Deck the halls and flock the trees! The holiday season is upon us! All over the world people are preparing to celebrate and we’ve made a list and checked it twice to help you prepare your kit and yourself to become an integral part of the celebration.
Click Here to See Our New Christmas 2022 Face Painting Ideas Guide
Free Christmas Face Paint Design Ideas
These Christmas face paint designs will add some holiday spirit into your portfolio, and to ensure we make it onto the Nice List, we’ve made it easier for you to learn with links to YouTube tutorials and several fabulous step-by-step photos. So stock up on shades of red, green, gold and icy hues so you can Jingle Bell rock this holiday season!
Quick, Free Design Ideas
When you are working an event with Jolly Old St. Nick, the crowds can get a bit wild. If you are working a large holiday event and need to crank out the candy canes at top speed, there are several free easy Christmas face painting ideas available to you.
Consider designs that only require a few brush strokes and a poof of glitter to make your little clients happy. Think a quick snowman cheek art with 2 circles as the base and a quick one-stroke hat. Add a cute smile and Frosty is ready to roll. Or maybe a metallic base with a stencil and swirls applied on top. The options are endless and the more you paint and practice them, the quicker your little elf hands will work!
Olga’s Holly Design tutorial will help you recreate this deceptively quick look.
O Christmas Tree
These beautiful evergreens can be interpreted in so many ways. Whether creating a beautiful full face look or speeding up your line by utilizing a fun one-stroke design, feel free to incorporate jewels, glitters, liquid bling and more to deck your tree out.
Holly Berries
When painting these beautiful green leaves, elaborate with swirls, stencils and liquid bling to transform a simple holly cluster into a glorious work of art. Be sure to practice your swirls to get a natural flow that is pleasing to the eye.
Poinsettia
These beautiful red flowers are a great way to add a floral element to your designs. This design by Olga Murasev also utilizes a round brush for double dip to create flower buds and some liquid bling for added sparkle.
Check out our “Tools for perfect Double Dip Flowers” article and find out how to incorporate these beautiful buds into your work for eye-pleasing details!
Reindeer
These adorable flyers will light up your customers faces as sure as Rudolph’s nose! Incorporate fun one-stroke technique and stencils for a quick and impressive look, or go all out and recreate one of these designs from Olga Murasev, Arjhay Body Art or Lisa Joy Young!
Christmas Decorations and Lights
Easy to recreate looks such as these strands of lights and holiday ornaments will help you create impressive designs to help bust those long lines. Be sure to keep your linework clean and don’t be shy with the glitter!
Stencils can add a fun textural element to a fairly simple design in a snap.
Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?
Get creative with this iconic wintery fellow! From classic snowmen to beloved characters, the options are endless! Add a touch of creative fun by incorporating your client’s eyes into the eye of your character like Paty DeLeon.
Recreate this Olaf cheek design as well as this free classic snowman design from Olga Murasev.
As if those tutorials weren’t enough, we’ve created this fun wintry eye design in a handy step-by-step guide with International Face Paint School instructor Kristin Olsson. You can see how using a star stencil and some simple shading really make this design pop!
Ice Queen
While her majesty isn’t technically Christmas, her frozen appearance is a perfect pairing for iconic holiday weather. Snowflake and ice designs are always popular and she is, well… the queen of ice! Get creative with your variations, here are a few designs to inspire you. Please view these tutorials for the “Frozen” Elsa Crown and Snowflake Princess.
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
This Dr. Seuss classic is sure to bring a smile to even the naughtiest child in your line! Try your hand at these variations by artist Monserrat Villalobos, Ashlea Henson, Lisa Joy Young or this one from Olga.
Here Comes Santa Claus!
You can’t have Christmas without jolly old St. Nick. Whether you’re adding his iconic hat over a child’s eyebrow, or transforming them with a full beard, these designs are sure to get you on the Nice List.
Penguin
This chilly willy fella will surely make a splash (get it?!) at any event. Get your sponges and snowflake stencil out to recreate this Olga Murasev Pretty Penguin design.
Yeti (Snow Monster)
This loveable giant will be a great addition to the category of “there’s never enough boy faces!” Try your hand at Kristin Olsson’s Yeti… then let loose and create one of your own!
Hannukah Designs
We cannot discuss the Holiday Season without Hannukah! The Festival of Lights really lends itself to some beautiful designs. Iconic images of dreidels, menorahs and more are an integral addition to your holiday board.
Fine Art
Face painting isn’t all swirls and cartoons! The human body can become a living canvas. The creativity and beauty inspired in these designs are absolutely breathtaking.
While these aren’t exactly practical for on-the-job work, special designs like these really pump up your portfolio and are great for photo shoots and private client sessions for special projects.
Transforming Your Regular Design Ideas for Christmas
Don’t completely remove your butterflies, princess crowns, kitty cats, skulls (Yes, skulls. Take a look at Vanessa Mendoza’s design below for a fun twist) and other popular designs from your holiday portfolio before experimenting with these Christmas face paint ideas.
Adding classic Christmas colors or a split cake of frosty blues can transport your summer butterflies into winter wonderland creatures.
Festive elements like snowflakes and holly really give the finishing touch. See how simple it is to convert a classic butterfly into a holly-fly by watching this Christmas Festival Butterfly tutorial with Cameron Garrett.
Creating original designs takes planning, strategy and an understanding of balance. Check out our article on “How to create your own original designs” to put you on your way to becoming the trend-setter.
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Santa’s Xmas Face Paint Workshop
Consider investing in a few special tools to help you achieve beautiful Xmas face paint results. Stencils with snowflakes, stars, or even holiday sweater themed designs add fun and texture to your work.
BAMS, Diva Stencils are just a few of our favorite stencil suppliers.
Read the Great Face Paint Shop Guide to help you narrow down the best places to send Santa for your goodies!
Daubers and droplet sponges come in several different sizes. These handy tools can increase your speed and add a creative touch. Use them to create strands of Christmas lights, multi-toned ornaments, snowballs… get creative.
Do NOT forget the sparkles! It’s Christmas, after all. Cosmetic glitters, beautiful chunky glitters, liquid bling and more! Let your imagination run wild!
You can purchase glitters from any of the shops in the Guide link above, or you can also purchase from glitter specialty shops.
Glitterphiles… check out Part 1️⃣ and Part 2️⃣ of our Bling Blog for an in-depth look into all the best glitters and where to purchase them!
There is an art to beautiful glitter application, check out our article “Clever Ways to Use Glitter” to make sure your designs shine brightly.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
We really have the best job. We get to create living art, light up children’s faces and go to parties for a living! Even if you don’t normally dress up while you’re working, consider embracing the holiday spirit. Throw on some festive leggings, an ugly Christmas sweater, or even go all out with an elf-inspired ensemble.
Super busy with Christmas face paint gigs this holiday season? Congratulations! Find out “How to work fewer hours and earn more money” as a professional. Yes, it definitely pays to work smarter, not harder.
What is your most popular Christmas design?☃️ Submit your favorite holiday designs in the comments below!
