Kids, tweens, and teens all love having their faces painted. With just a bit of practice, even beginners (mom, dad or a teen) can safely add fun and excitement to a birthday party or other celebration by face painting.
Arranging to paint for a party or event with several guests takes some advance planning. Practice and planning are important to a fun and successful activity.
It may be helpful for to read the article Face Painting Ideas for Beginners, which goes a bit more in depth on the face painting process.
Start With the Best Face Painting Paints and Supplies
Do not try using acrylic art paints (made for use on paper, wood, and other crafts) for faces. These paints leave kids itchy, uncomfortable, and covered with flaked dried messes. Acrylic and other craft paints are not made for use on skin and may cause allergic reactions. They also look bad.
Professional face painters often recommend Snazaroo brand face paints. They are non-toxic, make-up quality and go on smoothly. Snazaroo paints will also not flake off or itch. Snazaroo products are available online on the website How to Start a Face Painting Business. Party kits are available in various themes.
Whatever you choose, make sure the paint is hypoallergenic and recommended for use as face paint.
Keeping Children Safe When Painting Faces
Besides using excellent face paints, consider these tips for keeping children safe:
Keep children still while working on their face decorations.
- Use one hand on top of the child’s head to gently, but firmly, turn and manipulate the face while painting.
- Consider wearing a piece of interesting jewelry on which children can be asked to focus
- Face painters can paint a dot or ladybug on their noses to keep kids looking at the design
- Have wiggly kids close their eyes to keep them from looking around
- Keep paint away from young children's eyes to keep eyes safe.
- Older kids, tweens and teens will generally have more control and patience.
Simple Birthday Party and Holiday Paint Designs
The easiest ideas for new painters are simple cheek art designs. Quick painting is also better for toddlers, who tend to prefer running to sitting. Some fast and easy face painting patterns include:
- rainbow
- heart
- star
- music note
- peace sign
- sports balls
- swirls
- simple flowers
- sun
- ice cream
- apples
- tribal designs
- holiday motifs
For more complex cheek art designs, see Snazaroo. Come up with designs in advance and make a board showing available designs. Try practicing with stencils if no one is particularly artistic.
More advanced painters can work from books, search online for tutorial videos, or come up with unique designs of their own.
Common Sense
When working with children, especially in groups, a little common sense goes a long way. Having extra adults around is useful, as well as having something to keep guests entertained before and after their turns being painted. Afterward, party guests will want to look at themselves in the mirror, so having a couple mirrors (and/or digital cameras) available is a good idea.
Beyond those considerations, make sure chairs and tables are stable, there are baby wipes handy for cleaning small messes, and be sure to follow instructions that come with the paints.
Janienne Jennrich - Janienne Jennrich, Topic Editor for Kids & Teen Parties and for Hair, is an award-winning freelance writer & webmaster.
