The first year of the International Face Paint School has come to a close. Brushes down, the scores are in! What an exciting year it’s been! The work and improvement in our first group of students is all the proof we need that we are definitely on to something special here. It truly makes us feel like proud parents to look at the before and after photos of our student’s work and see the leaps and bounds they’ve made. You can literally see the difference in their confidence level through their work.
Take a peek at our previous article “The School is Turning One!” to see just what we accomplished in our first year, and what the future holds!
It makes us so excited to know that we are helping to empower so many artists to take control of their future and achieve business ownership and independence! Let us show you just what we mean. We’ve highlighted 5 amazing students from our first year to inspire you and show you just what you can achieve with the School when you choose to learn how to be a face painter.
Meet the All-Stars
These students have really impressed us with their dedication and blossoming talent. We are so excited to show off some of our “kids”! 🐣
Kristin Sletten Olufsen
~ Drammen, Norway ~
Kristin is a 45 year old wife and mother to her 8 year old daughter Ingrid. She comes to us from Drammen, Norway. She began face painting part time in 2014 while working full time as a laboratory engineer.
What was your reason for enrolling in the School?
I was starting to lose my motivation to paint. I was frustrated because I wasn’t seeing any improvement in my designs. In Norway there aren’t any face painting courses for experienced painters. I’ve always been fascinated by Olga’s wonderful designs!!! When I discovered that I could get personal feedback from her, I just had to give it a go! It was just what I needed at that time, and it still motivates me! 😊
How has your life changed since enrolling in the school?
I’ve quit my job as a laboratory engineer! I’ve now got a smaller job position in another firm, and I’m now painting for 60% of my working income. I have my own business Rettenogsletten Ansiktsmaling where I do parties for kindergartens and also private clients. I paint at birthday parties and in shopping malls as well. In addition to this, I’ve landed the best paint job there is; I get to paint children at hospitals here in Norway. 😁 It’s a really meaningful job! Olga’s course was an important investment, and I will continue to use her guidelines on my way forward. 😍
What did you gain from enrolling in the school that you were not expecting?
Oh, I’ve learned so much! I never thought that I would be able to make my own designs! I really did not expect that the course would be as detailed as it is, and the feedback from Olga is so exceptional! She has a way of making me believe in myself that I didn’t have before. 😊
Another thing that I did not expect, was that I suddenly gained an interest in drawing. I’ve actually bought two books on how to learn to draw and also purchased a pencil kit.
Dottie Kastl
~ Goldendale, Washington, USA ~
Dottie comes to us from Goldendale, Washington in the United States. She is 64 years old…proof that you are NEVER too old to learn something new and start a new career! Dottie had zero experience in face painting before enrolling in the School!
What made you decide to enroll in the School?
We have a community event here in Goldendale, which we vend at. A little girl came by our booth painted as a cute pink leopard and I was just fascinated with it. Then shortly after that, I saw Olga’s Facebook ad for the school and I was hooked. 😊
Do you feel your designs have shown significant improvement since you first began your course?
Absolutely!!! I had sketched and painted wooden signs, and also I’m a bench jeweler, but never face painting… what a difference! I had to do a total 180 and get my stubborn brain to understand what Olga was teaching. The first things I painted were awful, I’d say the first butterfly was purple mud and I was happy with it!!! 😂
How has your life changed professionally since you first started the course?
Oh my gosh, I am so astounded at the important information Olga has taught, which will give me the confidence to answer parents’ questions and also to know when not to paint a child. My husband and I love kids, so we’ve combined his balloon art and my face painting into one business. We are already booked for three upcoming events this year, one being our fair and rodeo, our church camp, and our Community Days event. Oh and we’re also Mr. & Mrs. Claus and already booked for two events! So you can see that face painting has opened doors for us that we’ll greatly enjoy.
I must thank Olga for this excellent program, she’s an outstanding and kind teacher. Without her, my husband and I would not have been able to share our dream of making these young people happy! 😊
Caroline Weirauch
~ Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany ~
Caroline is a 32 year old resident of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany with a passion for learning. Prior to enrolling in the School, she had only one year of experience face painting! Now her business, Kinderschminken Traumzauber is taking off!
How have your skills and your business been transformed by your experience in the School?
I was able to improve my skills extremely fast in no time. I had a hard time painting unicorns, butterflies, tigers and one stroke roses. Now… these are my favorite designs, especially different species of wild cats.
Now I feel much more comfortable on the job because I learned so many techniques from Olga. I learned all about focal points and how I arrange elements nicely on the face. I also learned all the techniques to create my own designs and I am now absolutely in a position to fulfill the craziest design wishes in the shortest possible time! This is the reason I no longer use design templates. I love being able to be creative on the job!
What did you gain from participating in the school that you did not expect?
I did not expect the huge amount of expertise. At the beginning I was not sure what to expect. Now, I’m 80% finished with the Course and I cannot believe how many techniques and designs I have learned already — and I’m not even done! 😉
How has your life changed since you began your courses in the School?
My life is very busy now and I love it!!! I got so many new clients because they see how I am able to paint so many beautiful designs. They love my professional set up and they feel my passion!
Brianna Gunn
~ Perth, Western Australia ~
Brianna is 35 year old Aussie artist from Perth, Western Australia. She had only 2 years experience face painting prior to the School. She and her husband just opened a natural medicine clinic in the midst of her schooling, so you can imagine how hectic her schedule has been!
