25 Best Face Painting Ideas You Should Try

Face painting is considered an art form or another form of expression. It has been practiced globally since prehistoric times and is considered to be an important part of most cultural traditions. There are many reasons why people need face painting ideas for their events, but the most important is that it gives a unique look to the person and draws more attention to them. In addition, face painting is a great way for children to express themselves, have fun, and be entertained. Many face painters use intricate designs and bright colors to help children enjoy their special day even more. Face painting can also be a perfect activity at any party or gathering where kids will be present.

Whether you are looking for simple face painting ideas for kids or aesthetic face painting for adults, this article will bring some inspiration to rock the next party.

Let’s take a look at our selected face painting ideas below which also you can try at home. From easy face painting for boys and girls to creepy Halloween face paint art, we are sure you will be more inspired after reading this article. Let’s check this out!

What Do You Need for Face Painting?

Similar to regular painting, you need a proper “canvas” and colorants. For face painting, the face is the canvas. You can use your face or other people’s faces who want to get face painting for the canvas. Therefore, you need specific paints that are suitable for face painting. Usually, face paints are designed to be safe for the skin and removable.

Can You Use Watercolor for Face Painting?

Yes, you can use watercolor for face painting. However, in terms of visual appearance and durability, it may not be as good as proper face painting. Moreover, since the materials are not designed for the skin, some people may have allergies or other effects. Therefore, we recommend using proper face painting.

BEST Face Painting Ideas

1. Cute Bee Face Painting

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@diycraftsfood.trulyhandpicked.com)

A bee is an adorable creature to express your kids’ charm at the party. You can paint a bee on the children’s fluffy cheeks to add cuteness to them. Use black and yellow face paint for kids to draw the little bee.

Add a pair of white wings and little white dots from its bottom to its temple near the eyebrows, making one of the easy face painting ideas for kids you can try. You can consider darker paint colors, like gray or black, if your kids have light skin tones.

2. Flower Rainbow Heart Face Painting

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@pinterest.com)

Show your bright and cheerful personality with colorful face painting ideas like this concept. Inspired by lovable things in nature, flowers, and rainbows will make a wonderful pair on your face. Simply use a rainbow face paint palette to draw a heart-shaped rainbow on your forehead.

Adorn the rainbow with white flowers in between the eyebrows. We also recommend matching your lipstick with rainbow colors. But instead of blue or yellow, the red one will make your look even more stunning.

3. Tiger Face Painting

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@flickr.com)

It’s time for a kids party! Make your kids a focal point at the party with realistic animal face painting for ideas for kids. Create a realistic little tiger face with black, white, yellow, and orange face paint makeup.

Use orange paint as the base color; then you can use yellow and white paint to create depth on their face. Don’t forget to draw the black signature stripes of the tiger to make your kids look scary yet adorable! Also, put on the bright red lipstick to complete the look.

4. Spiderman Half Eye Face Painting for Boys

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@hobbylesson.com)

Since superhero faces painting ideas are very popular among boys, you can paint your kids with this Spiderman theme. With this idea, you don’t need to do full face painting. Instead, you can create a half-eye Spiderman makeup.

Use black and red face paint to draw a Spiderman mask in the spider web shape around their eyes. It will be a cool face-painting idea for boys that will excite them. They can show off this awesome artwork at an art exhibition at school or attend a friend’s birthday with a superhero theme.

5. Rainbow Unicorn Facial Painting for Girls

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@instagram.com)

A unicorn is all girls’ favorite! Let your little girl shine at her party with unicorn face painting ideas. You can paint a unicorn on her left eye with water based face paint which is safe for kids.

Consider white face paint to add a sparkling effect around the unicorn. Don’t forget to use purple or pink glitter lipstick to make her look more stunning, making an eye-catching facial painting for girls at the party!

6. Creepy Clown Halloween Face Painting

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@illamasqua.com)

Suppose you are looking for Halloween face painting ideas; this creepy clown is worth trying. Combine purple and yellow for your eye makeup, then use black paint to add dimension to your clown face painting for adults.

Don’t forget to put red circle makeup on your nose, resembling the real clown. To highlight a mature and sexy look, draw your lips with red lipstick and black paint for the outline. Pair the look with your Halloween costumes and accessories to elevate the real eerie vibes.

7. Half Ghost Halloween Face Paint Art

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@Morgan Leach)

What an amazing Halloween face paint art! Horror lovers will surely scream for this fantastic face painting for adults. Draw half of your face with the creepy ghost face using black and white face paint.

To create a seamless border between your real face and the ghost face, add a fake blood effect. With a splash of blood effect, you may create a lovely purple eye makeup on the other half face which gives the impression your eye has been punched out.

8. Funny Bunny Facial Painting

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@livilollipop-facepaintingfairy.com)

Make a gag with your friends at the party using funny face painting ideas. This idea is an easy face painting you can do by yourself. All you have to do is draw a cute bunny along your nose area to the forehead with white face paint.

