Face Paint Ideas — 20 Quick and Easy DIY Face Paint Ideas for Kids and Adults
If you were looking for the ULTIMATE face paint ideas guide with step-by-step tutorials including pictures AND videos, you have found it! Please read below to find the top 20 most requested and most popular face paint ideas and get your creative mind going! These super easy-to-follow designs, like a tiger, a princess, a unicorn and more are fast to paint and can all be done with just one simple face painting kit as the one suggested later on on this page. What are you waiting for? Get face painting ideas and have some fun!
Every day is a great day to have some fun face painting and here at Jest Paint, we have collected some of the BEST face paint ideas for you to try at home with your kids or practice as a professional. You can get all of the face paint supplies you need right here too! Below we have suggestions for a great starter kit along with detailed but VERY EASY TO FOLLOW step-by-step face paint idea guides, with pictures AND videos so that you can practice these face paint ideas easily and learn them in no time!
If you want to see a huge selection of face paint ideas visit our Pinterest board, we have tons there!
At Jest Paint, we know that face painting is a fun and creative activity for kids and adults. Kids love to get their faces painted just for fun or to plan for their next Halloween costume, and adults are always excited to participate in Halloween contests and win some big bucks at their local bar!
We have gathered some of the most popular face paint ideas for you to practice and play along with your kids. If you don’t have a face paint kit at home we highly suggest getting one of our professional quality yet affordable face painting kits. Avoid getting the ones sold by big box stores and Halloween stores as those are very low quality and will not give you the results you see below.
Our best selling face paint kit for parents and kids is the one below:
We also have several other face painting kits that you might be interested in looking at to help you accomplish all of the looks below: please visit our BEGINNER FACE PAINTING KITS page to see all of our available kits.
You can also hire a professional face painter if you want to get a professional look or are planning a party or event and want someone else in charge of the face painting. Here are some fun and easy-to-do-at-home face painting ideas. All images are used with permission from the original artists.
1 — Tiger Face Paint Ideas
Who does not like to be face painted as a tiger? This is likely the most popular face paint idea for boys and girls and one that can be done in many different ways. From fantasy tigers inspired by a specific look like a Frozen character or a superhero to a traditional orange and white tiger.
The possibilities are endless and you can have a lot of fun playing around with these tiger face paint ideas. Feel free to visit our Tiger Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following tiger face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a tiger face:
2 — Butterfly Face Paint Ideas
Butterflies are very popular in the face paint idea world and they are neck to neck in popularity with tigers. There are millions of butterfly face painting ideas available and we could write an entire blog post just on that. Below are some butterfly face paint ideas for you to try and then leave us a comment with your picture for us to see. Feel free to visit our Butterfly Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following butterfly face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a butterfly face:
3 — Unicorn Face Paint Ideas
A more recent trend in the face paint idea world is unicorns. Unicorns have become a very popular face paint design over the last few years and kids love them because of how colorful and fun they are. You can add some glitter and play around with stencils to make them look extra fun! Feel free to visit our Unicorn Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following unicorn face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a unicorn face:
4 — Day of the Dead Skull Face Painting Idea
Although they are gorgeous and popular all year round, Day of the Dead skulls is in high demand around Halloween. Adults, boys, and girls love getting their faces painted as a Day of the Dead or Día de Los Muertos skull. See below some great examples of Catrinas and get inspired with these face paint ideas to create your own look. Feel free to visit our Sugar Skull/Day of the Dead Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Sugar Skull/Day of the Dead face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 90 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a sugar skull face:
5 — Spiderman Face Paint Ideas
Kids love to become their favorite superheroes and Spiderman is by far the most popular superhero as far as face painting ideas go. Take a look at the face paint ideas below to create your own version of this popular character and enjoy seeing your kids having lots of fun transforming into him! Feel free to visit our Spiderman Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Spiderman face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a spiderman face:
6 — Clown Face Painting Ideas
Although clowns have become scary characters for some kids (and even adults), clowns are still very popular. Kids usually like clowns that have just makeup details on rather than a full-face clown. We have gathered some clown face paint ideas below that you can practice with your kids. Feel free to visit our Clown Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Clown face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a clown face:
7 — Mermaid Face Paint Ideas
Right along with Unicorns, Mermaids are one of the most popular fantasy characters in the face paint world. Who does not like to be a mermaid? Mermaids are fun because you play around making them look extra fancy using stencils, jewels, and glitter! There are hundreds of mermaid face paint ideas available and each one of them is worth trying, but we have gathered some for you here so you can give them a try. Feel free to visit our Mermaid Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Mermaid face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a mermaid’s face:
8 — Dragon Face Painting Ideas
