Instagram is a haven many make-up artists that create unique pieces using their bodies as a canvas. I’ve previously shown instances of beautiful lip art, however, the immense talent of Ryan Kelly takes make-up art to a whole new level. Ryan is a full-time make-up artist from Maryland and the owner of a freelance makeup company, Blend Makeup Artistry. She’s been practicing and perfecting her lip art skills since 2015 when she decided to post a picture of her lips with a viral phenomenon ‘Left Shark’ which was first brought by Katy Perry. Back then she could hardly imagine the popularity which would follow. Today she has over 79,000 followers who eagerly await her new creations.

When Ryan first started painting her lips, she would take her time and play around with ideas, painting each detail by hand. The whole process would take up to seven hours to complete for each piece. When Ryan became a mother, however, she wanted more time with her daughter. After seeing an artist use transfer paper for body painting — a technique is similar to the one used by tattoo artists — she decided to try that out.

 “My technique has certainly evolved. I definitely look back on my earlier looks and cringe a bit. One thing that’s remained pretty consistent is the content. I love playing with trends and pop culture references.”

She starts out by drawing big lips on a piece of paper, then puts the desired image on them. From there she sketches out the scene for her new creation on a temporary tattoo paper and transfers it to her lips. Liquid lipstick is then used to colour the image and turn her lips into small masterpieces. Her lip art creations vary from pop culture characters from TV shows such as Game of Thrones, Friends, and movies which would be impossible to forget: A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, Austin Powers, Mrs. Doubtfire, to other pop culture icons such as Andy Warhol, Kim Kardashian, and Rihanna. Check out some of her lip art below and follow Ryan on Instagram.

Source: https://www.boredpanda.com/lip-art-pop-culture-ryan-kelly/