Moreover, use black face paint to outline the adorable bunny to create a vivid image of the character. For extra cuteness, use pink face paint to draw a small heart on your nose. Consider putting on pink lip tint to spice up the look.

9. Lion Face Painting for Boys

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@Crea Sandrine)

Impress your guests at your little boy’s party with lion face painting ideas for kids! Lion is a great symbol of the king of the jungle, and your boys will be the king at the party. Since the lion full face paint art is too common, you can draw the cool side profile of the lion.

Draw the lion from his forehead to his temple and cheek with brown face paint in matching tones with your boy’s hair. You can also spray part of your child’s head where you want to make a sketch with safe face paint, then start the frame from that point.

10. Sugar Skull Facial Painting

Face Painting Ideas

This is definitely true face paint art! Express your bold personality in sugar skull face painting ideas. Inspired by the sugar skull in Day of The Dead, you can create the iconic character with white and black face paint.

Create charming eye makeup with blue or turquoise glitter around your eyes. To highlight the creepy look, don’t forget to create a stiched-like design on your mouth. In addition, add a flower crown on your head to make a gorgeous face painting for adults,


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11. Butterfly Wings Face Painting

Face Painting Ideas

Butterfly face painting ideas for kids at their birthday parties are a great choice since they are a symbol of growth and transformation. Draw a pair of butterfly wings on their face, creating a mirroring effect.

Use orange and yellow face paint for the main colors, and use black color to outline the image. Give a touch of light blue and white to the nose, forehead, and under eyes to give an artistic vision of this idea.

12. Halloween Gothic Face Painting for Adults

Face Painting Ideas
Source: pinterest (@pinterest.com)

If you are going to attend a Halloween party, then try to look gothic with this idea. Paint your face in white, then draw a creepy spider between your eyes, and let its legs spread around your eyes.

Create scary red eye makeup with a spider design to make one of the coolest Halloween face painting ideas you can do at home. Don’t forget to put black lipstick with a wrinkled outline on your lips to complete the gothic look. Also, put on your black dress with a black choker to fix the look.

13. Wolf Boy Full Face Painting

Wolf Boy Full Face PaintingWolf Boy Full Face Painting

In case your boy wants to scare their friends with cool animal face paint art at the Halloween party, consider choosing wolf face painting ideas. With this idea, you may get one of the cutest little wolves in the world!

Use white and gray face paint to draw the furry wolf face. Outline the image with black face paint. If your kids don’t have protruding canines, consider using fake teeth to highlight the scary appeal. This is a charming face painting for boys you should try.

14. Easy Halloween Spider and Spider Web Face Painting

Easy Halloween Spider and Spider Web Face Painting

Keep your kids’ pretty faces with this easy and simple face painting. You only need a few paints of black and white to draw a spider web on their cheek and a little hanging spider on their forehead, as if it comes out of their hats.

They can wear a witch hat as an accessory to complete their look. This is one of the most simple face painting ideas you can do at home to celebrate a Halloween party with a trick-and-treat!

15. Pretty Little Princess Face Paint Art

Pretty Little Princess Face Painting

Radiate the beauty and elegance of a little princess with this idea. Especially if your little girl is going to have a birthday party, then she definitely should be the princess. Inspired by the charming princess crown, you can create face paint art on her forehead and continue to her temple.

Try to use purple face paints for the color base and outline it with white paint. You can add a small red crystal at the center of the crown as the highlight of the look. Consider putting on pink lipstick to spruce up the appeal if your kids don’t mind.

16. Little Gray Cat Face Painting

Little Gray Cat Face Painting

Rawr! This adorable little cat is ready to scare you at the party! Make your lovely kids look cute and charming with this idea. This is an easy face painting idea you can do by yourself. Simply use light gray face paint to turn your kids’ faces into an adorable cat.

Outline the image and create accents with dark face paint. Then, add white for the face and pink one to offer a lovely touch to the ears, upper lip, and nose of the cat figure. This is one of the most simple face painting ideas for kids.

17. Happy Clown Face Painting for Kids

Happy Clown Face Painting for Kids

Bring back the classic yet adorable clown with this lovely face painting to light up the party. Your kids can do a funny clown cosplay with a rainbow curly wig and steal the spotlight using this face paint makeup.

Draw a big white circle on their eyes and mouth, and outline them with black paint. Use the red face paint to create a lovely red nose and wide mouth. Your little clown is ready to rock the party! Besides the party, it will make an excellent painting for Halloween, as the clown sparks an eerie vibe.

18. Isolated Pumpkin Face Painting

Isolated Pumpkin Face Painting

A unique and creative Halloween face paint, the isolated pumpkin theme will be a great choice to impress your guests. Use the orange face paint to draw an isolated pumpkin on half of your face and give it a black and white outline.

You can draw black triangle eye makeup, a nose, and a carved mouth on half of your face as well, making it one of the most artistic Halloween face painting ideas. Complete the look with a black witch hat and a long cloak and now you are ready to scare your neighbors during the trick-and-treat game!

