World’s Best Face Paint Ideas for Any Occasion!

Face paint ideas guide with a preview of four designs
Lela Trock, Olga Murasev — 22 March 2024 —

Have you been searching high and low for amazing face paint ideas for kids? Struggling with finding either poor-quality designs or intimidating professional designs, labeled as “face paint ideas for beginners”?

We are glad you found us here! We have hunted down quality designs for the most requested face painting ideas and have compiled them here in our Ultimate Face Paint Ideas Guide!

Whether you’re a beginner, an unsure parent, a pro, or just hunting for the perfect Halloween look, you’ll find endless inspiration here to conquer face painting for kids (and adults!).

~ Quick Navigation Guide ~

1. Face painting ideas for girls
Princess crown face paint | Fairy face paint | Butterfly face paint | Cute cat face paint | Flower face paint | Unicorn face paint | Mermaid face paint

2. Face painting ideas for boys
Superhero face paint | Dragon and dinosaur face paint | Monster face paint | Tigers | Halloween face paint ideas for boys

3. Fast and easy face painting ideas
Stencil face paint | Easy one stroke face paint | On-the-job designs

4. Popular Animal face paint
Dog & Cat face paint | Tiger face paint and other wild cats | Shark Face Paint | More Popular Animal face paint ideas

5. Face Painting For Kids Party
Frozen face paint | Pokemon face paint | Minecraft and Among Us face paint | My Little Pony face paint | Transformer face paint

6. Halloween face painting ideas for kids
Skulls | Witch | Vampire | Zombie | Other Halloween face paint ideas for kids

7. Halloween face painting ideas for adults
Skull face paint | Sugar Skull | Sexy Vampire or Witch face paint | Zombie face paint | Special FX face paint ideas | Other Halloween adult face painting ideas

8. Christmas face painting ideas
Snowman Face Paints | Reindeer Face Paints | Grinch Face Paints | Santa Face Paint | Festive Face Paints

9. 4th of July face painting ideas
American Flag Face Paints | Fireworks Face Paints | Eagle Face Paints | Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty Face Paints

Face Painting for Kids

1. Face painting ideas for girls

We have put together the ultimate collection of the most-requested face paint ideas for girls. True not all girls will want something girly but many do so we’ve covered all the bases.

a. Princess crown face paint

Princess crowns are an easy face paint idea to master and look so effective. These designs can be as simple as one-stroking for color and form and linework for embellishment, but you can also dress it up with double dip flowers, sponged eyeshadow, glitter, and bling!

four girls wearing princess crowns face paintings

three girls and a woman with very colorful designs of face paintings

Another option is to paint a themed crown based on her favorite princess. Elsa face paint is especially popular! Find more Frozen face paint ideas in the themed parties section.

 

 

 

More Princess crown face paint tutorials from Youtube:

Fairytale princess face painting by SophiesTips
Cinderella face paint by Lisa Joy Young
Belle face paint by Ashlea Henson
Easy Fairy Face Painting Tutorial by Ashlea Henson
Arabian princess/Jasmine face paint by Sophie’s Tips
Native American/Pocahontas face paint by Sophie’s Tips
Peacock Princess mask by Nancy Wu
Swan princess face paint by Lisa Joy Young
Pastel princess teardrop crown by Lodie Up

 

b.‍ Fairy face paint

For fairy face paint, it can be very helpful to have a fairy stencil, as you’ll see in the following designs. But some of these fairies were painted freehand! Use your tools to adapt to whatever time you have.

four girls wearing a tinker bell face painting design

two women and two girls with fairy face painting designs

 

One stroke rainbows and double dip flowers pair nicely with any fairy design! And a flower crown can make a lovely fairy queen face paint too!

a girl with a compleated fairy face paint design
No every fairy design needs to have a fairy silhouette in it! Check out our “Most Magical Fairy face paint tutorial” by Simona Rad. You can use the skills you already have with painting butterflies, roses, and double dip flowers to make a stunning fairy mask that girls young and old will feel beautiful in!

 

c. Butterfly face paint

Butterfly face paint is one of the best face painting ideas because the wings frame the face in such a flattering way. It’s also an easy face paint for beginners to achieve with a petal sponge or one stroke technique.

Once you master the proper butterfly placement and shape, the same principles will be used in countless other designs!

Tip: If you aren’t impressed with your butterflies yet, you’ve got to check out these Three Secrets to Mastering Your Butterflies!

six girls wearing different butterfly face paint designs on their faces

Tip: Follow along with this detailed Step-by-Step for Lodie Up’s Rainbow Butterfly Face Paint for stunning results.

six girls wearing different butterfly face paintings on their faces

 

 

 

More Butterfly face paint video tutorials:

Frozen Butterfly by Lisa Joy Young
Tribal Glitter Butterfly by Laura Pennock
Easy Rainbow Butterfly by Ashlea Henson
Winter Butterfly by Ashlea Henson

 

d. Cute cat face paint

I told you we’d use those butterfly shapes again, right? Cat ears follow the same placement rules as the top wings. Cute cat face paint can be an easy addition to your face paint menu.

