Ten face paintings that work even if you have never held a brush: cat, butterfly, tiger, pirate, spider's web, rainbow, dog, lion, unicorn and skeleton. Each design takes five to ten minutes with water-based face paint, a sponge and two brushes. The only thing required is that the child sits still, and they will if they get to see themselves in the mirror after every step.
Face painting is the most requested thing at every party and the thing parents are most afraid of. There is no need: the ten designs here rest on three moves, a sponge for large areas, a thick brush for lines, a thin brush for details, and everything can be rescued with a new line. Children do not judge the technique. They judge whether it is a tiger.
Materials and three moves
- Water-based face paint, labelled for skin. White, black, red, yellow, blue and pink cover everything below.
- A sponge for laying down large areas: dab, do not drag.
- A thick brush for outlines: plenty of paint, little water, one stroke.
- A thin brush for whiskers and dots.
- A mirror so the child can look after every step. That is what keeps them sitting still.
Before you start
- Test the paint on the child's forearm half an hour before, the first time. If it goes red, skip the face.
- A hairband or hair clip so the fringe is off the forehead. Paint in hair is what takes longest to get out.
- The child sits on a chair at your height, not on your lap. You need to see the face straight on.
- A clean, dry face. Grease from ice cream or sun cream stops the paint sticking.
- Ask what the child wants, from your pictures. One who does not want it gets a sticker instead, and you move on to the next.
1. Cat (5 minutes)
- A pink or white triangle on the tip of the nose with the sponge.
- A black line from the tip of the nose down to the upper lip, and a small stroke out to each side on the upper lip.
- Three whiskers on each cheek with the thin brush.
- Two small triangles on the forehead as ears, filled with pink.
2. Butterfly (7 minutes)
- Sponge one big colour, pink or blue, over both eyes out towards the temples, like two wings.
- A black outline around the wings with the thick brush.
- A black body along the bridge of the nose, two antennae up onto the forehead.
- Dots in white and yellow on the wings.
3. Tiger (10 minutes)
- Sponge orange over the whole face except around the mouth.
- White around the mouth and the eyebrows.
- Black stripes from the sides in towards the middle, thick at the edge, thin towards the middle.
- A black nose, a line to the upper lip, whisker dots.
4. Pirate (5 minutes)
- A black eye patch over one eye, with a line as the strap around the forehead.
- A red bandana on the forehead, dots on it.
- Stubble with a sponge dipped lightly in black, dabbed on the chin.
- A scar in red and black on the cheek if the child wants one.
5. Spider's web (5 minutes)
- From the corner of the eye: three or four black lines outwards like a fan, with the thick brush.
- Curved lines between the spokes, three layers.
- A black spider with eight legs at the edge. Perfect for Halloween.
6. Rainbow (5 minutes)
- Sponge an arc over one eyebrow in red, then yellow, green and blue, layer by layer.
- White clouds at the ends with the sponge.
- Small white stars on the cheek.
7. Dog (5 minutes)
- A black nose, a line to the lip, as on the cat.
- A brown or black patch around one eye with the sponge.
- The tongue: red on the lower lip.
- Ears: two drooping shapes on the temples, brown.
8. Lion (8 minutes)
- Sponge yellow over the whole face.
- Brown or orange around the edges of the face as the mane, drag the sponge outwards so it is uneven.
- White around the mouth, a black nose, whisker dots.
- Small brown strokes in the mane with the thick brush.
9. Unicorn (8 minutes)
- A horn on the forehead: a long white triangle, a spiral in gold or yellow.
- Sponge pink and purple around one eye as a mane.
- Flowers and stars in white around the horn.
- Glitter if you dare. You will be finding it for weeks.
10. Skeleton (10 minutes)
- Sponge white over the whole face.
- Black around the eyes, the whole eye socket.
- Black on the tip of the nose as an upside-down triangle.
- A black line along the mouth, small vertical strokes across it as teeth.
- Grey shadows with the sponge on the cheeks for anyone who wants it scarier.
