“Game of Thrones” is back, and the Sunday scaries have gone out the window — society now excitedly awaits the once dreaded day of the week. Some prefer to attend watch parties, and some like to watch alone in a dimly lit room. And then there is the third option: Some literally transform themselves into the characters they love.
When I first heard about cospaint, the art of recreating characters with body paint, I was blown away by some of the creations online. As someone who finds top eyeliner to be a challenge, I can’t imagine being so talented and steady-handed.
With only three episodes left, these cospainters are helping to keep “Game of Thrones” alive long after the finale.
Sophia White
https://www.facebook.com/djari328/photos/a.956947184356290/1650070821710586/?type=3&theater
Sophia White, also known as Djarii online, is a professional gamer and makeup artist with 336K Twitch followers. White showcases her cospaint talent on her Djarii MUA channel, which is separate from her gaming channel. The 24-year-old has transformed herself into a variety of characters including Princess Peach, Harley Quinn, Frankenstein, Poison Ivy and more.
According to White, there are a few things you need when partaking in cospaint. “Good quality paints, patience and time,” she says. “The hardest part of large-scale paintings on yourself is to persevere when it doesn’t look promising yet, (trust the process!!) and really just to endure the 10+ hours it can take sometimes.”
Is cospaint as hard as it looks? “It’s something that gets easier and easier once you train your brain to paint through a mirror. It’s not hard for me, but I am always learning! I also consider myself a bit of a perfectionist, so once I have done something once, I immediately want to do it again but better!” she says. “I always remove makeup with an oil-based product, then wipe away with a moist towel or a wipe, gently exfoliate and moisturize!”
Alexys Fleming
Alexys Fleming, who goes by Lex online, is a 25-year-old self-taught cospainter licensed in both esthetics and cosmetology. With over 2.6 million YouTube followers, Fleming has a huge platform to showcase her transformations.
On her channel, Fleming credits makeup as something that helps heal the mind, pointing out that many people use it to cover up scars, bruises or discoloration.
After suffering with grade 3 acne in high school, bullying and type-1 diabetes diagnosis, her interest in body paint and cosmetology has helped her manage the stress.
Melissa Croft
Melissa Croft is a graphic designer by day, self-taught cospainter by night. The half Filipino, half British creative live-streams her body painting every Saturday on Twitch. She says, “The best part of my body paint is when I am almost finished, and people see me live and comment about how they are so happy I brought their favorite character to life,” Croft says. “This especially happens with superheroes. They bring so much hope and happiness to us even though we know they are fictional. I’m just happy I can bring them to life for a short amount of time to really lift people’s spirits and make it memorable for them. I make sure people understand I’m a regular person just like them, so they can also feel like they can achieve and be anything.”
In honor of “Avengers: Endgame,” she transformed herself into Black Widow which took her 13 hours. Other looks of hers include Billie Eilish, Deadpool, Bob Ross, “The Silence of The Lambs” cover image, and Hokusai’s “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” painting.
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