Kids of all ages delight in seeing their painted faces. There is something primal and yet reassuring when one peers out behind a mask or painted face at the strange and wonderful new you. It’s a bit of a shock at times, often surprisingly but nearly always delightful in the end.

Face painting takes just a few simple skills to master to provide maximum appeal. Face painting ideas can come from anyone and anything, including fantastical elements from literature and film, mundane everyday items that get transformed with a bit of creativity into something unique- even dreams and fantasies can provide fertile raw materials from which to harvest face painting ideas.

Certain themes seem to be favored by girls while others by boys. For example, girls often enjoy having their faces painted along the following lines: butterflies, cats, cuddle animals, puppies, fairies, princesses, bunny rabbits and other small furry creatures, ladybugs, flowers, elves, rainbows and mermaids.

Boys often enjoy being painted as superheroes (like Spiderman or Batman), pirates, more ferocious animals like tigers or lions, bats and other ‘spooky’ creatures, clowns, aliens, robots, rock stars and adventure characters.

Both girls and boys share many of the same face painting ideas when it comes to Halloween: ghosts, witches, warlocks, devils, skulls, spider webs, bats, black cats, monsters, aliens, clowns and magical beings of all sorts.

Face painting ideas for adults run the gamut from the comical to the merely whimsical, from the horrifying to the sedate, and from the prosaic to the sublime. It is not uncommon for adults to toss their inhibitions aside and cover themselves with 40 pounds of insulating foam and paint, pieces of furniture or gallons of dyed sugary syrup designed to mimic blood and gore.

The Comprehensive Guide to Face Painting is your source of ideas on how to paint faces the way professionals do. It’s easy, fun and exciting to get professional results with our downloadable ebook. Complete with step-by-step instructions for 50 popular designs and over 600 detailed photographs, the Guide will show you how to do everything in clear, easy to follow directions for faces that will delight your children and amaze your friends.

Whatever your gender or age, your imagination and natural likes and dislikes will determine what you will end up looking like when you have your face painted. Before you go too crazy letting your imagination run riot, please keep in mind the following safety precautions about face painting:

• Do not use toxic paints or ones that induce allergic reactions

• Do not use paints that are flammable or otherwise dangerous

• Make sure that all applications of paint, makeup, gels, pastes and other substances are easy to remove without damaging your skin

• Plan your designs carefully to maximize enjoyment and minimize possible problems

• Do not use inappropriate tools when applying paints

• Keep paints and other substances well away from eyeballs, inner ears, the insides of the nostrils or mouth

That’s it! Keep it simple, sane and creative. Have fun and enjoy your new face!

For more information visit http://www.facepaintingtips.com.

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Running out of face painting ideas and need to spice things up a little? I know how hard it can be to come up with new face painting ideas when you’ve got ‘painters block’ so hopefully these 5 ideas will help you out at your next face painting gig or party.

1. Glitter:

Glitter can add a whole new dimension to your face painting is a great face painting idea! It can also transform your face paintings for amateur to professional! They can be pretty cheap if you know where to buy them and it’s very easy to apply! They work especially well with ‘princess’ and ‘fantasy’ designs and kids love them! As with face paint, you need to remember to only use glitter and stick on jewels that are safe to put on a persons skin (eg. body glitter) Do NOT use aluminum glitter – polyester only. Aluminum glitter can hurt the eyes and skin.

There are different types of glitter – Glitter Gel, Glitter (Iridescent) Powders and Glitter Dust. I suggest you try them all out and see which one works best for you.

2. Stick – On – Jewels:

Stick on jewels can also add a whole new dimension to your face painting, transforming your face paintings for amateur to pro. And they’re so easy to use even kids can use this face painting idea. Simply peel off the back of the jewel and stick the ‘sticky’ part of the jewel directly onto the skin or onto the paint that’s on the skin. That’s it! Also you can get plastic jewels that need to be stuck on with a little dab of paint.

3. Combining Makeup with Face Painting:

Combining cosmetic makeup with face painting is one of the many great face painting ideas if done right and it can save you time!

For example Blush can be used to make rosy cheeks on a bunny rabbit instead using pink face paint. Blush is creates a softer color and is quick to apply.Eye Liner Pencil can be used to outline the eyes or any part of a design.

For beginners it’s much quicker and easier than using a brush. Eye Shadow can also be used and perhaps blended with paint on the face.It’s up to you!

Experiment with these different mediums and find out what’s right for you, what you like to use and what you think looks most effective!

4. Body Painting to Match the Face Painting:

Kids love this idea, trust me – I’ve tried it many a time, it makes them feel like they have a costume on and really lets them have fun with the character they’ve been painted whether it be a princess or vampire! Although this might sound like it’s complicated and will take up heaps of time – it won’t. As long as you keep them simple.

For example if you’re painted a pretty pink princess face design, why not complement it with a pretty pink bracelet. All you do is take some pink paint, and paint with a brush, a line around the wrist. It’s that simple, just use your imagination!

5. Costumes and Face Painting:

Costumes and face painting, its fun no matter what age you are! And it can be quite easy too, the costumes don’t have to be over the top. Try a pair of bunny ears to go with a bunny design, or a tiara to go with a princess. How about a black cape to go with a vampire design or a stocking filled with newspaper, pinned on the end of your t-shirt to look like a tale to match a tiger design?

The ideas are endless, just get a little creative, use your imagination and most importantly, have fun with your face painting ideas!

This is a tutorial on a simple tigerface design that’s great for kids!

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