Lee Seng Hoo Analysis

By Yeo Chia Hui

What strikes you most about Lee Seng Hoo is his sense of self-deprecating humour. He has such an infectious wry sense of humour that you can’t help but to laugh along with him. And this is probably why he is so good at doing what he does. Because after all, one needs to be able to laugh at himself first before others can laugh with him.

He is a face and body painter where his Instagram account is filled with him taking on fictional characters like Grinch, Joker, Nutcracker, Groot (from Guardians of the Galaxy ), Sadness and Anger (from Inside Out), or transforming himself into animals like lion, tiger, and zebra - with the sort of imagination he has, the possibilities are endless.

“I was into photography back then but I

Then I will sit in front of the mirror where I’ll sketch out the design using a lip liner or an eye liner, before I proceed to fill them with body paint. Finally, I’ll use eye shadow to do contrasting and highlights.

How long do you to take to finish a design or character?
The thing about body painting is that once you start, you have to keep going until it’s completed. Unlike painting on canvas or paper, where you can resume it at a later time or date without issues, you only have two options when it comes body painting: finish it at one go, or wash it all off and begin again next time. Generally, it takes me about two to five hours to complete. If I’m really focused then the fastest time I’ve achieved is about an hour plus.

What is the hardest thing about body painting?
The most challenging thing is painting on a hot day, because you can’t sweat or else you’ll ruin the whole thing. We have a hot weather here in Malaysia so, whenever I paint, I’ll have to turn on the air conditioner and have a standing fan with me. You just can’t afford to sweat especially as I use water-based body paint where a drop of water can ruin the whole thing.

TRIVIA
His last holiday destination: Phuket, Thailand
He prefers: water-based body