If you find Ryan Kelly’s lip art a bit grotesque or out of the ordinary, you’re certainly not with times. Her lip art is making waves on the internet and enjoys a following of more than 77,000 fans on Instagram alone.
This makeup artist, based in Maryland, USA, has been perfecting this unique form of art that uses lips as a canvas. Unlike normal lipstick applied directly to the lips, Kelly’s lip art needs some preparation. She first draws a huge pair of lips on paper and sketches the design she intends to put on the lips. She then proportionately paints all the elements of the design on the lips. At times, to save on time, she uses a temporary tattoo paper to transfer the design to her lips that she colors afterward.
For this kind of lip art, a conventional lipstick would not do. It requires specialized products. Says Kelly, “Creamy products just aren’t suited for drawing faces and tiny details because they move and fade.” What really works for her is liquid lipstick. To apply it, she not only uses thin paint brushes but also toothpicks, stamps and even thread hardened with superglue!
So, what inspired Kelly to take up this lip art thing. It was while watching Katy Perry at the Superbowl with her husband, that they noticed a backup dancer on the left, dressed as a shark, mess up the choreography, but he kept going. Her husband suggested that she paints this Left Shark on her lips as a joke. She did and posted it on Instagram. It went viral with people going crazy over it.
Kitsch motivates Kelly. Says she, “I love creating lips that will make people laugh or feel a little twinge of nostalgia.” And she has the longest to-do list ever!
Ryan Kelly
Instagram | Youtube