Dragons are some of the most fun face painting ideas or designs to play around with as they can be done in many different and creative ways. You can turn the entire face into a dragon or paint a dragon on the forehead or cheek, paint the dragon mouth over the kid’s mouth so that your dragon can move, and more! Here are some ideas that you can use as inspiration for your dragon face paint party at home! Feel free to visit our Dragon Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Dragon face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a dragon face:
9 — Frozen Face Paint Ideas
By large Frozen has become one of the most popular Disney movies of all time and kids love to get faces painted as Elsa or to ask for a tiger or a butterfly with a frozen look. This is such a popular design that we even wrote an entire blog post about it: The Ultimate Frozen Face Painting Guide. Feel free to visit our Frozen Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Frozen-inspired face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a frozen snow queen face:
10 — Cat Face Painting Ideas
Cats have always been a popular face paint design going all the way back to when the Cats Musical was first created. You can use the cat face paint ideas below to inspire you and create your own look or let your kids face paint you like a cat so they can have fun! Feel free to visit our Cat Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Cat face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a cat face:
11 — Puppy Face Paint Ideas
Just as popular as cats, maybe only second to them are puppy dogs. Boys and girls love to become a puppy and play around barking all over the place! Enjoy the puppy face paint ideas we have below and post your version in the comments section so we can see your creations! Feel free to visit our Puppy Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Puppy face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a puppy face:
12 — Super Hero Face Painting Ideas
Turning into a superhero for the day is fun and exciting! Many kids have a superhero costume at home but there is nothing like being face painted as one. They feel as if they truly are their favorite character and they can play for hours.
There are hundreds of superheroes out there, these are just some superhero face paint ideas that we have gathered from our customers and supporters that you can use as inspiration. Feel free to visit our Super Hero Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Super Hero face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a superhero face:
13 — Princess Face Paint Ideas
Becoming a princess is a dream come true for many kids and face painting can let them have that joy very easily with just a few strokes of a brush and some glitter. There are many different ways of face painting princess designs, here are just some princess face paint ideas for you to try. Feel free to visit our Princess Face Painting Ideas album on Pinterest.
You can also take a look at the following Princess face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a princess’s face:
14 — Bunny Rabbit Face Painting Ideas
Bunnies are popular all year round but mostly around Easter. Many kids love to become the Easter Bunny for a day. This is a particularly cute face paint idea for little ones! Have fun trying your own version of this popular face paint design. Feel free to visit our Bunny Face Paint Ideas Pinterest board.
You can also take a look at the following Bunny face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 90 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a bunny rabbit face:
15 — Dinosaur Face Paint Ideas
Thanks to the popular Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movie franchises, and also thanks to the popularity of dinosaurs themselves, becoming a dinosaur or getting one painted around your face is very popular among kids and adults. There are thousands of different dinosaur face paint ideas that you can try and play with, here are just some! Feel free to visit our Dinosaur Face Paint Ideas Pinterest board.
You can also take a look at the following Dinosaur face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a dinosaur face:
16 — Hello Kitty Face Painting Ideas
Hello Kitty has recently come back as a very popular face painting design. This is a design that can be shared by parents and kids alike. Here is a Hello Kitty face painting step by step, let us see what you can come up with!
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a kitty face:
17 — Shark Face Paint Ideas
Sharks are one of the most popular animals among kids of all ages! These amazing creatures are very fun to face paint, mostly if you paint the shark’s mouth over the kid’s mouth to allow it to move. Kids will love running around playing with their friends painted like sharks. Below are a few fun shark face paint ideas to be inspired and try and paint with your kids. Feel free to visit our Shark Face Paint Ideas Pinterest board.
You can also take a look at the following Shark face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a shark face:
18 — Rainbow Face Painting Ideas
Rainbows are likely one of the most popular design elements of any face paint idea. Just painting a rainbow across the forehead with some clouds or adding a rainbow to a butterfly, a unicorn or a cat will make kids go crazy! We have collected some rainbow face paint ideas from our followers but feel free to create your own rainbow-inspired face paint design. Feel free to visit our Rainbow Face Paint Ideas Pinterest board.
You can also take a look at the following Rainbow face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a rainbow face:
19 — Pirate Face Paint Ideas
Pirates are fun and kids and adults know it! Boys and girls love turning into pirates and playing around with their family and friends acting like pirates. Take a look at the pirate face paint ideas below to get inspired and create your own! Feel free to visit our Pirate Face Paint Ideas Pinterest board.
You can also take a look at the following Pirate face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a pirate face:
20 — Zombie Face Painting Ideas
Getting yourself face painted as a zombie can be really fun and scary! Zombies are specially popular around Halloween, but they can be a fun character all year round. Adults love doing zombie crawls, kids love doing zombie parades and we love zombies too! You can get some zombie face paint ideas here and then try your own style for fun! Feel free to visit our Zombie Face Paint Ideas Pinterest board.
