Learn all these techniques in our Beginner Course! You’ll also learn how build a budget-friendly face painting kit, 22 designs you can use on the job, and more!
Entry-level uncomplicated blossom face paint
So you’ve scoured the internet and you’re tired of seeing the same, mediocre designs over and over again. You don’t need a laugh, you need some inspiration!
Here at the International Face Painting School, we believe face paint for kids (and adults!) is a real art, and we’re keeping things high quality.
We’ve got some impressive yet easy face paint ideas for beginners too, and video tutorials you can follow along with!
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Whether you’re a beginner, a parent, a pro, or just looking for the best Halloween costume the world has ever known…
We’ve got a collection of face painting ideas with plenty for everyone! Keep an eye out for helpful tips on how you can achieve professional results.
Face painting ideas for girls
No matter the age, a girl who is getting her face painted wants to feel beautiful. This collection is full of beautiful designs for the most-requested face paint ideas for girls.
You’ll find loads of variations too so that you can paint something in your style that matches her style.
a. Princess crown face paint
Princess crowns are an easy face paint ideas to make any girl look her best. These designs can be as simple as one-stroking for color and form and linework for embellishment, but you can also dress it up with double dip flowers, sponged eyeshadow, glitter, and bling!
Another option is to paint a themed crown based on her favorite princess. Elsa face paint is especially popular! Find more Frozen face paint ideas in the themed parties section.
b. Fairy face paint
For fairy face paint, it can be very helpful to have a fairy stencil, as you’ll see in the following designs. But some of these fairies were painted freehand! Use your tools to adapt to whatever time you have.
c. Butterfly face paint
Butterfly face paint is one of the best face painting ideas because the wings frame the face in such a flattering way. It’s also an easy face paint for beginners to achieve with a petal sponge or one stroke technique.
Once you master the proper butterfly placement and shape, the same principles will be used in countless other designs!
d. Cute cat face paint
I told you we’d use those butterfly shapes again, right? Cat ears follow the same placement rules as the top wings. Cute cat face paint can be an easy addition to your face paint menu.
Check out even more cat designs in the Animals section, or just keep scrolling 😉
Creative Kitty Face Paint by Annabel Hoogeveen is a stunning on-the-job design that’s sure to wow! It’s also easier than it looks, so be sure to check out the step-by-step.
e. Flower face paint
Double dip and one-stroke flowers are guaranteed to amaze and are one of the most popular face paint ideas for women as well as girls.
Once you’ve nailed these techniques, they will be an easy way to add to any girl design. Create fast, intricate eye designs or add petals to butterflies, crowns, unicorns and everything else!
Keep flower eye designs close around the eye and directed at facial focal points for a pleasing, balanced design.
These ripped masks are great to appeal to the older boys. Even adults will be wowed by the transformation.
Spiderman fans will love the evil villain face paint option. And the flowing lines give so much room for creativity.
Even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can add quick texture with sponge work, stenciling, or even glitter gel!
But the bat-signal isn’t the only option! Why not paint the man himself? Or even the Gotham City!
b. Dragon and dinosaur face paint
Scaly body, sharp teeth, lethal claws — Face painting dragons and dinosaurs has a lot of overlap, and boys love them both. T-Rex face paint is especially popular with boys who love Jurassic Park and Jurassic World!
In general, larger bodies and thick tails can help keep a dinosaur from looking like a snake or a dragon. Also, notice how the head has rounded edges and is around the same thickness as the snout.
Wings and fire are some obvious differences between dragons and dinosaurs. Dragon heads also have more sharp angles and their snouts are more narrow than the rest of their head.
c. Monster face paint
Use the teeth and claws you’ve mastered, and let your imagination go wild. Monster face paint designs are a great place to get creative with color and texture stencils. Monsters are also an easy beginner face paint idea because of how adaptable they are.
These also work well for any size of design – Monster eye face paint, masks, half face, and full face designs!
d. Tigers
Boys are wild about tigers! But so are girls and adults. Tiger face paint is a staple for a reason. We’re covering more tigers in our popular animal face paint ideas section. You’ll want to check out these tiger face paint designs first.
The right tools make all the difference for fast, easy face painting! Check out our Face Painting Supplies Guide to learn the best materials and where to get them.
Easy One-Stroke Butterfly step-by-step by Elodie Ternois.
c. On-the-job designs
These designs use a variety of techniques like double dip flowers, one stroking, linework, applying stencils, and sponging rainbow cakes. They’re also quick enough to use on-the-job to face paint for birthday parties, festivals, school fairs, and more!
