I recently was volunteered to do face painting for a small fair. I’m not the biggest fan of being volunteered to do something, but I also have an impossibility to say no.
So I did it.
And I thought, since it is the Halloween month (and tomorrow I’ll be doing some of this), I could give some tips about face painting, specifically for the masses. Here’s what you do:
- Have a plethora of knowledge. Know how to paint more than cat whiskers because some girls will come up to you and ask for a horned Pegasus with a flower crown. There are plenty of tutorials online of specific animals and other things.
- Paint brushes, not makeup brushes. Just trust me.
- Non toxic, non waterproof face paint. Learned this one the hard way. Use actual face/body paint.
- Have a cup of water for your brushes handy.
- Have a designated brush for black. It’ll be your most used color.
- Practice before the day. It’s kind of embarrassing giving a girl a ‘unicorn horn’ that looks super phallic.
- Practice on yourself too. Every time I do face painting at a fair or anything, I have my own face painted so they know who I am and what I do.
- Towels, paper towels, tissues, and everything in between.
- Makeup wipes are also a life saver. I did face painting for a bunch of girls who just got finished with cheerleading and needed all of their makeup wiped off.
- Put your brushes on a towel on the table. Or else they’ll roll away and you’ll find your designated black brush two hours later in the grass.
- And lastly, don’t trust lilac body paint. It tends not to show up well on skin. Get regular purple and mix with white on site.
There’s probably more rattling in my noggin somewhere, but these were the ones I remember immediately. If you find yourself face painting for a multitude, just stay calm, have some of your own music on, and have fun. About 99% of the people will love what you do.
Good luck.
Hugs
Alexandra
P.S. Here’s face painting at the little fair:
Alexandra TG 