face painters | Shannon Fennell's Blog

I am sitting here with HORRIBLE leg cramps… my right calf has been seized up since around midnight Friday and it is now after dinner on Sunday… I cannot work it out, I’ve taken every drug and home remedy for leg cramps I have available but it won’t let go… I’ve decided ice cream and left over Christmas chocolate might work… well, they can’t hurt can they?!

It’s been a pretty busy, Snow White wrapped up with a matinée today. It was fun. My next show is Driving Miss Daisy – get to age a 20 something actress for Miss Daisy and have study up on aging Hoke properly.

Friday night I was hired to paint zombies for the local college’s student association – they were having a Post Apocalypic Party.

I was the “professional face painters on site”… it was fun. Lots of people came with make-up already, but had me “fix” it, others were in normal clothes, others in costumes. There were some absolutely amazing costumes! The best, IMO, were the zombie fighters – there were some great get-ups.

I did some really cool stuff… one great skull thing that I really REALLY liked which, of course, I didn’t get any photos of. I already have Naomi booked to come in for a painting session to replicate it.

They had gone completely overboard on the decor… sheets of plastic, haz-mat suits, barricades, military security with weapons, barrels burning… it was great.

I was booked from 9 to midnight, and had the option to stay if I wanted. However, by midnight I was done… this getting old crap sucks. But in my defense, I’d done a full-day (9 hours) at the day-job, 2.5 hours at the theatre, then headed over to the college… and my back and legs were killing me.

It was fairly steady all evening… then… about 20 minutes to midnight, after chatting with the organizers about staying vs leaving and saying I was going to stop at midnight… a HUGE line forms of people wanting to get painted… the ones that needed a few drinks to work up the courage, you know… THOSE ones? LOL

I sped up for the last bunch doing single wounds and such… and then started to pack up when these wasted guys came over and wanted done, one claiming it was his birthday… so I told him if he could prove it I would paint something “small”… so he produced his drivers’ license… yup, it was his birthday. So I gave him a small cut.

Then I needed to go… well, the place was locked down! I had parked where I thought it would be easy to get out – the closest possible spot in the whole college to a door… but that area was secured at midnight and no way to get there.

One of the crew snagged a real security guy to escort me out… he took my trolley and led me out the long “tunnel” to the gate where there was real security, costume military security, barricades… then we stopped at the campus security office where another guard took the trolley and escorted me outside, around the building, up the hill to where I parked… this is when my right leg charley horsed…

I got the car loaded, then stomped around, trying to stretch my calf muscles as I was not going to be able to drive with a charley horse!! The cops cruised by as I was doing my strange dance… but decided I wasn’t drunk or dangerous I guess. I was almost at the point of calling home to ask mom’s sitter to come over to get me…. but it relaxed enough so I could drive.

Then Saturday I had a birthday party booked for 1-3 p.m. When it was booked I had asked how far out-of-town they were and was told about 25 kms. Well… I had figured my travel time based on that… 43 kms later. Oh well, just a couple of minutes later than I had said I would be there to set-up. So 86 km round trip – in the snow. They lived right on a highway that was in really good condition – the road is higher than the surrounding land so the wind keeps it dry and clear… however, when I got to their property I couldn’t tell where the driveway was… so I guessed and turned to line up with the garage… no idea if I was on the driveway.

It was a nice party… Dad and Mom both got painted, so did Grandma and some aunts… Dad was Kermit, Mom and Grandma butterflies, almost all of the party guests were…. wait for it… butterflies!

Headed home afterwards with less time than anticipated so I wasn’t able to stop to pick-up groceries… Only had an hour at home before I had to get mom ready to go to the theatre as she and her aide were coming to watch the show. I rushed to feed us and then got mom dressed and loaded – her aide was meeting us at the theatre. When mom comes to a show she has to come with me, so then gets stuck hanging around for 2 hours… I can’t leave to go get her later as I am busy back stage. She brings books, puzzles, etc. to keep occupied and we are able to park her in the theatre ahead of time.

Got to watch the show… the dwarfs(ves) were cute, the Dark Queen was really great… her laugh was awesome and the audience loved it. She got the biggest round of applause at the end too.

After the show we stopped to get groceries – the always needed milk and eggs.

Then today was the last matinée… call was 11:30 and we got everyone done and then cleaned up, packed up, took some photos, loaded the car and came home… stuff is still sitting in the foyer. I need to carry it all down stairs and clean my brushes, but… it can wait.

Grabbed some shots of Snow White with a couple of the dwarfs(ves).