Meet Lorna Nickels, Sponsored Artist (novice competitor) Australian Body Art Festival, 2017

WITH only two sponsorship packages available and 41 applications, the decision was never going to be an easy one. Yet I felt incredibly lucky to have so many artists willing to join our team, the only problem was narrowing down the field.

After much deliberation, I'm thrilled to announce we have two fabulous artists who have agreed to join us in Cooroy at the Australian Body Art Festival in April, to represent 'Team Face Paint Shop Australia'.

Today we meet first-time competitor Lorna Nickels, from Adelaide, who is well-known among her peers for her breathtaking creative talents.

Despite discovering a passion for face and body art less than two years ago, the self-taught artist already has an Instagram following already 36,000 strong.

"Some mother's knit, some sew or bake... I just happen to paint bodies," said Lorna.

"I’m totally addicted to creative makeup and face/body painting."

Lorna discovered face and body painting after buying a small paint palette on a whim in mid 2015, while working as a Legal Secretary.

"Although my children's excitement for being painted quickly wore off, I was totally addicted to the art-form."

She has since dedicated herself to growing her own face paint and body art business, Lenniedin, based in Adelaide.

"I love including illusions and 3D images within my work and practice painting on myself whenever I can."

Lorna has won a number of creative makeup contests on social media, including Mehron's 21 Days of Halloween Makeup in 2015. She has also painted at the Mehron/Tomfoolery booth during IMATS in Sydney 2016 and will be an instructor for The Australian Body Art Awards in March this year.

"I feel so very lucky to have discovered a job that I absolutely LOVE and that makes other people smile," she said.

"Face and body painting has become my 'happy place' and I can't wait to see where my new passion can take me"

We congratulate Lorna on her successful application for our artist sponsorship package, and hope you will give Lorna your support at the festival.

Don't forget to check out Lenniedin (also the name of Lorna's Adelaide based business), on Instagram.

Below are a couple of highlights from Lorna's portfolio.

Who is our other artist? Details announced tomorrow!

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And before I go... I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all artists who applied for sponsorship with us.

As an artist, I know it's not easy to put yourself forward, but I felt genuinely inspired as I looked through the applications. And humbled. I want you to know that you are good enough, and each one of you has what it takes to compete.

All the best xx

Kate