Looking swell with tummy art
Mums-to-be celebrate pregnancy
Hamilton artist April Hernandez has been brushing up on her technique and is helping mums-to-be celebrate their pregnancies.
The belly art involves using baby bumps as a canvas and the ladies are delighted with the stunning results.
Sam Hemson (27), from Hamilton, is expecting her first child any day now, and had her bump painted by April as a surprise gift from her family.
She said: “My mum and sister booked April as a surprise for my baby shower, I didn’t know about it.
“I love unicorns and skulls so my mum asked for a design with those and I absolutely loved what April came up with. It was perfect and exactly what I would have chosen myself.”
Mum-of-five April has been painting for five years and covers a variety of techniques, including fake wounds, glitter tattoos, body art and conventional make-up artistry as well as her recent venture into pregnancy bumps.
The artist really enjoys doing this kind of work as it is a memory the mums can keep forever.
April said: “Bump painting, is something that is becoming really popular, a lot of ladies ask me to do it for them as part of their baby showers or as a memory photoshoot.
“It is such a lovely thing to be able to keep photos of and remember this wonderful time in their lives.”
Sam couldn’t believe the end result and was delighted that she had pictures to keep of her bump in a baby book.
She added:“april came along to my shower and was fantastic. She was so lovely and down to earth, which made the experience really relaxing and unique.
“Everyone at my shower passed comments on how amazing her work was, I’ve never been so happy to walk around with my stomach on show.”
Another mum who had her bump painted was fellow body painter Lorraine Walker, from Longniddry.
Lorraine’s husband Scott is a huge fan of rock band AC/DC and even plays the drums in a tribute band.
When the time came to bare her bump for painting, Scott asked if April could incorporate AC/DC into Lorraine’s initial flower idea.
She said: “April is ridiculously creative, I wouldn’t ask anyone else to paint my bump.
“She managed to incorporate both of our ideas and it turned out just perfect.”
The couple welcomed baby Angus in February, who is named after the band’s lead guitarist.
April believes this is one of the most rewarding jobs she does and hopes to continue to work with many more mums-to-be.
If anyone is looking to book April for bump art, check out her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ funpaintfactory