Kids Face Painting Ideas

Staying Safe

Before you start face painting, it’s important to remember a few basic safety considerations. Face painting is a fun activity for children of all ages, but it does require some caution.

When face painting, always choose your supplies carefully. Only buy supplies that are designed specifically for face painting, since other materials may cause skin irritation or allergic reactions. Never use washable markers or acrylic paint for face painting and be very cautious when using glitter near a child’s eyes.

To reduce the spread of illness, do not practice face painting on a subject who has open sores on his/her face. It’s also a good idea to clean your brushes thoroughly between customers and keep hand sanitizer readily available.

If you’re face painting for a large group of children, you’ll want to learn to recognize the signs of head lice. Face painters must often hold a child’s head when working, which increases the risk of transferring lice.

Choosing Kids Face Painting Ideas

The sky’s the limit when it comes to selecting face painting designs for children. Designs can be simple or elaborate, depending upon your artistic confidence and level of painting experience. Consider the following suggestions:

• Stars
• Hearts
• Balloons
• Butterflies
• Flowers
• Flag
• Ladybug
• Pirate
• Witch
• Skeleton
• Clown
• Fairy
• Spiderman, Batman, and other popular superheroes or cartoon characters
• Simple messages such as “Happy Birthday!” or the name of the child’s school

To see pictures of finished kids face painting designs, check out these links:

• Face Painting Design Ideas
• Face Painting Tutorials
• Face Fiesta
• Irina’s Face Painting Gallery
• Snazaroo Face Painting Galleries
• GoGo the Clown Face Painting

Tips for Face Painting

To make the process of face painting easier, remember the following tips:

• Have a plan. Although most kids face painting ideas are fairly simple, they do require the subject to sit still. Unfortunately, children are typically quite impatient. You’ll need to work quickly, so it’s best to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish.
• Use makeup sponges to quickly cover a large area.
• To prevent cracking, apply face paint in thin layers.
• Let your base color dry before you apply additional colors to the design. If you don’t, the colors will run together.
• To save time, invest in stencils for hearts, stars, balloons, and other common face painting designs.
• To create professional looking results with minimal effort, combine simple face painting designs with temporary tattoos.
• Make cleanup a breeze with baby wipes. Since face painting is extremely messy, it’s a good idea to keep a large supply of baby wipes readily available to fix “mistakes” and remove excess paint from your hands.

Setting Up a Face Painting Booth

Face painting is often a popular fundraiser for schools and other children’s organizations. If you’d like to set up a face painting booth, consider the following suggestions:

• If you’re going to be painting for several hours, organize your schedule to allow for frequent breaks.
• To prevent unreasonable requests, have a chart available with designs that you are able to do.
• As you’re painting one child, talk to the next child in line about what design he/she would like. Since children are often indecisive, this helps the process go more smoothly.
• To reduce the strain on your back, have a high stool available for your face painting subject.
• Keep a mirror handy so children can easily view your finished design. A digital photo also makes a great souvenir of the face painting experience.

LoveToKnow Kids

For more great ideas on activities to enjoy with your children, visit LoveToKnow Kids..