Five quick designs on the cheek for the littlest ones
Two and three year olds rarely want their whole face covered, but they want something. A design on the cheek or the back of the hand takes a minute, needs no mirror and can be done while the child is standing up.
- Flower. Five dots in a ring with the thick brush, a yellow dot in the middle, a green stroke as the stem.
- Heart. Red with the sponge, a black outline if you like.
- Star. Yellow, five strokes with the thin brush, a little glitter.
- Football. A white circle with the sponge, black pentagons with the thin brush. Three is enough.
- Rainbow stripes. Three short parallel strokes in red, yellow and blue on the cheekbone. Takes twenty seconds and looks like a festival.
How to make it work at a party
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Let the children choose from pictures of five designs | Asking what they want, it will be a dragon with three heads |
| Paint one at a time, the others play | A queue. Children in a queue stop wanting it |
| Five minutes per child, maximum | Perfection |
| The mirror after every design | Saving the mirror until the end |
| Wet wipes for the parents at pick-up | Children going home as tigers in the back seat without warning |
Rescues when it goes wrong
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| The line came out too thick | Make it thicker on purpose and put a white line next to it. Thick lines look intentional, smudged ones do not |
| The paint cracked or went patchy | Too much water on the sponge. Wipe it off, dab another layer |
| The child sneezed in the middle of the tiger | Wipe with a damp cloth, let it dry for ten seconds, re-sponge just that patch |
| Black paint got in the eye | Rinse with water straight away. Water-based paint stings but does no harm. Stop painting around the eyes on that child |
| It does not look like anything | Add what children recognise: whiskers make it an animal, a nose makes it a dog. The child judges the idea, not the lines |
How we do it with our families
Face painting is one of the crafts the nanny does at home on a rainy afternoon, not just at parties. Esther has a three year old in Barkarby on Wednesdays, and one Wednesday in October it rained from pick-up at three. She got out the paint box that lives in the hall, sat the girl on a kitchen chair with the hand mirror in her lap, and did a cat: pink nose, three whiskers, two ears. The mirror after every step, that is what makes a three year old sit still. The cat was allowed to stay for dinner and be shown to dad at the door at half past five. Then Esther washed it off with lukewarm water before toothbrushing, so the pillow survived, and wrote "cat, wants a tiger next time" on her note.
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Read more: Halloween crafts for kids · Twenty children's party themes, and invitations your child makes themselves · Crafts for kids · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which paint should you use for face painting?
Water-based face paint from a toy shop or pharmacy, labelled for skin. Never felt-tip pens, never acrylic paint, never hobby paint. Test it on the forearm half an hour beforehand on children who have not been painted before, and skip children with eczema on the face or open sores. The paint should come off with soap and water, otherwise it is the wrong kind of paint.
How do you remove face paint?
Lukewarm water, mild soap and a soft flannel. Water-based paint comes off in a minute. A little oil or rich cream helps with traces around the eyes and in the eyebrows, where the paint likes to settle. Remove it before bedtime, otherwise the tiger ends up on the pillowcase and in the hair, and it is harder to get out of fabric than off skin.
Can small children be painted?
From age two, with small designs such as a flower on the cheek. The whole face from four, when the child can manage to sit still for five minutes. And ask the child, a three year old who does not want it should not be painted. Many little ones would rather have the painting on their hand or arm, where they can see it themselves without a mirror, and that is a good way to start.
What do you need besides paint?
A sponge for large areas, two brushes, one thin and one medium, a cup of water, kitchen roll, a mirror and ideally a hairband to keep the fringe out of the way. Wet wipes for the parents at pick-up, and a couple of pictures of the designs you can do, so the children choose from those instead of inventing something you cannot manage.
What do you do if the child cries once the paint is on?
Take it off, immediately and without discussion. Some children like the idea of being a tiger but not the feeling of a sponge on their face or the sight of themselves in the mirror. Offer a little star on the hand instead. It is not a failure, and the child often asks for the full design at the next party once they have seen their friends.