You can also take a look at the following Zombie face painting step by step by Anna Wilinski.
And here we have a Quick and Easy 60 Seconds Short Video Tutorial with Step by Step directions on how to face paint a zombie’s face:
We hope that you have enjoyed all of our fun and exciting face paint ideas that you can try at home DIY style or hire a professional face painter to help you entertain your guests at your next party or paint you for your upcoming Halloween or Costume/Cosplay party!
As a bonus, we are providing you with one more step-by-step tutorial on how to face paint a regular skull in 60 seconds. Watch the following short quick and easy video to learn how:
You can also learn how to professionally paint any of these designs by taking classes at the International Face Painting School.
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We were asked to answer some questions by our blog readers in regards to face painting, so here are some FAQs for you to read and learn. You can always explore our blog for more in-depth information.
What Kind of Paint do You Use For Face Painting?
We always use makeup-grade face painting products for face painting. This is the safest way to go. Don’t follow DIY face paint recipes or use cheap Halloween makeup from big box stores because you can never be 100% sure of how the skin will react. Established brands that have been around for years are a much safer option and they will give you a much better look as well. We strongly recommend Fusion Body Art Face Paints as they are vegan, cruelty-free, have no parabens, perfume, gluten, or nuts and they provide amazing coverage and vibrant colors.
What is Needed for Face Painting?
Luckily, not a lot is needed for face painting, just a face painting palette, some brushes, sponges, and water! That is it. You can get all of these supplies at JestPaint.com for really good prices:
Face Painting Palette
Face Painting Brushes
Face Painting Sponges
What Can I Use Instead of White Face Paint?
You can always use some white cream-based makeup or white pressed powders depending on what look you are trying to get. If you want to paint details over your base color, then we suggest you use a base that is water activated or a pressed powder. Grease or oil-based makeup is hard to work with. Don’t ever go for DIY products as those are not designed for the skin, will crack, and will have a terrible look.
How Do You Make HomeMade Face Paint?
There are a lot of websites out there promoting different homemade recipes for face paint. You have to keep a few things in mind when attempting to follow these recipes:
1 — Most of them use toothpaste or cornstarch as a base. Both of these products are not designed for the skin, and they will crack as soon as they dry. Toothpaste has a lot of abrasive chemicals that can be very harsh on the skin, so stay away from it.
2 — They all suggest you use food coloring to add color to your base. Food coloring is not always makeup grade, it can stain the skin badly, and if used in concentrations above what is recommended it can cause skin allergies.
3 — It is always safer to buy makeup-grade face paints, you will have a much easier time working with them, you won’t have to worry about the safety of the ingredients, and the overall look will be much better.
What Do Professional Face Painters Use?
Simple! Professional face painters use professional-grade face paints. These are cosmetic-grade products from well-established brands that provide you with a professional finished look, safety, and quality. All of the face paints we offer at JestPaint.com are professional grade. You can see all of our professional face paint brands on our website.
How Do You face Paint?
Face Painting is easy if you are going for a simple look. If you want to achieve a more complicated professional design you will need a lot more practice, or you can always hire a professional face painter. You can learn all about face painting on our How To Face Paint Blog.
Can I Use Watercolor Paint On My Face?
No, watercolors are not designed to be used on the skin. Not only are the ingredients not intended for the skin, exposing you to potential skin reactions and chemical burns, but also they will not provide you with a good finished look as watercolors are very transparent and their base is not intended to cover skin.
How Do You Apply Face Paint Smoothly?
The best way to apply face paint smoothly is using a face paint sponge. Face Painting sponges allow you to cover the skin with face paint easily. Just make sure to use professional face paints and the right amount of water to activate your face paints. You can watch this YouTube tutorial on how to apply a face paint base with a sponge.
What Is The Best White Face Paint?
Each face painter has their own personal choice, sometimes there are different answers to what the best white face paint is depending on the intended use: linework, base coat, long-lasting, waterproof, etc. Our overall choice is Fusion Body Art Pro Paraffin White, but you can get a more in-depth answer by reading our Best White Face Paint blog.
What Are The Most Popular Face Paint Designs?
The most popular face paint ideas are the ones included in this blog post, meaning: Mermaid, Puppy, Unicorn, Spiderman, Zombie, Cat, Tiger, Shark, Princess, Frozen Princess, Clown, Skull, Sugar Skull, Pirate, Dragon, Monster, Rainbow, Butterfly, Dinosaur, Hello Kitty and Bunny.
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