Check out even more cat designs in the Animals section, or just keep scrolling ;-)

four girls wearing different colorful kitty cat face paint designs

 

Want to heap on the cuteness? This rainbow Caticorn / Unikitty design combines two favorite girl face paint designs with adorable results!

 

This Creative Kitty Face Paint by Annabel Hoogeveen is a stunning on-the-job design that’s sure to wow! It’s also easier than it looks, so be sure to check out the step-by-step.

a woman looking at the camera with a light blue kitty face paint decorated with flowers

e. Flower face paint

Double dip and one-stroke flowers are guaranteed to amaze and are one of the most popular face paint ideas for women as well as girls.

Once you’ve nailed these techniques, they will be an easy way to add to any girl design. Create fast, intricate eye designs or add petals to butterflies, crowns, unicorns and everything else!

two women and two girls with different flowers face painting designs on their faces

Keep flower eye designs close around the eye and directed at facial focal points for a pleasing, balanced design.

four girls wearing different colorful flowers face paintings on their faces and some on arms

Realistic flowers are not beyond you! Learn how familiar techniques like one-stroke and double dip are used to create elegant florals that look advanced. With this eye design tutorial, you will delight women who are hoping for something more mature!

six girls with different colored flower crown face painting designs

These flower crowns are also great for spring fairy face paint.

 

 

More Flower face painting tutorials on Youtube:

Island Princess Face Painting by Lisa Joy Young
Flower Fairy Mask by Laura Pennock
Double dip flower eye by Nancy Wu
Rose eye and décolletage design by Ashlea Henson
“Fairy eye” flower design by Sophie’s Tips
Flower Mask detailed and simple version by Lisa Joy Young
Sunflower eye by Pam Kinneberg

Flowers can make elegant adult designs as well! Learn this Fancy Eye Design by Annabel Hoogeveen from the step-by-step tutorial.

an image of a woman wearing a facncy eye face painting design

f. Unicorn face paint

There are two main types of unicorn face paints: turning little girls into unicorns, or painting magical unicorns on beautiful little girls. Both are super cute and popular, and it’s nice to have a selection of each.

a woman and three girls with different unicorn face paint designs

three women and three girls with different cartoony unicorn face paint designs

The same unicorn can be scaled down to an eye design or embellished for a full mask!

girl with a compleated unicorn face paint design above her right eye with white eye shadow
Calling all Beginners! Looking for a unicorn design that you can achieve on-the-job? This design combines simple elements to create a beginner-friendly unicorn that will WOW your clients. Achieve this design with 5 EASY steps by following along with Annabel’s Unicorn Eye-Design Tutorial.

a woman and five children wearing different colorful unicorn face painting designs

These designs also work well for horse face paint and alicorn or pegasus face paint with simple adjustments.

a woman with a completed magical unicorn face paint design
Ready for face paint magic? Learn this Easy Rainbow Unicorn by the Unicorn Queen of Face Painting, Elodie Ternois in this wonderful SBS tutorial! You can master this design in just 6 easy steps. What could be more magical than that?

 

 

More Unicorn face paint video tutorials from Youtube and Instagram:
Pegasus face paint by Lisa Joy Young
Fast and easy unicorn stencil eye design by Lodie Up
Pastel unicorn by Lodie Up
Cute unicorn by Lodie Up

 

g.‍ Mermaid face paint

Just like unicorns, the main two types of designs for mermaids are painting a mermaid or making your client into a mermaid with a mermaid crown face paint. Within those categories, there are limitless variations.

a woman and three girls with different mermaid face paint designs

six girls with different colored mermaid crown face painting designs

Some popular and easy mermaid crowns include seashell centerpieces and stenciled mermaids. Bling or gems affixed with a skin-safe adhesive are a stunning addition to crowns of any kind!

four girls and two women with different designs of a mermaid face paint

four women wearing different styles of a mermaid face paint designs

 

 

More mermaid face paint design Youtube tutorials:

Mermaid Tail Face Painting by Lily Santoya
How to paint a Mermaid by Silly Heather
Mermaid Crown face paint by Arielpaints
How to do a mermaid face paint by Facepaints 4u
Step-by-step Kawaii mermaid instagram tutorial by Lodie Up

These face-painting ideas for girls are definitely the most popular face painting requests, but you won’t be bored with so many ways to change it up! Extra steps like glitter and gems are an excellent way to add value and make it the best face paint for any little girl.

 

2. Face painting ideas for boys

These designs are sure to be the most popular face paint for boys in your line! And these ideas aren’t only great for kids, adults will love them too.

a. Superhero face paint

Spiderman Face Paint Ideas

There are probably even more Spiderman face painting ideas than there are Spiderman actors, but with good reason! These designs are the most popular design for boys, and you’re just as likely to get the request from a teen as a toddler! So be sure to have a few good Spidey design variations up your sleeve.

