Lipstick artist paints his way out of hunger

RICOLLIN Moodley, 24, is a makeup artist, but not the usual kind. While most people use lipstick to colour their lips, Moodley uses it to paint incredible portraits.

- WENDY JASSON DA COSTA

From shiny to matte and even smudge-proof, he uses all brands to further his craft and has made a name for himself as ‘the lipstick artist’.

This week he said that his art didn’t start in a studio, instead it began on a beach in 2017 with nothing but borrowed pages and a growling tummy.

“We didn’t have food for days. My dad was travelling 200km to work, and my mom wasn’t well. I was just sitting there, thinking, ‘What can I do? How do I get us food?’ I just wanted to do something.”

The 16-year-old felt a sudden urge to draw and went to the library to ask for paper. “I didn’t do art at school, no one taught me. But I just had this urge. The desperation to find a way to put food on the table pushed me.”

While sketching on the beach in Port Edward, a German tourist walked past and was so impressed that he asked Moodley to draw a picture of his grandchild from a picture on the phone. “Without even thinking, I said yes. That’s how it started.”

The tourist was stunned when Moodley told him what he wanted in return. “I said, ‘just groceries, bread and juice, something to eat.”

An hour later, the man returned with groceries, a phone, and an envelope of cash. He also had some stern words for the youngster.

“He told me never to underestimate my value. Where he comes from, art means something. That's when I knew I could put food on the table with my art.”