Face painting is a great addition to the holidays, because every child dreams of reincarnating at least for a while into his favorite fairy-tale character or superhero. In addition, face painting is a versatile tool for creating images. Now you don’t have to waste time looking for the right carnival mask, because having a minimal palette of colors and a brush, you can turn more than a dozen people into any character! Arm yourself with just three ingredients – paints, brushes and imagination. We will tell you about the features of application, how to draw a simple face painting for children at home and about its alternatives in this article. And, of course, we will share face painting ideas for beginners.
In face painting, special paints are used that are easy to apply and just as easily washed off with water. As a rule, face art inks undergo dermatological tests to ensure complete safety in use. Such paints can be of two types: dry (pressed) and liquid. For face painting, you can additionally purchase glitter, which will complete the images of fairy fairies, beautiful princesses and charming butterflies.
Rules for the use of face painting for children
Children’s skin is much softer and more sensitive than the skin of an adult, so you need to handle it more carefully and adhere to certain rules:
It is not recommended to paint children under 3-4 years old.
Before applying face and body makeup, check if your child is allergic to the paint. To do this, apply some makeup on a small area of the child’s neck and wait 10-15 minutes, then rinse gently without rubbing. If the skin does not turn red, then there is no allergic reaction, and you can safely start creating a bright image.
If your child’s face has scratches, wounds, rashes or other manifestations of skin diseases, give up face painting. So that the child does not feel offended to remain unadorned, you can offer him to make a small drawing on his hand, where the skin is in order.
Remember that you can leave face painting on a child’s face for no more than 3 hours.
Before using face painting, analyze what the child’s reaction to the drawing will be. For example, a shy child who does not like being in the spotlight may get upset, but a sociable and active child who likes to be in sight, on the contrary, will be delighted with the original image.
How to make face painting at home
If you do not trust the manufacturers of water-based paints, you can find an alternative solution – do face painting yourself, using mainly natural ingredients. It will take some effort to create face painting, but it is not as difficult as it might seem at first. All ingredients for face painting can be easily found in your home.
To prepare water paints you will need:
- 3 tablespoons of starch;
- 5 tablespoons of warm water;
- 10-15 g baby cream;
- Multi-colored food colors.
Mix starch with water, add cream and stir until smooth. Then divide the mixture into parts according to the number of desired colors and add a few drops of dye to each part until the desired shade is obtained. Stir again thoroughly.
In addition to water paints, it is also worth paying attention to the tools, since the drawing depends a lot on them. To apply face painting you will need body painting accessories:
- Sponges of different sizes for applying the base tone;
- Brushes for painting in different sizes (ideal if they are made of natural bristles);
- Sharpened thin brush for outlines, outlines and extra fine details;
- Flat thick brushes;
- A sheet or large napkin to cover and not stain your baby’s clothes;
- Hair hoop;
- Dry and wet wipes;
- Large mirror;
- Black outline.
Before starting the transformation, brush a little with dry brushes over the child’s face so that he can get used to your movements. If he is afraid of tickling, then he should limit himself to a small pattern, which is easiest to complete – an asterisk, a flower, a mustache, tiger stripes.
How to draw face painting
To get started, select and print some simple face painting drawings so that children have a choice.
After all the preparations, proceed to the main steps:
- Use a sponge to apply tone so that the face painting base is smooth and even. To do this, soak it in water, wring it out and dip it into the paint, and then apply the tone to your face in a circular motion. Apply the foundation all over the face up to the hairline. Be especially careful when applying paint in the eye area – ask the child to close his eyes tightly and not overdo it with a layer of makeup. If the drawing does not occupy the entire face, then apply the base only on those areas with which you will work.
- Now draw the elements of the face art. To do this, hold the brush like a pencil to clearly and accurately draw lines and contours. Dip a brush in water and dip in paint in a circular motion. Keep the brush at right angles to the skin while painting. If you need to apply several coats of paint, wait until the previous coat is completely dry and only then continue working.
Ideas for face painting
Some images that do not require special artistic skills cause a sea of enthusiastic emotions in children. Having them in your arsenal, you can always please your child.
Pirate
Using a sponge and black paint, draw a round bandage (keeping the child’s eye tightly closed). Trace it along the contour with black makeup using a brush and paint the ribbon. Then deeply move your eyebrows and draw a mustache.
Bristles can be created using a sponge, patting them pointwise in the required places on the chin and cheeks. If desired, using a thin brush and scarlet paint, you can finish painting scars and scratches, which will only decorate the “robber”.
Tiger and other animals
Preschool and primary school children are often asked to be turned into cute animals. Often, such images are made according to the same principle and do not require long training.
First, apply a tone that matches the base coat color of the selected character. After the base is dry, use a brush with black paint to move the eyebrows just above the real ones and draw a heart on the tip of the nose. Apply stripes (if it’s a cat or tiger) or spots (puppy color) as needed. Draw a dark line from the nose to the lips and divide it along the contour of the lips into two parts, thus modeling the upper lip. Small dots and a mustache will also add color. If you wish, you can draw a tongue hanging to the side.
Butterfly
To create such delicate and fabulous images, in addition to paint, you should purchase glitter.
On the nose is drawn the body of a butterfly, on the forehead – the head and antennae, and on the cheeks and eyes of the child – wings. After choosing bright colors, apply them as a base on the intended area of the butterfly’s wings. Blend the paint and start drawing patterns and details. After drawing the shapes and drying the paint, apply glitter to the contours of the wings with a cream.
Clown
Using a sponge, use a circular motion to apply a white tone and wait for the base to dry. Then draw a round red nose.
Eyebrows can be drawn in any color you like in the form of a steep arc over real eyebrows. Paint the lips with scarlet paint, and the cheeks with hot pink. Instead of blush, you can draw freckles.
Mini pictures
It is not necessary to paint the entire face of the child – sometimes you can get by with a small pattern on the cheek or hand. So, girls will be happy with flowers blooming on their hands, and boys on Halloween can ask to draw a spider on their cheeks.
In addition, with the help of face painting, it is easy to turn hands into animals and take part in the production of a modern fairy tale.