Oh no! The next kid it’s a girl who wants to be Spin’s friend – Ghost? Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered! Check out this Ghost Spider Tutorial by Simona Rad for a matching themed design of the very popular new Spider Girl.
three children with spiderman face paint on their faces

Whether you’re painting Spiderman, Spin, or the Ghost Spider, we hope you like these simple, easy, but high quality designs!

four different spiderman face paint ideas

These traditional masks have stenciled texture for added dimension. And check out this fun design using the butterfly shape you’ve mastered so well!

Tip: Take a closer look at Annabel Hoogeveen’s Very Cool Spiderman Face Paint Design with this helpful step-by-step.

four images showing different types of spiderman face paint ideas

These ripped masks are great to appeal to the older boys. Even adults will be wowed by the transformation.

a boy wearing a stencil made spiderman face paint
Still looking for the perfect Spiderman design? This Spiderman Design Tutorial by Milena Potekhina is Fast, Easy, and Polished! Learn it in just 6 Steps.

 

 

four boys wearing different designs of the venom face paint

Spiderman fans will love the evil villain face paint option. And the flowing lines give so much room for creativity.

 

Batman face paint

Our list couldn’t be complete without a good Batman, and your menu will need one too! A Batman mask is one of the easiest face paint ideas, but these designs are full of color and dimension.

six different batman face paint designs od six different people

Even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can add quick texture with sponge work, stenciling, or even glitter gel!

six children wearing different batman face paint designs

four images showing different types of batman face pain ideas

But the bat-signal isn’t the only option! Why not paint the man himself? Or even the Gotham City!

a boy with a compleated batman mask face paint
Can I tell you a secret? This impressive Batman design is easier than it looks!!  The face is super easy when you follow the tutorial, and the cape comes together quickly with one-stroke. You can learn this whole design in just 6 steps here: Batman Mask tutorial by Wies Face Painting.

 

 

 

Other Superhero face paint favorites

There are too many superheroes to name, but here are some favorites from each universe you’re likely to encounter.

If you get a request for a superhero you aren’t comfortable painting, a good option is to offer another character from the same universe.

six children wearing different marvel superhero face paintings

four different wolverine face paint ideas

four boys wearing different flash face paint designs

a boy with a compleated superman face paint design
Ready for a SUPER design? Our Superman design tutorial by Wies uses the beloved hero’s cape to create a cool boy mask that can be painted on-the-job! It also teaches techniques for shading and proportion that will help you in all your painting.

four little boys wearing different superman face paint designs

 

 

 

Other Superhero face paint tutorials on Youtube:

Flash face paint by Kellie Burrus
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle by Olga Murasev
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle by Radiant Art Inspirations

 

b. Dragon and dinosaur face paint

Scaly body, sharp teeth, lethal claws — Face painting dragons and dinosaurs has a lot of overlap, and boys love them both. T-Rex face paint is especially popular with boys who love Jurassic Park and Jurassic World!

a girl and five boys with different dinosaur face paint designs

In general, larger bodies and thick tails can help keep a dinosaur from looking like a snake or a dragon. Also, notice how the head has rounded edges and is around the same thickness as the snout.

 

 

three boys, two men, and a woman with different dragon face paint ideas

Wings and fire are some obvious differences between dragons and dinosaurs. Dragon heads also have more sharp angles and their snouts are more narrow than the rest of their head.

five children and a man with dragon face paint designs

 

 

More dragon and dinosaur face paint tutorials on Youtube:

Dragon face painting tutorial by SophiesTips
Quick & Easy Dinosaur face paint by Flor Moreno
Fast Dinosaur Skeleton by Olga Murasev
One stroke Dragon mask by Laura Pennock

 

c. Monster face paint

Use the teeth and claws you’ve mastered, and let your imagination go wild. Monster face paint designs are a great place to get creative with color and texture stencils. Monsters are also an easy beginner face paint idea because of how adaptable they are.

These also work well for any size of design – Monster eye face paint, masks, half face, and full face designs!

three boys, two women and a girl wearing different dinosaur face paint designs

five boys and a woman with different dragon face paint designs

 

 

d. Tigers

Boys are wild about tigers! But so are girls and adults. Tiger face paint is a staple for a reason. We’re covering more tigers in our popular animal face paint ideas section. You’ll want to check out these tiger face paint designs first.

six boys with different tiger face paint designs on their faces

Tip: Check out this step-by-step to paint Annabel Hoogeveen’s epic Eye-Friendly Tiger Face Paint with helpful tips and tricks!

This tutorial by Fairy Fox Design uses Starblends powders for the base, which is a great option for high heat summer days.

 

Whether you paint a Batman mask, dinosaur teeth, tiger stripes, or monster horns, you’ll need sharp line tips! Struggling with your linework? Our FREE workshop can help!

Free Online Workshop - Improve Your Linework in 3 Days

e. Halloween face paint ideas for boys

You might be wondering where the skulls and zombies are? They’re out trick-or-treating for Halloween. But they’re sure to be around here somewhere. Check out our Halloween face paint for kids section for even more boy ideas that will be popular all year long!