Learn all these techniques in our Beginner Course! You’ll also learn how build a budget-friendly face painting kit, 22 designs you can use on the job, and more!
This Rose Princess Mask by Olga Murasev is a beautiful face paint design for beginners.
Popular Animal face paint
Animal face paint designs needs its own section because it’s very popular for both boys and girls. These are also great designs for adults, including some very realistic animal face paint designs.
This is only a handful of the most popular animal face paint ideas. If you want a comprehensive look at the wonderful zoo of face paint possibilities, our Animal Face Paint Guide is the place for you!
a. Dog & Cat face paint
It’s wonderful that dogs and cats share so many common features because you can easily learn both. One of the biggest differences between painting dogs and cats will be the ears. Here’s a great selection of dog and cat face painting ideas to inspire you.
Halloween Cat Face Paint for Boys by Annabel Hoogeveen can be used any time of the year!
Lion face paint
Whether you’re looking for a cartoon Lion King face paint or a fierce one, we’ve got great ideas for you.
Lion face paint step-by-step by Rosie Lieberman.
Leopard and Cheetah face paint
Did you know that the main distinction between leopards and cheetahs is that cheetahs have solid spots? These designs can easily be adapted to be either leopards or cheetahs, but the rosette spots are so lovely you may just want to put them on both. I won’t tell if you don’t.
Want a detailed step-by-step design? Check out this Fast Cheetah Step by Step Face Painting Tutorial by Wies Facepainting.
c. More Popular Animal face paint ideas
If you love painting animals, there’s a whole animal kingdom to choose from! Here are some more designs and tutorials that you (and your customers!) are sure to love!
Some animals are more seasonal, but oh-so-popular in their season! These Easter bunnies are perfect for springtime. If it’s fall, check out our guide of turkey Thanksgiving day face painting designs that are sure to please!
What is the Day of the Dead makeup called?
Day of the Dead makeup has many names, reflecting the three main themes of Día de los Muertos makeup looks. And there are key distinctions between each of these terms and their different origins. Bautista breaks it down:
- Calavera: a skull
- Sugar skull: a skull made from compressed sugar, usually decorated, and used to adorn the altars
- La Catrina: technically the correct term to use when referring to the elaborate, opulent skull makeup look for Día de Muertos that commonly features flowers and other rich embellishments
La Catrina is an iconic figure that comes from a piece of work called La Calavera Catrina by artist José Guadalupe Posada, which features a skeleton woman wearing a dressy hat adorned with flowers. (Catrina was also later included in a mural by Diego Rivera.)
“It was a mockery of people who were trying to look sophisticated,” Bautista explains. “They would dress up and try to look like they were high-class, and his point was even in death, we’re all just skeletons.” (Again, none of these are Halloween costumes, so if you’re here lookin’ for Oct. 31 inspo, you’ve made a wrong turn.)
Can I wear Day of the Dead makeup?
As a basic rule of thumb, if you have to ask, then you should probably sit this one out. That said, both Bautista and Martinez say they love to see other cultures celebrating the tradition when done respectfully and with knowledge of the meaning and historical background of the holiday. “I feel so strongly that everybody can participate,” Martinez says. “As long as you know the meaning behind it—in honor of the people that you love—it’s such a powerful thing to participate in.”
As Bautista explains, “If you think about the roots of what it really means, it’s a day to honor your deceased loved ones, and there’s nobody who’s impartial to that—anybody can relate to that,” she says. “The big thing is when people don’t respect the culture itself, or they’re interested in tying it into Halloween, and that one is sensitive to me, too. I do Halloween makeup all the time, but I’m very careful not to label one as the other. As a Mexican-American artist, that’s been my biggest mission: to celebrate our culture without letting the roots of it be taken away.”
Bottom line: Be respectful and try to keep the meaning of Día de los Muertos, not cosplay, at the forefront when coming up with your designs.
What do you need for Day of the Dead makeup?
Día de los Muertos makeup looks can be simple or extravagant depending on your style (and, let’s face it, your skill level). But you really only need a few quality products to do a calavera. Martinez’s trick for creating a base for your skull that’ll stay put throughout photoshoots or festivals is to use a long-lasting foundation in the lightest shade you can find.
If you’re fair, she suggests adding a bit of white face paint to the foundation—buuut not just any face paint. Bautista says to skip the cheap costume store stuff that can crack and melt, and to instead pick up some water-based face paint.
As for the black detailing, Martinez uses eyeliner and a Mehron water-activated palette to keep the lines sharp and clean. If you want to glam it up and make the black pop, Martinez likes to use glitter eyeshadows and apply gems (or any other small embellishment) with eyelash glue.
