Important Face Painting Tips for Newbies

Face painting is such an enjoyable activity, not just for kids, or teens, but for adults as well. Aside from the fun experience it bestows, it can actually be a very prosperous business, but you must remember that on whatever level you want to involve yourself in, that all the safety and health measures must be understood and practiced.

Many believe that what feels challenging must be difficult to start. (At least in your mind). But if you dare to start, you will realise that face painting is not as difficult as you thought. We will give you some tips on how to kick off. The first thing that you must understand is to start with something basic and simple like a white cat with whiskers. Going for a design that is simple and uses few colours will give you confidence to then try more. Little by little you will add form and colours that will give depth and detail to what you have started on. And as you continuously enjoy painting, step-by-step, you can make your art expression more detailed and refined.

But before going father, let us talk about the materials that we are going to use.

1. Face Paint - Be very careful of the paint you are going to paint with, especially as our "clients" will mostly be kids! Make sure the face paint is for the skin and is non-toxic and safe and is accordance with the standard of American, European and other countries regulations. Also, keep in mind that acrylic paints are not safe to be applied on your skin. It is not advisable to use watercolour or markers or pencils on skin for face painting. So the key to success is to use the right products and also to know if the person you are going to face paint has any skin allergies.

2. Brushes & Sponges to be used - Brushes and sponges dictate how the paint will be applied on the face. So take note, paint brushes must be of the best quality. You might use a minimum of two (2) brushes and 1 sponge to begin with. A small and fine pointed brush will be needed for detailed paint works. Secondly, you will need a medium-sized smoother pointed paintbrush to be used for the bolder strokes. Lastly, a sponge will help you to cover larger areas of the skin. I will give details of brushes and sponges in another chapter.

3. Designing what you are going to paint - Before painting on the face try drawing a picture of what you want to paint. Best of all try the design by drawing it on a drawing of a face. Try and imagine where the lines will be applied and how you will transfer this on to a 3D form. Ask yourself what details will bring out the best of the idea? What makes a cat say, look like a cat?

4. Painting - Face paints are water-based and will easily come off with some water. You will need water in a jar and a water spray to load the paint onto your brush/sponge. Be sure to wet the brush/sponge evenly before loading a colour. This will mean an even coat of paint that will come onto the skin. The water spray is used to spray directly onto the paint to make it wet since face paints are generally dry pastes. Try and use your brushes and sponges to apply the paint with some gentleness so you can add more and not waste time taking it off. You also have to consider drying time for the paint before adding another colour on top. If you only have a small amount of paint brushes be sure to wash the brush well before loading another colour as not to mix the colours up.

5. After you have completed you face paint design be sure to clean well all your brushes and sponges so they keep their quality and form. There are products to also help bring a rough looking brush back to its straight former self. Face painting is a very rewarding and relaxing activity and it brings such happy smiles to the painted. Enjoy the learning process and remember practise makes perfect! Happy face painting people!

Antonella Ripani does face painting Melbourne. Check out her face painting Australia works at http://www.facepaintingmelbourne.com.au

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