Now you’ve got something for everyone ready at your brush-tips. But you can find even more of the most popular face paint ideas for kids in the Themed Parties section. But don’t miss the easiest face painting ideas we’ve collected in the next category!

3. Fast and easy face painting ideas

So you’ve got a line that you can’t see the end of and the clock is ticking. It’s a face painting reality, and it doesn’t have to be a nightmare! Here are tips, tricks, and most importantly easy face painting designs that you can paint fast!

What’s fast for a professional can also be an easy starting place for beginners! If you’re just starting your face painting journey, don’t miss our Ultimate Beginner Guide to learn everything you need in one article!

Beginners Guide Cover

a. Stencil face paint

Stenciling might be one of the easiest face paint ways to offer a huge variety of designs at breakneck speeds.

Load your sponge up until the paint is sticky and a bit dry in consistency so it won’t bleed under the stencil. Once you master that trick, you’ll have endless fast and impressive options to choose from.

two women and four kids wearing different and simple face painting designs

two girls and three boys wearing different superhero, buttefly and spider face paintning designs

Stenciling is also a way to add impressive details quickly to a simple design like the snowflake cheeks on this butterfly mask and the starry background over the bat signal.

How to paint beautiful and simple face paint eye designs with stencils:

  • 1. One stroke a background color around the eye.
  • 2. Apply the main image with a stencil (holiday stencils make this so easy to customize to any time of year!!)
  • 3. Apply fine glitter to the main image BEFORE removing the stencil.
  • 4. Add stenciled smaller elements like hearts or stars.
  • 5. Finish the look with double-dip flowers, linework and/or chunky glitter.

This spring / Easter bunny design by Lodie Up is a beautiful example of how stunning the results can be.

 

 

Face painting with stencils is what makes this super easy magical dragon look so amazing too! It’s not cheating. It’s texture!

 

b. Easy one stroke face paint

One stroke has taken the face painting world by storm, and for good reason! These designs have dimension and color that looks like it would take a long time to create. But these are some of the easiest face paint ideas for beginners!

a woman and five girls wearing different rainbow, cat and flowers face paint designs

a girl with a compleated rainbow face paint design
Don’t disappoint kids with your “fast” options! This Rainbow design is quick, but complete. It’s also absolutely beautiful! Check out the tutorial for materials, tips on how to load one-stroke for bright colors, and so much more!

a boy and five girls wearing different butterfly, unicorn and fish face paint designs

The right tools make all the difference for fast, easy face painting! Check out our Face Painting Supplies Guide to learn the best materials and where to get them.

Face Painting Supplies Buying Guide

 

 

Tip: One stroke is beautiful for outlining butterflies like in this Easy One-Stroke Butterfly step-by-step by Elodie Ternois.

a smiling woman with a rainbow colored butterfly face paint design over her eyes

 

c. On-the-job designs

These designs use a variety of techniques like double dip flowers, one stroking, linework, applying stencils, and sponging rainbow cakes. They’re also quick enough to use on-the-job to face paint for birthday parties, festivals, school fairs, and more!

Learn all these techniques in our Beginner Course! You’ll also learn how build a budget-friendly face painting kit, 22 designs you can use on the job, and more!

Beginner course - IntFPS

four girls wearing different face paintings - a flower, a dolphin, a ghost and flowers

a woman and five girls wearing different fast and colorful face paint designs

an image of a woman wearing a cute minnie mouse face paint
Double dip is such a great technique for stunning, fast, cute designs! Check out this step-by-step tutorial by NataliSta for a Minnie Mouse mask with double dip flowers that is cute, fun, and great for any age!

This Rose Princess Mask by Olga Murasev is a beautiful face paint design for beginners.

 

 

More face and easy face paint tutorials on Youtube:

Easy One-stroke Dolphin by Radiant Art Inspirations
Snowflake design (stencil vs hand painted) by Radiant Art Inspirations
Easy Rainbow Butterfly by Ashlea Henson
Cute Monster face paint by Lisa Joy Young
One-stroke feathers by Laura Pennock
Easy Roses by Laura Pennock
The key to speed is good technique. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you can face paint simple designs that will make everyone say, “Wow!! That looks amazing, and you’re so fast!!!”

For even more ideas, check out our Fast Ideas: super quick line-buster designs blog post.

4. Popular Animal face paint

Animal face paint designs needs its own section because it’s very popular for both boys and girls. These are also great designs for adults, including some very realistic animal face paint designs.

