Equipment: Iwata eclipse HP-CS airbrush, Iwata revolution airbrush, Spectra 2000 color mixer, small compressor, expansion tank, regulator with water trap, various hoses, face paints and Dura airbrush makeup.
The background was done with a base of sidewalk chalk and the color enhanced with artist pastels.
We used the face paint because it is non-toxic, cleans up easily and has a decent wear factor. The Dura is a long lasting product that we used as a base makeup for the paint. It provided a way to make a complex job with the less durable face paint and if it wore off there was a good complimentary color under it.

I know this is repetitive, but if someone comes here first they need all the proper information. Bare with me. No pun intended. No really. Honest.

This is a full scale production. We designed it on paper and set out to produce the ad. It didn't quite work. She looked too dead. We made some adjustments on the fly, (I hate adjustments on the fly) and figured it out. I (Lee) am standing on the roof of the shop to get this high angle shot. See me in the lower right corner, we kept handing the camera back and forth to see what looked the best. Digital photography is just too cool.

The design was set and Lisa began the layout.

I, one the other hand was outside in 100 degree weather laying down this fine orange square. The square was a little over 8 by 8 feet. I used sidewalk chalk for the basecoat, just like painting, and then added artists chalk to get the richer color. The color was smoothed with foam pads and chunks of old carpet. I kept dripping on the chalk and had to rework areas.

Meanwhile back in the air conditioned shop Lisa stood on a step ladder and positioned Jill so as to get the illusion of a key when she laid correctly.

Here you can see how the positioning works.

When Jill took a break you can see how the key really flows across her body. It looks pretty Jetsonish just as it is. If your wondering about the ribbon, discretion my friend, discretion.

Hi everyone, I'm ready for the summer Olympics. No really, doesn't this look like a cool running suit? Never mind. The airbrush colors were matched to the background and just sprayed like crazy over the front of her body. Ignored the back because no one would see it. Then we put her down and adjusted for the shape of the key. Flexibility is important in a model.

Something I forgot to mention, I used a popup tent to keep the ground where Jill was to lay shaded so that she didn't cook all the skin off her back while we shot her. I took about 20 shots of the poor girl broiling in the heat then we sent her off to shower.
The color was added to her face and arms using Photoshop. It was just faster and easier that way. The other sticky-outy parts were softened and the texture of the cement was brought up and through her using layers.
The second ad came about a month later, we went back to the original Photoshop file and adjusted as needed. Always remember - Keep Backups.
Lee

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