17 Cool And Simple Face Painting Ideas For Kids

Image: MomJunction Design Team

Discovering face painting ideas for kids not only sparks their creativity but also creates memorable experiences during events like birthdays and Halloween. They can attempt to look like their favorite cartoon characters or superheroes – that’s something every child would want to try!

However, face painting for kids may seem daunting if you are not naturally creative. So, if you are looking for some innovative face painting ideas for your child, we are here to help you transform them into clowns or zombies or their favorite Disney characters or Marvel superheroes.

Take a look at these simple face painting ideas that we have curated below, and blow your child away with your skills!

Face Painting Ideas For Girls

You can transform your cute little girl into a butterfly, princess or mermaid. Check out our special collection of easy face paint ideas for girls.

1. Rabbit

You will need:

• Water
• Face paint colors – white, black and pink
• Sponge
• Mirror
• Brush

How to:

1. Apply white paint with a sponge on the upper lip area and below and above the eyes, like eyeshadows.
2. Take care not to put any paint in their eyes.
3. Using a black eyeliner, line the eyes and extend them back, giving it a long wing.
4. Draw ear shapes on the kid’s forehead with white and pink colors.
5. Use black eyeliner or paint to add whiskers on either side of the mouth, like a bunny.
6. Paint a red patch on the nose.
7. Add black dots on the upper lip area that is colored white.

2. Dalmatian dog

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• Water
• Brush
• Colors: red, white and black
• Mirror

How to:

1. Using a sponge, apply a base coat of white paint to cover the whole face. Make sure the eyes are kept tightly shut.
2. Paint one eye patch and one dot each on the forehead and lower jawline with black paint.
3. Use black paint to paint the bottom of the nose and lower lip, and join them both on one side.
4. Add the whiskers.
5. Draw a small tongue sticking out of one corner of the lower lip, using the red color.

Quick tip

Choose face colors that will wash off easily. Pick a simple design that you can create quickly because your child may not have the patience to stay put for long.

3. Princess crown

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• White, silver and pink face paint sticks
• White, pink or red face jewels

How to:

1. Take a white color base painting stick and draw swirls coming up from the top of the nose, over each eye, until the upper part of the cheekbones.
2. Using a silver paint stick, draw diamond-like flower petals on the forehead, besides the swirls.
3. Draw these silver petals on top of the nose that joins the forehead.
4. Use the silver stick to draw stars on the end part of the cheekbone.
5. Keep on drawing swirls on the forehead and top of the eyebrows.
6. Using a pink face painting stick outline the design and give it some more depth and color.
7. Add red and white face jewels to complete the princess look.

4. Fairy Design

Image: Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Light pink, lavender, and white face paints.
• Child safe Glitter
• Brush or sponge

How to:

1. Use a sponge to apply light pink and lavender paint on the cheeks and forehead.
2. Paint stars and swirls around the eyes.
3. Finish with glitter on the edges for a magical effect.

5. Fox

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• Brush
• White, orange, black paint

How to:

1. Use a sponge to draw ear shapes above the eyes with orange color, and outline it with black.
2. Dab some orange color on the bridge of the nose. You may extend it to the inner edge of the cheeks.
3. Paint a bit of orange under both the eyes, and add short lines of black and white.
4. Using a thin liner brush and black and white paint, draw details in between the ears drawn on the forehead.
5. Draw whiskers on either side above the lips and put some black dots in between.

6. Cat

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• White and black paint

How to:

1. Paint the entire face with white color.
2. Give shades of black with a thin brush throughout the face to give the effect of hair.
3. Give a thick paint around the eyes and on the tip of the nose.
4. Use the black paint to draw two lines from the middle of the nose to the either side of the mouth.
5. Add whiskers, and put some black dots.

7. Mermaid

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• Brush
• Aqua blue, deep blue, white face paint
• Silver glitter

How to:

1. Draw floral designs with aqua and deeper blue paint from the sides of the eyes. You can do this on both sides of the face.
2. Use blue paint and draw eyes right above the eyelids and brow bone.
3. Outline with some white paint and silver glitter for detailing.
4. Draw so as to fill the cheeks.

8. Ghost face paint

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• Thin brush
• Flat chisel brush
• White and black face paint

How to:

1. Sponge the entire face with white face paint.
2. Using a flat chisel brush draw the outer lining, the crease and brow bone with black paint.
3. Encircle the eyes, using a medium flat brush paint the eyes with black paint.
4. Using a thinner brush, paint black around the lips.
5. Do the same around the nostrils.
6. You can also add fake fangs to heighten the look.

Do remember

Seek your child’s opinion on what design they would like on their face. Don’t paint something that will embarrass them before their friends.

9. Ladybird

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Black paint stick
• Red and white face paint
• Brushes

How to:

1. Use the black paint stick to draw black lines above the eyebrows and around the corner of the eyes, to make wings of the lady bird.
2. Use a sponge to smudge the red paint in between the black lines.
3. Use a brush to make white paint strokes at the sides of the eyes for more depth.
4. Draw black dots in the red area for the detailing of the lady bird’s wings.
5. Draw the lady bird’s hind part of the body using black color in the center of the forehead and the upper body on the nose.
6. Draw two lines from the sides of the nose to make the antennae.