This is only a handful of the most popular animal face paint ideas. If you want a comprehensive look at the wonderful zoo of face paint possibilities, our Animal Face Paint Guide is the place for you!
a banner with four children with animal face paint designs

a. Dog & Cat face paint

It’s wonderful that dogs and cats share so many common features because you can easily learn both. One of the biggest differences between painting dogs and cats will be the ears. Here’s a great selection of dog and cat face painting ideas to inspire you.

six children wearing different dog face painting designs

a girl looking at the camera with compleated dog face paint on her
Tip: If you don’t know how to achieve these designs just by looking at them, a step-by-step like this Cute & Easy Dog Face Paint by Rosie Lieberman can be incredibly helpful!

four girls and two boys wearing silly puppy face paintning designs

four children wearing different dog face painting designs

 

 

There are lots of well-loved characters in the dogs and cats categories! Try offering some Paw Patrol designs or add Hello Kitty to your menu and see how delighted the kids will be!

six girls wearing different colorful cat face paint designs on them

six girls wearing cute and colorful cat face painting designs

 

 

Want a more masculine option? This Halloween Cat Face Paint for Boys by Annabel Hoogeveen can be used any time of the year!

a boy wearing a chilling halloween cat face paint design

Tip: Not every cat design needs to be a mask. Olga designed a fun Playful Kitten Face Paint step-by-step that is great for boys and girls!

three images of a woman with a cat face paint on her forehead and around her eyes

Skip back to face paint ideas for girls for some more cute cat face paint or keep on scrolling for wild cats!

 

b. Tiger face paint and other wild cats

No party is complete without a roaring tiger. It is probably the most popular design you will get asked for. But once you paint one of these, you’re sure to have kids asking for the whole zoo.

Tiger face paint

There are so many ways to add variation to your tiger designs, and we’ve carefully chosen a variety to showcase lots of different styles!

Do you love one-stroke? Try using it for your outline or stripes for easy shading.

four children wearing different tiger face paint designs

four women wearing different tiger face paint designs

Prefer realism? This realistic tiger painted by Linnea Onnerby Novak is taught in our Professional Course!

Professional Course: Become a certified professional face painter with the most comprehensive program on the market in just 3 months!

Professional Course - IntFPS

 

Tip: For a really magical design, check out this Colorful Tiger Face Paint step-by-step by Elodie Ternois.

a young girl with a very colorful purple, green, and yellow tiger face painting on her.

Find even more tiger face paint in our Ideas for Boys section!

 

Lion face paint

Whether you’re looking for a cartoon Lion King face paint or a fierce one, we’ve got great ideas for you.

four children wearing different lion face paint designs

 

 

For a fast on-the-job design, check out this Lion face paint step-by-step by Rosie Lieberman.

a girl with a lion face paint design

 

Leopard and Cheetah face paint

Did you know that the main distinction between leopards and cheetahs is that cheetahs have solid spots? These designs can easily be adapted to be either leopards or cheetahs, but the rosette spots are so lovely you may just want to put them on both. I won’t tell if you don’t.

three women and three girls wearing different cheetah face paint designs

Want a detailed step-by-step design? Check out this Fast Cheetah Step by Step Face Painting Tutorial by Wies Facepainting.

a boy looking at the camera with a cheetach face painting

 

 

More wild cat face paint YouTube tutorials:

Fantasy Rainbow Tiger by Ashlea Henson
Mouth lion by Laura Pennock
Lion one-stroke face paint by Radiant Art Inspirations
Scar from The Lion King by Ashlea Henson
Cheetah by Radiant Art Inspirations
Tie-dye cheetah by Cameron Garrett

 

c. Shark Face Paint

Unleash the power of sharks in your face paint design. Discover how to incorporate these majestic predators alongside dinosaurs and crocodiles for jaw-dropping results. Popular among boys, shark face paint is a must-have choice. Get inspired and create your own masterpiece that captures the strength and allure of this iconic ocean creature.

4 design versions of shark face paintings on a man, two children and a woman

four different people wearing different shark face paint designs

 

d. More Popular Animal face paint ideas

If you love painting animals, there’s a whole animal kingdom to choose from! Here are some more designs and tutorials that you (and your customers!) are sure to love!

two women and four children with fox and bear face paint designs

a girl with a fox face paint design
One-stroke technique makes this Fox design by Simona Rad stand out as being detailed and elaborate even though it can be simple with the right technique! You can follow along with Simona for phenomenal results with this amazing design.
a close-up of a woman with a zebra face paint on her face
This is the Best Zebra face paint design and tutorial. It’s so fun and a great option for when you don’t want to paint next to the mouth, but you still want to get the WOW of a full-face design. And it only takes two colors!!
a girl with a monkey face paint desing
Kids love to monkey around, but sometimes the request for monkey face paint can be hard to execute well. This monkey tutorial will teach you a cute, fun, and recognizable way to paint a monkey that can be girly or not.
Cute Panda Step by Step Tutorial
Tip: Want to add a panda to the designs you are proud to paint? In this easy step-by-step, we’ll show you how to paint a simple yet effective panda cub design, specifically made to look extra cute!

 

 

 

 

six girls wearing different bunny face paintings

Some animals are more seasonal, but oh-so-popular in their season! These Easter bunnies are perfect for springtime. If it’s fall, check out our guide of turkey Thanksgiving day face painting designs that are sure to please!

a girl with a cat face paint design on her face
Tip: If you’re painting for Easter, you’ll want to check out this super fun Colorful Spring Bunny Step-by-Step by Shawna Fae Thomas.

