Are you interested in the art of face painting? Maybe you are wondering whether it's beyond your artistic abilities? I've discovered that face painting is really not a difficult art to learn, and is only as complicated as you make it.
I first discovered how much kids love having their faces painted when my daughter was invited to a birthday party of another 4 year old girl. When we arrived, the kids were rushed to find an older sister of the birthday girl was setting up to paint their faces. It was fantastic to see how the kids began to interact more to look at the designs each other had chosen, and to role-play their characters. My daughter was a little hesitant to begin with, but after watching some of the other children, she happily lined up and chose a ladybird cheek art design.
It was also surprising to learn how easy face painting was, and how happy the kids were with simple designs. It's really not necessary to have elaborate and complicated designs to keep the kids happy. The face painter was only 13 or 14 years old and had no trouble quickly painting the requested designs before the kids got too restless.
The secret to keeping it simple? She had a small display book of simple designs the kids could choose from and did not paint anything that was not in the book. There were about 10 designs, including a butterfly, ladybird, spider, puppy dog, cat face, bunny rabbit, princess, tiger, bear, and even an octopus! Her kit included face paintings in a few colors, some brushes and wet wipes. That's it! And the best part for the parents? It kept all the different age groups entertained! The teenager had a great time looking after the little kids and helping them decide what design to choose, and of course the little ones loved getting their faces painted.
If you'd like to give face painting a try, you will need a small kit of face paintings and brushes to suit the designs you will be painting. You can have as many or as few designs for the children to choose from as you wish, depending on your skill level and how much practice you have had. A range of designs to suit both boys and girls is best, although you may be surprised at what the children ask for! If the party has a particular theme (such as a princess party for example), you may wish to include several variations of the themed designs such as princess crowns.