19. Abstract Colorful Holi Face Paint

Abstract Colorful Holi Face Paint

Inspired by Holi, this simple face painting idea is a brilliant option to show your artistic side at the party. All you need is colorful face paint and creativity to create a natural paint splash on your face.

Combine bright colors such as orange, yellow, blue, and green to create an abstract face painting. This is also one of the best face painting ideas that look amazing for editorial photoshoots. You can also consider such a painting for a pre-wedding photo session with your future husband with a fun and colorful concept.

20. Aborignal Tribe Face Painting

Aborignal Tribe Face Painting

If you love traditional and cultural face paint art, you may fall in love with this idea. Try to resemble the iconic face painting of Aboriginal tribes with red, brown, and white face paint. Paint half the top of your face in red which resembles blood used by Aboriginal tribes for face paint.

Add brown makeup on the cheeks to create depth and firm lines to this look. Lastly, create iconic white dots above the eyebrows and white lines on the forehead and nose. And, of course, remember to put on the iconic Aboriginal headpiece to make this appeal even more captivating.

21. Peacock Face Painting

Peacock Face Painting
Source: Pinterest (@boredart.com)

If you plan on attending a mask party, this peacock face painting can be a nice option should you not feel like wearing a real mask. It looks like a perfect and beautiful mask that covers your eyes and nose, which will definitely wow everyone at the party.

The color combination of this face pain is just stunning, especially if you put on lipstick that has the same color as the face painting on the eyes and nose area. You can consider adopting this appeal for a mysterious masquerade ball.

22. Animal Face Painting for Kids

This one is a brilliant face painting idea for boys who love to show off their cool face paintings. The painting of the green snake looks super cool because the mouth of the snake is painted on your little boy’s lips. So, when he talks, it will look as if the snake is also opening its mouth. In addition, if your little boy is not really into snake face paint, then he can go for other animals like a frog, alligator, or even a shark.
Source: Pinterest (@deavita.com)

This one is a brilliant face painting idea for boys who love to show off their cool face paintings. The painting of the green snake looks super cool because the mouth of the snake is painted on your little boy’s lips.

So, when he talks, it will look as if the snake is also opening its mouth. In addition, if your little boy is not really into snake face paint, then he can go for other animals like a frog, alligator, or even a shark. 

23. Art Painting on Your Face

Art Painting on Your Face
Source: Pinterest (@totalbeauty.com)

Turn your face into a canvas by having this abstract and artsy face painting. It can be considered both as face painting or makeup. But nevertheless, these beautiful patterns and colors are painted onto your face and turn it into an amazing work of art.

You can be playful with the colors and combine the colors that you are comfortable with. We recommend pairing dark and bright tones to create a fantastic contrast. Focus on the eyes area because, after all, the eyes are the window to the soul, which will make you look amazing in this face painting, inside and out.

24. Black Spider Face Painting

Black Spider Face Painting
Source: Pinterest (@Hewtashop)

Another face painting idea for Halloween! This one comes with a black scary spider that stays on one of your eyes, making it look all black. For this type of face painting, you only need two paint colors, which are white and black.

You can focus on either your right or left eye and paint this spider as if it sticks to your eyes. Next, paint your eyelid in all black, and don’t forget to add some faint shadows to make it real. Put on black lipstick to make the look scarier!

25. A Face Full of Fruits Painting

A Face Full of Fruits Painting
Source: Pinterest (@Rebecca Yeates)

If you could turn your face into a bowl full of fresh fruits, would you do it? Why not! Well, not actual fruits, though. But you can paint fruits on your face, which will become a unique and rare kind of face painting.

You can paint an orange, kiwi, strawberry, and watermelon on your face, which will definitely make you look super fresh and loved by everyone. Such art will make a perfect showcase for Thanksgiving!

Final Thought

Facial painting art is one way to channel talent in art. It also works great to celebrate certain occasions, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holi, or even the Dia de los Muertos (the Day of Death). You can play with your imagination and creativity and use your face as a unique natural canvas.

However, pay attention to the paint you use. Make sure they are safe for the skin and eyes. We also recommend using brushes that do not cause allergic effects on the skin.


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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do you make simple face paint for kids?

Try to draw a cute and simple character they love on their cheeks or forehead. If they have favorite animals, you can create animal face painting on their face. Usually, bees and butterfly face painting ideas are simple face paint suitable for girls. Meanwhile, boys love superheroes or fun characters for face painting.

According to the facepaintngshop.com, the butterfly is the most popular face painting for girls, while Spiderman is the boys’ favorite. Butterfly has various colors and shapes which will attract many kids, making it a popular design all the time. Meanwhile, Spiderman is a cool and fun superhero character that is adored by boys. 

What is the best face paint for beginners?

If you are a beginner, we recommend you to use water based face painting. Especially if you often make mistakes, this face paint can be removed easily. Moreover, the face paint set usually comes with various colors. Therefore, you can try to combine some colors that are suitable for your drawing.

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