Why did you choose to enroll in the School?
I enrolled because I felt that I’d come as far as I could on my own and learning from YouTube (tutorials). I felt that to take the next step, I needed expert help.
During the course, I learned about color choice and design placement. Plus loads of little tips and improvements — turns out I wasn’t even using my brush correctly! My designs are much more advanced and impressive. They pop a lot more!
How has your career and life changed since the School?
My life is completely different to how it was when I enrolled in Feb 2017. My husband and I decided to pursue our long term goal of opening our own Natural Medicine Clinic and after only 3 months into the course we found our perfect premises and prepared for opening to clients on the 1st of July. So I managed to fit in my studies with Olga and launch a new business all while homeschooling my 2 young sons. There was certainly a lot going on and Olga’s standard is high, she’ll keep helping you to learn and improve until you master the task. I really felt like she saw my potential and kept having faith that I could do it.
I didn’t expect it to be easy, but the detail of the course and the standard that Olga held me to was incredible. The gift of seeing through her eyes and critiquing my designs with her guidance was invaluable to me.
What are your plans for your face painting business?
I’m not sure what my future plans are for face painting. I still paint professionally each month and said yes to a lot more work over the Christmas period which is a great boost financially at an expensive time of year. I like painting, I like using a different hemisphere of my brain. It’s definitely something that I plan to keep in my life.
Elodie Biségna Ternois
~ Paris, France ~
Last but not least, we have 29 year old Elodie of France. Elodie went through her first pregnancy during her schooling, developing a previously undiscovered talent for belly painting… on herself! She submitted her final exam entry on January 9 and just a few hours later went into labor! Her sweet baby Molly was born January 10, and Elodie also officially earned her diploma the same day!
Why did you choose the International Face Paint School?
It’s been 4 years since I first began face painting. I first learned some basic skills during my training at the professional makeup school Jean-Pierre Fleurimon in Paris. It was after this training that I joined the face painting team at Disneyland Paris. That’s how my love for face painting started!
I discovered the work of artist Olga Murasev via her videos on YouTube and I immediately loved her art and clean designs. It was on Facebook that I learned that Olga had created a school. I didn’t hesitate a single second! I wanted to learn her art and her techniques especially those of the one stroke. I wanted to improve upon the Disney style, and especially improve my style!
What did you gain from your enrollment in the School?
What I gained by doing school… I would say everything! This training is, for me, the Bible of face painting. We learn a lot of things that can not be found anywhere else. Olga gives us valuable advice that motivates us to move forward. I was surprised to have a lot of creativity and to succeed in painting complex designs like tigers and superheroes. In this training, I was sometimes really overwhelmed but I gave a lot of energy towards my success. And now, I emerge that much more grown up!
What are your plans for the future of your business?
Currently I don’t have my own business (my artist handle is Lodie Up Face Painter). I am still at Disney, but I will soon retire to start a new adventure. It’s time for me to fly on my own! With the school, my face painting has evolved so much. My designs have become harmonious, the composition is more balanced and my features are finer and mastered. I have purchased insurance, I am much better organized, and I have far more confidence in my art.
When I learned that I was pregnant, I was overjoyed at the thought of being a mother. I was also excited at the thought of being able to do belly painting on myself. It was very difficult at first, painting your own belly in a mirror is not an easy task! But, I stepped up to the challenge and learned how to properly balance my hand and keep my design properly leveled, thanks to Olga and the courses in the School. It was a beautiful experience both for me and for my baby as I felt her move under my brush strokes.
I have a thousand plans in my mind! I would like to officially create my own business and specialize in belly painting (during my pregnancy I made more than a dozen on my own belly). I would also like to publish a French book on the art of face painting because there is very little provided on the subject.
And, of course, the project I am most proud of that I’m currently training for, is to join the International Face Paint School as an instructor!
Student Before and After Mini-gallery
We have so many amazingly talented students that we are so very proud of! It was terribly difficult to narrow it down to just a handful, and we want you to know how very proud we are of the astonishing accomplishments you all are achieving! Here are a few more remarkable before and after photos from some of our students from all over the world! 💖
More achievements of our students
The great self-confidence that our students gain from the miraculous increase in their skills gives them the push to not only excel on the job, in their businesses, but to truly put themselves out there professionally to gain notoriety and face paint fame! You all are truly making waves in the face painting community, and people are noticing! Just take a look! The sky is the limit!
Graduate and now a certified School instructor Kristin Olsson also made it to the cover of the WetPaint magazine with the artwork she submitted for her final exam at the School. 😍
Don’t Limit Your Future!
We are so very proud of each and every one of our students and the amazing progress that is being attained by you all. There are so much talent and potential in our students and we absolutely cannot wait to let you loose on the world to make your colorful mark! Dream big! The world is your canvas and you hold the brush that unlocks your future.
Are you ready to take that leap of faith? What are you waiting for? It’s time to start a new chapter in your life.
This is a call to action! Whether you, like Brianna have experience but feel you’ve learned all you can on your own… or you’re a Dottie and have absolutely no experience with face painting, but you know it’s for you! There are a multitude of options available to you,
👉 your future is literally a click away.