 

 

A zoo of popular animal face paint design videos:

Giraffe face paint by Radiant Art Inspirations
Snake Eye face paint by Lisa Joy Young
Panda face paint by Radiant Art Inspirations
Zebra face paint by Laura Pennock
Wolf face paint by Radiant Art Inspirations
Elephant face paint by Laura Pennock
Fox face paint by Marta Ortega

5. Face Painting For Kids Party

While you’re sure to have unicorn, mermaid, superhero, and dinosaur themed parties, there are other characters that are sure to come up. Kids are loud about what they love, and we’re listening! Here are face painting designs that are geared towards their favorite themes.

a. Frozen face paint

From the first time we heard “Let It Go”, Elsa captured the hearts of little girls, and she’s not going anywhere. Choose some designs that you can mix and match with because once you’ve painted an Elsa crown, every girl will want one!

a woman and five children wearing different ice princess face paint designs

 

 

Tip: Want to know how to create stunning designs like these? Kristin Olsson explains her creative process in her Arctic Ice Princess Face Paint Step-by-Step.

girl with a ice princess face paint on her

 

Tip: With a bit of practice and this helpful step-by-step, you can paint this “Frozen” Elsa Face Paint by Elodie Ternois of the Ice Queen herself!

smiling woman looking at the camera. she has elsa from frozen painted on her forehead

Want even more Elsa themed party face paint ideas? Our 2022 Christmas face painting ideas post has several Olaf designs and even more styles of Elsa crowns!

 

b. Pokemon face paint

Pokemon doesn’t seem to be going out of style any time soon, and knowing some characters like the beloved yellow Pikachu will come in handy for any event. If you’re doing a themed party, adding a few more characters to your board is a great idea too! And if you need something quick, a poke-ball can be a whole design when you dress it up with some stenciled background, linework, or lightning!

a woman and five children wearing different pokemon face paint designs

 

 

More Pokemon face paint tutorials on Youtube:

Pikachu face paint by Ashlea Henson
Goldeen Pokemon face paint by Lisa Joy Young
Charizard by Linnéa Önnerby Novak

 

c. Minecraft and Among Us face paint (Computer Games)

A popular face paint with both boys and girls, these simple figures are an easy favorite. Dress it up with stencils, explosions, or even girly bows (no judgments here!). You can quickly turn these blocky characters into a full design!

four boys wearing video game face paints - three from minecraft and one from amongus

 

d. My Little Pony face paint

Thanks to the ever-popular unicorn, you’re more than halfway there on these popular characters! Learn the right color placement for these ponies (and who has a horn!), and you’ll have this theme in the bag before you know it.

six different cartoon pony face painting designs on five girls and one woman

a woman and three girls with adorable my little pony face paint designs

Look at how any character (this one’s Rainbow Dash) can be scaled down to an eye design or made into a crown, mask, or full face option!

 

e. Transformer face paint

Face painters all over the world have come up with some really great ways to tackle these tricky guys so that you don’t have to panic when the request comes. Stencils can come in hand, but aren’t necessary.

four children with a transformers face paintings on them

 

The best part of these themed party face paint designs is that they’re not only good for birthday parties. When you get a special request for one of these and can paint it on-the-spot, you’re sure to amaze and delight. And who knows, maybe that delighted parent will be booking you for a themed party soon. ;-)

 

6. Halloween face paint ideas for kids

Is it that time of year already? You’ll be getting requests for these Halloween face paint designs well before the big day and likely all year long!

Halloween is a time when people of all ages want to get in on the face painting fun, so we’ve broken Halloween into two categories, one for kids and another for adults! You’ll find a lot of the same costume ideas, but the designs are very different.

a. Skulls

A skull may be one of the first face paint designs you do as a beginner because of how popular they are for costumes!

It helps to understand bone structure a little to figure out where to place shadows and highlights. Don’t be afraid to look up a real skull while you’re figuring it out. We’ve got some tutorials here to help you get it right!

six children wearing different skull face paint designs

Tip: Take your Skull to another level by adding some bleeding stitches like Kristin Olsson explains in this fabulous Halloween Skull Face Paint Mask Tutorial.

four children wearing different horror face paint designs

Dress up your skull face paint with this tutorial for Kristin Olsson’s flaming Halloween Skeleton Face Paint.

Tip: Find really helpful explanations and diagramming of how focal point theory applies to skulls in Elodie Ternois’ Dead Easy Skeleton Face Paint Tutorial.

a girl with a frouning skull face paint design

Here are more creative adaptations including some beautiful sugar skulls. For more sugar skull ideas, check the Halloween face paint for adults section below!

four children wearing different halloween skull face paint designs

 

 

b. Witch

Witch face painting pairs nicely with spiderwebs and bats, but there are so many adaptations you can make! Just like flower crowns make good fairy face paint, cobweb crowns make great witch face paint.

four girls wearing creepy witch face paintings on them

an image of six children wearing different halloween themed face paintings

 

 

More witch face paint for kids on Youtube:

Cobweb Queen face painting by Ashlea Henson
Wicked Witch & black cat by Laura Pennock

c. Vampire

Pale skin and fangs. Sounds easy right? But with poor application, vampire face paint can end up looking chalky instead of creepy.

