Free Face Painting Designs For Children

When I first decided to learn face painting, I looked all over for free face painting designs For children.

I went to the library, bookstores and searched the Internet. I had dabbled in One-Stroke Painting (a neat decorative painting technique made famous by Donna Dewberry) so I figured I could paint a kids' face at the same "pretty good" level that I could paint a mug for Father's Day. Um, not quite.

Once I really got into the research, I couldn't believe the level of artistry that was out there in Professional Face Painting. The world of Professional Face Painting was filled with real artists from all over the world. I'd never seen an island sunset painted on someone's face that looked so real I wanted to grab my coconut drink and head for the nearest hammock.

The designs were absolutely breathtaking, but not quite what I was looking for. I had fifteen three and five-year-olds coming over and I wanted to paint sweet little designs on their cheeks. Not to mention the attention span of a three-year-old didn't lend itself to a full-blown Caribbean sunset.

In the course of much more in depth research, I learned these basics:

- Use the right paints (in other words, if the packaging doesn't specifically say "face paints" or if they're for some other purpose besides face painting, don't use them on skin!)

- Use the right supplies (this includes brushes, sponges, glitter, etc.)

- Choose designs that are within your skill level and that are appropriate for your audience.

- When you are just starting out, choose just a handful (maybe five or six) designs and offer those to the children. Practice them religiously so that you can paint quickly and keep the line moving.

- Speed is key. Nuff said.

- The beauty is in the details. Small touches like glitter or highlighting can make a design from "okay" to "Wow!"

Look for Free Face Painting Designs that show you step-by-step directions; you will find the learning process much easier.

Practice some basic, popular designs like hearts, butterflies, flowers, snakes, fish, spiders, balloons and you will have enough designs in your arsenal to make most kids happy. Preschool Coloring books are great places to find Free Designs like these because the lines are bold without a lot of detail.

In the end my event was a huge success. Everyone went home with a little butterfly, heart, monkey or sun on their cheek. The kids were so proud of their cheek art and I was so proud to be able to paint them.