So you want to learn how to paint faces... well, you've come to the right place! Yoga Munkee Body Art is Santa Monica's number one stop for all things body art. In this article, you'll learn how to quickly get your face painting career started!
First off, what is face painting? The art of face painting has been around for ages. For thousands of years, people of all ages and races have been using "bold-colored paint used to decorate the face." From camouflage to religious decoration, you can find face painting in every day living in many cultures. These days, this body art is most commonly found as a form of entertainment.
Becoming a professional face painter can be a grueling process. You've got to educate yourself on the different types of brushes and brush strokes, sponges, and paints. Not to mention, you have to find your style! Let's take a look at what all is involved.
Getting Started with Face Painting Basics
Before you can start putting pen to paper... or brush to face, you must start with the basics. Learning what the proper tools are and how to use them from the start will help you advance your career quickly. Let's start with...
Line Work and Brush Strokes
The most important thing to remember here is that, like with any trade, practice makes perfect. Practicing these techniques on your our body, in the beginning, will help you understand the precise movements to get your artwork looking perfect.
Aside from practice, one of the most important aspects of linework is having good tools to work with. Finding a brush with a smooth point that is not too hard or too soft will help improve your line work.
Finding the Right Brushes
The next step to perfecting your face painting skills is picking out the right brushes. There are a bunch of different companies that sell great face painting products, Loew Cornell and Mehron are just two types that can be purchased online.
Different brush types will help with different designs. Round, angled, flat, and filbert brushes provide different ways to complete your artwork. Remember, practice and experimentation are key and will help get you ready for face painting for parties!
What about Sponges?
Sponges add a variety of textures and densities to your face painting artwork. It's important to have the basic ready to start. For large areas that need a lot of painting, use medium-density large pore sponges. If you're painting masks, small softer pore sponges are great. When painting elements such as butterflies and fairy wings, go with petal sponges -- the shape will allow you to work faster while designing the same great art.
Choosing the Right Paints
What would face painting be without paints? How do you know which paint is used for face painting? While it's important to have a wide variety of colors to keep everyone happy, the most important part here is to start with a basic selection of colors that you will use frequently. When you start with the basic colors and work your way up, it will help you learn what you need and save money along the way.
Be sure to pick out a quality black for line work and background areas. A waxy white is necessary for highlighting and background work. Other important colors to consider are blue, red, yellow, green, and pink. With these basic colors as your starters, you can fulfill a lot of design requests!
When you're ready to build out your palette, think of the designs you may be requested to do. If you're requested as a face painter for a birthday party, make sure to ask if there is a theme. This may help you decide which colors to choose from.
Find Your Style
There was only one Picasso, only one Van Gogh, and while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, finding your style can make you stand out from the rest. Take a look at other artists' work and see what you think can be added. When you're just starting, give the basics a little twist and it might take you a long way. Make your artwork speak for you!
Always Keep Learning
The last tip to becoming a great face painter is to always keep expanding your knowledge. When you live in a small town or a large city, there is always room for learning and places to do so.
The internet is a great resource for learning more. YouTube is a goldmine for learning. Watch all the tutorial videos you can to master techniques and learn new things.
There are many face painters out there who want to help the community. Reach out to the people who inspire you and make a connection. Follow your favorite local artists on social media and check them out when they're close by.
So... How Do I Start Face Painting?
Put yourself out there! Get busy on social media by posting all your artwork. Show people your talent.
Start volunteering! Reach out to non-profit organizations to see if they need an artist for an event. Visit local hospitals to brighten up the children's day. Use every opportunity to grow your techniques and make people happy.
Face painting for kids and adults can be a very rewarding career. Seeing the smiles on the faces you've painted at parties and events will make the long journey well worth it.
In the Santa Monica area and need a professional face painter for your next event? Check out this page and receive a free instant quote!
