Makeup tattoo artist decorates Hollywood flesh
Jaime Jeske
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Skin flicks
Master tattoo artist Christian Tinsley presses the flesh of Hollywood's
biggest celebs
By Sandra Barrera
Staff writer
He goes tribal on Vin Diesel in the urban spy thriller "XXX." Now he's
about to make mincemeat out of Russell Crowe.
Makeup artist Christian Tinsley literally is the master of disguise.
Last week, the 28-year-old Burbank resident packed his makeup case and
headed to Baja, Mexico. There, Crowe is shooting a seafaring film set in
the 1800s that currently has the working title "Master and Commander:
The Far Side of the World." Tinsley's job is to make Crowe look like
he's endured one too many war wounds and sword battles.
The task should be easy enough for Tinsley, who temporarily disfigured
some 40 extras with severe cuts and burns during the attack scenes in
last summer's "Pearl Harbor." Because the war sequences were shot every
other week during the course of that 5 1/2-month-long movie shoot,
Tinsley devised water-transferable war wounds much like the stick-on
tattoos sold in stores. His time-saving method has since come in handy
when Tinsley was hired to transform Diesel into the sexy tattooed action
hero driving "XXX."
From age 6, Tinsley has been fascinated with movie makeup. He got his
start fashioning fake heads, masks and vampire dentures for friends in
his hometown of Seattle. Then in the mid-'90s, he came to Hollywood.
"I think that when you're starting out it's a little more fascinating to
go with the direction of the monster and prosthetic world," Tinsley
said. "That's where I started and eventually I moved into doing more
straight makeup, which is what I primarily do. Just guys' and girls'
makeup."
Tinsley has imprinted fang bites on Sarah Michelle Gellar's neck and
temporarily tattooed Brad Pitt's left arm in "Ocean's Eleven." He
rejoins Pitt on a future project that has Tinsley doing more extensive
work.
His handiwork can be seen in "Swordfish" and the sequels to "Men in
Black" and "The Matrix," and he just finished the upcoming Steven
Soderbergh film "Solaris," due Nov. 27.
But Tinsley's highest-profile gig has been tattooing Diesel for "XXX."
"I'm not saying that tattoos are taking full credit for the movie, but
it's kind of like Vin's image," he said. "When people think of Xander
Cage or 'XXX,' they think of a tattooed guy. And so I think that was
really challenging, trying to come up with something that's going to be
iconic in a way."
Tinsley collaborated on 26 separate designs for "XXX" with Diesel,
director Rob Cohen and tattoo artist Adrien Gallegos. Tinsley reapplied
the tattoos every two to three days during the three-month-long shoot.
Because the XXX on Diesel's neck was most visible, it required some 70
applications.
"Obviously there were days when time just didn't permit to make the
corrections that needed to be made or something happened and you just
couldn't get into the set to fix something," Tinsley said. "So there
were a couple times that I remember being on set having those feelings,
and I carried those feelings with me until I saw the movie.
"When I see those scenes pop up, I point my finger and go, 'Oh my God!
There should be a disclaimer up there.' But that's looking from an
ultra-critical eye," he said. "Anybody else, they don't notice anything.
So I'm sure it's all good. I'm happy with the end result of it."
Lucky for Tinsley, Crowe's movie will require less time and worry.
"I'm focused on just doing the scenes where his shirt comes off and you
see his body filled with these scars. So that's currently what I'm on.
We shoot that this week, in fact, and then it'll be over with."
Copyright 2002 "The Los Angeles Daily News." All rights reserved.
"The Los Angeles Daily News"
Saturday, August 17, 2002
Getting good ink
By Barbara De Witt
Fashion Editor
Remember all those tattoos Guy Pearce had in "Memento"? Or how about
Robert De Niro in "Cape Fear"?
Mean, manly -- and all fake. Just like Vin Diesel's in "XXX."
"Most of the tattoos you see in the movies are drawn on daily at the
studio with a pen and India ink or even a Sharpie pen and then powdered
to seal it," says Dusty Geisman, owner of the Purple Haze tattoo parlor
in Northridge.
Geisman, who did the tattoos for "Cape Fear" and "Six Days Seven
Nights," says this industry trend is catching on with the public.
The newer tattoos are edgier, more street-savvy than those girly decals
of the '90s or the sophisticated Swarovski crystal designs worn to last
year's Oscars. And they have nothing to do with the delicate henna
designs that you can get painted on your hands and ankles (a la Madonna)
at the Venice boardwalk.
To get the XXX like the one on the back of Vin Diesel's neck (or Pamela
Anderson's barbed-wire arm design), go to a real tattoo parlor and ask
for the sissy version (sans needles) -- but be ready to pay almost the
same price.
"When you get a tattoo, you're paying for the artist's talent and time,
so it doesn't matter if it's temporary or permanent," explains artist
Paul Timman, who works at Sunset Strip Tattoos, one of the oldest tattoo
parlors in Los Angeles. Its clientele includes a number of musicians,
from Tommy Lee to Max Collins of Eve 6.
Whether it's done with a pen at a real tattoo parlor or with paint at a
makeup specialty business such as the Airbrush Makeup Institute in North
Hollywood, expect to pay about $100. The more colors you add, the more
money you'll spend, says airbrush artist Justin Zachary, who has
airbrushed barbed-wire arm bands on everybody from young teens to baby
boomers.
"Unlike ink, you get better colors with airbrushing because you're using
paint, but ours is more like makeup, so it won't crack like acrylic
paints," says Zachary. However, airbrushed designs barely last 24 hours.
Geisman says the holidays -- especially Halloween -- are when he gets
the most traffic. His artists use pens with semi-permanent ink that
won't penetrate the skin but will last several days until you scrub it
off with soap.
For those who want to look like they've got the real thing, Timman says
the old-fashioned Americana designs are the best choice, done with
alcohol-based paint or markers. "Those designs that sailors had, like
'Mom' or hearts, roses, anchors and pinups typically done in black and
red will look the most realistic, as if they've faded with time," he
adds.
Names of boyfriends or girlfriends are another favorite and ideal for
the fickle of heart. At Purple Haze, a short name can cost as little as
$20.
And when the love is gone, well, so is the tattoo.
Copyright 2002 "The Los Angeles Daily News." All rights reserved.
Jaime
Me
on celebrities which they will wear or wash off. Unfortunately some young
kid will see his designs and go out and get the real thing , only to regret
it years later when they no longer want them and don't want to go thru with
or can't afford the process to get rid of them. I remember meeting a young
woman in her 20's that had two very large tattoos down her arms removed.
They looked horrible (scarred )and pretty much forced her to wear long
sleeves from here on out. Seems a lot of parents that I work with are
fighting to keep their kids from getting the real thing too . I don't see
why they just don't get a fake one and get it over with at least then they
will have a choice.
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