Face Painting on a Budget

When planning an event that needs a costume, such as a Halloween or theme party for your child, disguises for kids are top of mind - and face. As parents know, Halloween costumes can be expensive, especially considering that the costume may not fit the following year. As a fun and inexpensive alternative, consider face painting for kids. 

Face Painting Supplies

Kids Face Painting is fun and easy, best achieved by starting off with simple face painting designs. Choose from individual containers, pallette or crayon form. Use 3 to 12 colours depending on the size of the paints and your face painting budget.

Be sure to use quality water based face paints for best results, such as 0.25 oz refills which are available in many colours through our online store at the best prices. Kryolan is one of the brands that is safe for all skin types. Apply it on clean skin and a little goes a long way. The colours are vibrant and they do not dry out the skin. Beauty supply stores can be of help, but they may have limited stock depending on the season. We also sell face paints, sponges and specialty face painting items in our store.

As your skill improves, you will want to upgrade from adequate brushes to great brushes. Art stores often carry various brands on sale. The tips below describe brush care in more detail. For best results, buy short handled watercolour brushes in the following sizes:

Round tip #2, #4, #6 and #8
Straight flat tip 1/2"
Angled flat tip 1/2"

Non-latex makeup sponges cut in half are very useful for blotting on background colours. Purchase them here starting at $1 each. Sponges are a versatile, reusable face painting tool for creating soft or hard edges. Use both ends of the sponge for applying and blending multiple colours. different colours. Reuse all your face painting tools after washing in plain soap and water and leaving to air dry. To protect and extend the life of your brushes, use a brush cleaner and preserver.

Face Painting Tips and Techniques

1 - Paint, sponge or brush the main colours first. Sponges are best for lightly covering the whole face.

2- Thin black outlines applied with your #4 brush are very effective for defining a design, like a colouring book.

3 - Loading the brush: Loading means just enough paint on your brush without overflowing. Use just enough water and load mostly paint.

4 - Double-loading: To apply a line onto the child’s face, try having two colours on your brush to create pleasing highlights and save time. Avoid mixing the two colours on the brush. Load the main colour onto the brush first with less of the second colour to the tip. Highlight colours can be black or white. Other good colours to load are close to each other, like Red/Yellow, Blue/Purple, and Green/Blue. When you feel the tip colour running out, load a bit on again and continue where you left off.

5 - Children often like to talk about their favorite designs. Having a conversation with them will give you ideas and encourage them to stay
involved and enjoy the experience.

6 - Study some designs beforehand, perhaps cartoons or objects. Taking digital pictures is an excellent way to build a face painting reference file.

7 - Give yourself a time limit. If you think a particular design will take 10 minutes to complete, give yourself 5 minutes to complete it. The result will be a fresher, more spontaneous design that will be easier to reproduce.

8 - Use a small spray bottle with water to keep your paint creamy and useable.

9 - Eye makeup applicators, the ones with little handles on them, are inexpensive solutions for dotting flower centres and leopard spots onto a dry background colour.

10 - Rinse or wipe brushes before each use. Never leave brushes in water. Use an empty container to rest brushes upright. To further extend brush life, dip brushes in par-boiled water as soon as the bristles start to stay separate, even when dry. Synthetic fibres have memory and this action restores the bristles to their original position. Avoid pulling stray fibres out. For that occasional run away bristle, bend the bristle right down to the heel of the ferrule (the part of the brush that holds the bristles in place), press a penny against the heel and shave the stray bristle away. This keeps the heel full with the original bristles and prevents excess water from getting into the ferrule.

11 - Remember, you're creating special memories with the young person in front of you. Putting their needs first brings happiness to both of you. Being prepared with an assortment of colourful face paints, tools and a mirror runs a close second to creating a pleasant face painting experience. 12 - Now that you know what to do with your brushes, sponges and paints, what do you do with your hands? Avoid holding the top of children's heads. It creates a seriously squished and misaligned look. Let children maintain access to the world around them by positioning your non-painting hand under their chin. This position makes for better pictures, too.

About Us: Face Art Originals provides Face Painting in Toronto and surrounding areas including North York, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Scarborough and the Greater Toronto Area. Xan Lazaridis – owner of Face Art Originals - is one of Toronto’s best known and loved Face Painters: With over 20 years of experience, Xan and her team promise to make a memorable impression at your next event or party: To learn more about face painting or to book a face painter for your next event, call 647.232.6757 or email Xan today.

Areas of Service: Face Art Originals provides Face Painting in Toronto and surrounding areas including Bowmanville, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Markham, Unionville, Uxbridge, Stouffville, Aurora, Newmarket, Bradford, Keswick, Georgina, Innisfil, Thornton, Stroud, Bell Ewart, Barrie, Orillia, Midland, Port McNicoll, Victoria Harbour, Sturgeon Bay, Wasaga Beach, Staynor, Collingwood, Blue Mountains, Shelburne, Orangeville, Caledon, Caledon East, Palgrave, Bolton, Schomberg, Nobleton, Kleinburg, Brampton, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Maple, Toronto