MAIN Art & Culture Body Art Face Painting

Face painting was first used by warrior tribes who blackened their faces before going into battle. Along with an intimidating "rebel yell", the jagged designs around eyes and cheeks made them look, and feel, a lot more fierce.

Today, a more innocent reason for face painting is ... simply having fun.

It is a common entertainment at county fairs, large open-air markets (especially in Europe and the Americas), and other locations where children and adolescents are.

Face painting is very popular among children at theme parks, parties and festivals throughout the Western world. Though the majority of face painting is geared towards children, many teenagers and adults enjoy being painted for special events.

At home, it's a very easy entertainment activity at kids' birthdays, teen graduation parties or just a rainy day way to break the boredom.

There are two basic kinds of face paint.

• Designs that include the emblems of favorite sports teams, animals, cartoon or fairy tale characters, and other designs that are "cute" or otherwise appealing to the young at heart.
• Designs that endeavor to color the face in such a way to indicate solidarity with a cause or membership in a group. You'll find many fans at football games and other sporting events with faces painted to show support for their team.

Spiderman, princesss, cat whiskers, rainbows, flowers, butterflies, and clown noses are popular designs that are accomplished with a few carefully placed strokes of the brush, using water-based face paint available at most party supply stores.

Of course, adults can and often do join the fun, donning colorful "war paint" for special occasions whether it be fanatical World Cup or sports fans in their team colors, or wild revelers during Mardi Gras festivities.

Face Painting How To's:

1. Sit your subject in a chair and place a towel around their shoulders.
2. Tie back long hair to keep it out of the way.
3. Before applying face paint, wipe subject's face with a moist wipe or tissue.
4. If you know a subject is prone to allergies, place a small amount of paint on the cheek to see if there is a reaction.
5. Apply light colors first with a broad brush, then use smaller brushes for finer details.
6. If you're new to face painting, start out with simple designs like stars, half moons and diamond shapes.
7. To remove face paint, simply use mild soap and water.

Face Painting Around the Web

Elsewhere on the Web, discover more information and resources, expert tips & advice for kids & teen face painting focusing on party activities, face painting supply buying guides, do-it-yourself instructions along with lots of creative ideas to be found in step-by-step illustrations & picture galleries ....

Face Painting Designs, Ideas, Face Paints & Pictures - Excellent guide to do-it-yourself kid face painting with photos and descriptions of suggested brushes, sponges and paints, plus check out an extensive picture gallery of design ideas & step-by-step instructions, related links.

Snazaroo Face Painting Photo Pages - The professional face paint supplier offers up hundreds of party face-painting ideas including recent visitor-submitted photos and sponsored contests, along with guides & instructions for more face painting ideas at thier UK site.

Face Painting Ideas from 4to40.com - Begin at the face painting introduction, then work your way down to an extensive link list of ideas and illustrated instructions for rabbit face painting, pirate face painting, flower face makeup, and lots more...

Face Painting - Everything you need - A guide to working with kids in the face painting process including simple design illustrations for tigers, butterflies, dogs, rainbows and more, plus links to related resources and feature stories.

Face Painting Association - UK organization featuring an online magazine, information on painting competitions, FAQ, face painting picture galleries, membership info and contact details.

How to Face Paint - Brief, general guide to the topic with visitor-submitted ideas & suggestions, from eHow.com

Princess Face Painting Ideas - Ideas and sample illustrations for a fun Princess party activity from AmazingMoms.com.

Face Painting Designs, Ideas, Face Paints & Pictures - Excellent guide to do-it-yourself kid face painting with photos and descriptions of necessary brushes, sponges and paints, plus check out an extensive picture gallery of design ideas & step-by-step instructions, related links.

Novelty Makeup Safety Tips - Good advice from the US FDA site with tips on makeup and face paint allergies, unsafe makeup ingredients and how to spot them, plus contact phone numbers and related links to more information.

also see Halloween Makeup Ideas | Henna Tattoos

Birthday Party Ideas | Toddler Birthday Party Ideas