Learning the Art of Face Painting

Mastering the art of face painting is a great way to make your kid's day especially when there's a special occasion such as a birthday party. Also most professional face painters charge $50/h and up so you're thinking; what if you learn it and not just make your kid's day but also save a few extra dollars to treat yourself after. The only problem is that you don't know where to start. Right? This article will show you some quick and efficient ways to master this art in the comfort of your own home. So back to the first question: Where should you start?

One of the most important factors in determining the results of your art is the paint you use. The best kinds to buy are water based paints that wash easily and don't irritate the skin. (A trip to the doctor is the last thing you're looking forward to). You can find these at your local party store. Just make sure you don't buy the oil based face paints. You might think you're saving money but the results won't look nearly as good as the water based ones.

The next question is: What colors should I buy? Make sure you buy just the basic colors. Stores have small party kits available that contain white, black, red, green, yellow, blue, pink and purple. This only costs around $20 but will last you enough to paint 50 full faces. Another way of doing it is by buying each color separately. Do not ever forget to buy black and white. Those two colors are very important because they will make your designs stand out! The next step would be to buy brushes. Unlike most face painters that buy a whole set of them I recommend just buying three. One for fine lines (the most important one), one for medium lines and one to cover large areas. You can also buy sponges to cover these areas quickly.

Okay, so now you have the paints, brushes and sponges. How do you know what to paint? And HOW to paint it? Another important step that is overlooked by most face painters is hygiene. Dip your brush in clean water (possibly warm) and change the water often. Do not ever use alcohol to dilute your paints because it will kill your skin cells and this is not something you want it to happen to your child or anybody else that you will be painting. Now what should you paint? Think about a theme for your party.

If it's a princess party you can try to paint pretty easy eye designs or tiaras on your girls' faces. The easiest ones are flowers. You start out by painting the petals with one color of your choice then you accent them with a color that is in an opposite range to the first one. For example if you use dark purple to paint the petals use white to accent your flower. So in other words; light with dark and dark with light.

When painting full faces, always start covering larger areas first with lighter colors. You can always paint over the details with darker colors later on.

Source : Ezinearticles