fashion Makeup seriously just google her… phenomenal.
Which designers are you loving at the moment?
Emma Mulholland is brilliant. I love how she follows her own style. Also perth based designer Jaimie Lee. Her work is incredibly beautiful and she had the most amazing show at Sydney fashion week. There are so many amazing designers at the moment its hard to narrow down favourites!
What is your favourite movie or TV show?
It’s a tie between the Science of Sleep by Michel Gondry and Frida the movie about Frida Kahlo. I also love the makeup in La Vie en Rose! haha too hard to answer.
If you were to choose one brush that you could not live without which one would it be?
Ok this is not a fair question! haha I guess I could do foundation with my hands umm… It would be hard to pick but I absolutely love my squirrel blending brush. It is super soft yet nice and firm.
That felt like i was answering questions for an online dating site haha
Check out more of Becca’s work at www.beccagilmartin.com
STUDENT BODY ART
Here are some body art creations by students at the Huxley School of Makeup.