Face painting ideas for boys

Boys love their superheroes, wild animals, scaly dragons, and zombies. You can very well transform them into those with these awesome face painting designs and simple face painting ideas on special occasions or kid’s parties.

10. Batman

Image: IStock

You will need:

• White, black , aqua blue stick paint and dark blue face paint
• Silver glitter gel
• Flat brush
• Diagonal small flat brush

How to:

1. Use aqua blue stick paint and apply it on the kid’s forehead in a gradient tone.
2. Use a small flat brush and black paint to draw the bat’s head, right on the tip of the forehead.
3. Outline it using the silver paint stick, so that the colors do not mix.
4. Extend the lines on each side of the cheeks, until the upper jawlines.
5. Extend the lower ends of the black paint and join them to form the wings.
6. Make sure you have joined all the lines of the black paint so that the bat-like structure is visible.
7. Using silver face paint, outline the entire bat figure.
8. Stencils can be used to add in extra figures like stars and moons on top to give it a look of the sky.

11. Spiderman

Image: Shutterstock

You need to:

• White, red and black paints
• Brush

How to:

1. Paint triangles with white paint on the eyelids and stretch the paint up onto the forehead.
2. Paint a red upside down triangle on the forehead.
3. Paint a sideways triangle on the side of the head.
4. Outline the white triangles with black paint.
5. Paint several lines with black paint to make sections in the triangles, resembling a cobweb

12. Pirate face paint

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• Black face paint
• Black paint stick
• Red scarf or bandana

How to:

1. Dab some black color on the sponge and draw it all around the left eye to make the pirate eye patch Make sure that the eyes are tightly shut.
2. Using a black paintstick, draw a mustache and beard.
3. Draw a thick eyebrow, taking your kid’s eyebrow as the base on the right eye.
4. Tie up a red bandana or scarf to complete the look.

13. Dragon

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• White, green, yellow, and black face paint
• Brown and blue glitter paint stick

How to:

1. Mix green and yellow paint and sponge it on the face- over the nose, cheeks, upper lip and eyes.
2. Outline the horns (on the forehead), fangs, and scales with the black paint stick.
3. Color the horns and teeth of the dragon with white.
4. Draw lines around the tip of the nose and draw scales on the cheeks.
5. Outline the eyes and horns in black color and draw protruding lines from the corner of the eyes.
6. Outline the scales with some blue or brown glitter paint to add more details.

14. Zombie face paint

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• Thin flat brush
• white, and black paint
• White paint stick
• Black eyeshadow(optional)
• Liquid eyeliner (black)

How to:

1. Apply light colored foundation all over the face.
2. Sponge one side of the face with white paint.
3. Outline the eye sockets with black face painting.
4. Fill in the eye sockets with paint, or black eyeshadow.
5. Use a liquid eyeliner to draw the letter M at the center of the nose.
6. The sides of the M have to wrap around the nostrils entirely.
7. Color the lips with a white paint stick.
8. Using a flat thin brush, draw teeth slightly, resembling an illusion.

15. Lion face paint

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Sponge
• Brush
• Yellow (or orange), black, and white paint

How to:

1. Use a sponge and dab yellow or orange paint over the face, excluding the chin and the area around the eyes.
2. Draw ears and paint yellow above the eyes.
3. With a brush create the muzzle with white paint, below and above the mouth. Then paint the eyes.
4. Make the mane of the lion with brown or black paint in the middle of the forehead, around the eyes and cheeks.
5. Draw a triangular kitty nose with black paint.
6. Outline the upper lip and lower lip with black paint.

16. Camo Face Paint

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Chisel brush(large)
• Small brush
• Dark green, light green or brown(optional) face paint

How to:

1. Take a large chisel brush and splotch on the face at different parts using dark green paint.
2. Make some splotches of a lighter green or brown using the same brush on the rest of the face and around the green splotches.
3. Using a smaller brush paint in the ears lobes black and the insides green.
4. Keep making this pattern up to the neck.

17. Grinch face paint

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

• Shadow palette
• Face paint colors – lime, dark green, black, white, bright yellow, dark pink
• Brush
• Santa Claus hat (optional)

How to:

1. Paint the entire face using the lime color.
2. Use dark green face paint to draw angry eyebrows and wrinkle lines.
3. Add more lines to the face’s top, sides, and corners with dark green paint. Include hair lines above the eyebrows.
4. Use dark green for the nose and black and white paint for outlines, highlights, and details on wrinkle lines, nose, mouth, and hair. Use bright yellow paint for eyebrow hair lighting.
5. Finish with whisker holes on each side of the face. Mix dark pink paint with dark green and black colors. Highlight the lower lips with a lighter shade of pink.
6. Apply more lime paint to the neck and ears. Optionally, wear a Santa Claus hat to complete the look.

Infographic: Creative Face Painting Ideas For Children

Face painting is an entertaining way to celebrate any occasion, including competitions, festivals, and events. This activity also enhances children’s artistic abilities. Check out the infographic below to learn some simple designs and ideas you may suggest to children to paint each other’s faces.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Cool And Simple Face Painting Ideas For Kids

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

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