Using a face painting powder (like Starblends) or a glycerin based paint (like Superstar) can create a more blendable base for smooth coverage that’s comfortable to wear.

Or skip the white base all together and try one of these other vampire face paint designs!

five children and a woman wearing different dracula face painting designs on their faces

Tip: It’s possible to paint a nice Vampire without painting a whole face green or grey! Check out Annabel Hoogeveen’s Not Your Average Halloween Vampire Face Paint step-by-step.

 

d. Zombie

Zombies are all the rage lately. Zombie face paint is a great, popular design for boys and teens and adults.

If you want to go above and beyond, do a mashup with another popular design. We’ve got examples for a zombie unicorn, dog, and fairy, but maybe you’ll be the first to do a zombie Spiderman or zombie mermaid.

four children and two women wearing different cute and scary halloween face painting designs

 

 

Tip: Want to zombify other characters and animals? Elodie Ternois explains how in her Zombie Unicorn Face Paint Tutorial.

 

e. Other Halloween face paint ideas for kids

For smaller Halloween designs that are still eye-catching, check out these bats and spiders. Black cats also make a great face paint for Halloween!

a boy and a girl with a bat face painting and two boys with spider face paintings

Want to apply the shapes you mastered with your skull to even more designs? Why not try out a Jack-o-lantern or Joker face paint?

four children wearing different horror face paint designs

Tip: If you don’t like painting scary designs, you’re not alone. Check out this Fast and Easy Halloween Pumpkin Face Paint by Annabel Hoogeveen for a cool Halloween option that isn’t creepy.

young boy looking at the camera with a pumpkin face paint on face

 

 

More Halloween kids face paint ideas YouTube tutorials:

Claw wounds by Sophie’s Tipps
Pumpkin Mask one-stroke by Radiant Art Inspirations
Pirate face paint by Ashlea Henson
Frankenstein face paint by Ashlea Henson
Halloween Unicorn by Radiant Art Inspirations

a banner with a caption "Hallowwen Face paint - Ideas Guide"
Did you know we have a guide completely devoted to Halloween face painting?? Find hundreds more design ideas in our Ultimate Halloween Inspiration Guide!

7. Halloween face painting ideas for adults

While all of these face painting ideas are good, when choosing designs for adults we were very particular to choose the best costume face paint ideas!

Here are scary designs, sexy designs, and even pretty designs, but any of these face paint ideas are sure to be the best Halloween costume your friends have ever seen!

a. Skull face paint

Because adults do better with longer painting sessions, the designs can be so much more intricate and detailed! Check out how realistic these skull face paint designs can get.

six people wearing amazing skull face paintings

four people wearing creepty and realistic skull face paint designs

 

 

b. Sugar Skull face paint

Sugar Skulls are a symbol of Día de los Muertos which takes place on November 1st and 2nd and is to honor deceased loved ones, but the look is so beautiful that many women (and men!) request this style for Halloween as well.

four women wearing fabolous sugar skull face paint designs

a man and five women wearing different sugar skull face paintings

 

 

Tip: You can make a beautiful sugar skull with just sponging and linework like this stunning Sugar Skull Face Paint step-by-step by Elodie Ternois.

a woman looking at the camera with a sugar skull face painting on her

Tip: Having trouble with the symmetry? Any of these can be adapted to a lovely half-face design, but why not check out these 7 Steps for Symmetrical Face Painting Designs? The right tricks can make all the difference.

 

c. Sexy Vampire or Witch face paint

Whether you’re going for sexy or creepy, you can achieve your look with a vampire or witch. These two costumes are very popular with women at Halloween, and these face paint designs are the perfect makeup to finish off the look.

four women wearing different scary face painting designs

six women wearing various creepy halloween face paint designs

 

 

d. Zombie face paint ideas

Pop culture has taken zombies in every direction from funny to terrifying. Whatever type of look you want, face paint can achieve it.

The comic bright colors in Red Doll’s design are so different from Nick Wolfe’s realistic style, but we’re here for it all!

four different halloween face paint ideas for adults

Tip: You’ll be surprised by how easy this Halloween Zombie Face Paint by Elodie Ternois is when you see the step-by-step!

four images of creepy halloween face paints from different horrom genres.

 

 

e. Special FX face paint ideas

Want to take your Halloween options to the next level? We’ve got lots of tips and tutorials for how to make incredibly realistic wounds and bruises face paint and Special FX designs! Watch the videos to see just how achievable these looks are. If you offer good SFX, the clients will come.

four women wearing different horror themed face paintings

four images of amazing realistic face paintnings of injuries

 

 

f. Other Halloween adult face painting ideas

Halloween is a time where you can dress up like your favorite characters and be someone else for the night. Whether you need the finishing touches on the best Joker costume or you want to win the work costume contest with terminator face paint, these designs are sure to make you the talk of any party.

four women and two men with different joker, terminator and clown face paint designs

 

 

 

Tip: Iconic characters like the Joker have different looks over time. This Old vs New Joker tutorial by Elodie Ternois shows how to adapt the design to whichever you prefer.

two guys having different batman's joker face paints on them. the first one is inspired by Jack Nicholson and the other is inspired by Joaquin Phoenix.

Other Adult Halloween face painting ideas from Youtube:

Evil Clown Halloween Makeup by Ashlea Henson
Joker face paint by Ashlea Henson
Beetlejuice face paint by Radiant Art Inspirations
Glitter Pennywise IT face paint by Ashlea Henson
Harley Quinn face paint by Lisa Joy Young

 

8. Christmas face painting ideas

Christmas markets and parties are a fantastic gig for face painters and can be a busy time. It’s important to have some special Christmas themed designs ready for this time of year.

Luckily for you we have the best of the bunch right here.

a. Snowman Face Paints

Even if Christmas isn’t snowy where you are, Christmas and Snowmen go hand in hand. Here are some of our favorite Snowman Face Paints:

three women and three children with different christmas face paintings done on their faces

Tip: Learn Kristin Olsson’s Super Quick Snowman Face Paint and get tips for how to WOW with fast cheek art!

a smiling boy with a snowman face paint design on the left side of his face

b. Reindeer Face Paints

Reindeer Face Paints are super popular at Christmas time as well as being some of the cutest face paints you’ll do!

Whether it’s Reindeer or Rudolf Face Paints, the base design is the same. But if you ask us that little red nose is the cherry on top!

four children with reindeer face paint designs

Follow along with this Cute and Easy Reindeer Face Paint Tutorial by Kristin Olsson.

a woman looking at the camera with a cute reindeer face paint design

c. Grinch Face Paints

Are you team naughty or nice? The Grinch is an iconic and popular Christmas face paint. With or without a Santa hat adds lots of options to this fantastic design you must have on your menu board!

four images of a grinch face paint. each is done in different sizes

We love this quick and easy Grinch design by SchminkenGrime:

 

d. Santa Face Paint

Of course it isn’t Christmas for kids without Santa! Check out these adorable Mr Claus designs:

four children with santa clause face paint designs

To create a cute Santa from a different perspective, check out Annabel Hoogeveen’s Super Santa Face Paint Tutorial.

a boy with a santa clause face painting around his eyes

e. Festive Face Paints

There are so many other ways to embrace Christmas in your face painting. We love these Christmas lights, candy canes, baubles and gingerbread men designs.

two women and two children with different christmas linework face painting designs

Tip: You can use the butterfly shape to create beautiful Christmas designs like these Three Magical Christmas step-by-steps by Annabel Hoogeveen.

a banner with a girl wearing three different face paintings with a caption "Three Magical Christmas Step-by-Steps"

These aren’t even half the ideas from our Christmas designs face painting guide, be sure to check out the whole thing if you want to see Holly berries, poinsettias and more! Plus loads more Christmas face paint YouTube tutorials!! You won’t be disappointed.

4th of July face painting ideas

Face painting is a delightful way to add some extra fun to your 4th of July celebrations. Whether you’re painting for a community event, private party, family gathering, or just for fun, these designs are sure to bring smiles and patriotic pride to everyone involved.

For our face painters in the US, this is likely a key busy period and Pay Per Face (PPF) opportunities can be very lucrative. For this reason, we’ve sourced some of the best line busters and easy face painting 4th of July style to help keep that line moving!

a. American Flag Face Painting

We love these red, white and blue flag inspired designs for 4th of July celebrations:

4th-july-face-paint-American-Flag-Quick2-1

Learn how to create a quick and effective stars and stripes design with this great tutorial from Vivid Glitter:

 

b. Fireworks Face Paint

These firework designs are sure to set off your 4th of July celebrations:

4th-july-face-paint-Fireworks-Quick

4th-july-face-paint-Fireworks-Quick2

Unsure how to make those fireworks pop? Check out this great tutorial for a step by step guide on color combos and placement:

 

c. Eagle Face Paint

Can you get more patriotic than the Eagle?

4th-july-face-paint-Eagle-Quick

4th-july-face-paint-Eagle-Quick2

Overwhelmed by the iconic eagle? We don’t blame you! These magnificent birds are not the easiest to paint.

Luckily, Shawna Del Real has put together this awesome tutorial to help you out:

 

d. Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty Face Paints

Of course there’s the iconic Uncle Sam:

th-july-face-paint-Uncle-Sam

We love these fantastic designs that pay homage to the iconic Lady Liberty.

4th-july-face-paint-Statue-of-Liberty

Learn how to recreate this fantastic Statue of Liberty Face Paint with this tutorial:

 

These are just a handful of the 130+ designs in our comprehensive and organized guide Face Painting 4th of July Guide For Explosive Designs.

 

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Did you enjoy this guide? Hit “SHARE” and let your fellow face painters know about it!

 

Feeling inspired by these designs? Share the bounty with your favorite friend to face paint with!

Did we miss something? Tell us what designs you want to see more of in the comments. We’re working on more guides like this one, and we’d love to provide what you’re looking for!

 — Lela Trock, Olga Murasev

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