See the magic in our students’ transformations’

It’s our pleasure to introduce Natalie Ting, graduate of our Professional Course in 2023.‍

Natalie is an incredible artist who’s growth as an artist in just one year has been phenomenal. She has become a successful business owner and respected face painter in Melbourne, known for her quality designs and professionalism.

Natalie always had a passion for art, but it wasn't until discovering the world of face painting that she truly found her calling. She received her first basic kit in April 2023 and her first paid gig was the start of August 2023 (choosing to wait until her standard of work was high before charging.)

“I have had a paint brush in my hand my whole life but I have never had so much satisfaction or felt as much joy as I do when I am face painting. It’s like I enter another world and anything that is wrong with the world disappears when I’m with those kids and spreading happiness. It truly is the best job in the world and I’m so glad Face Painting found me!!”

Having followed Olga’s work for some time, she enrolled in our course with the goal of learning to paint high-quality thoughtfully detailed, and composed designs whilst building a business that provides a high-quality professional service, prioritizing health safety, and inclusiveness.

“As soon as I realised there was a course I could do that was designed by Olga and I would even get feedback from her, I knew I had to do it.”

Before finding the course, Natalie watched lots of YouTube tutorials, joined face painting groups online, and took inspiration from Instagram. Whilst she could recreate designs she saw, she still didn’t know how to create her own designs and style, didn’t understand the different types of products and paints and when to use them, and didn’t understand focal points and negative space. The piecemeal information she was finding on other channels wasn’t comprehensive and organized enough for Natalie to excel and achieve her business goals.

“When I started to feel like I could offer face painting to the public and wanted to be paid for it, I needed to make sure that I was providing a top-quality professional service. I realised that without any regulations in the industry, it was up to me to make sure I had the education and training to achieve my objectives.”

Through her dedicated practice and with our expert guidance, Natalie rapidly developed her skills, mastering color theory, design composition, and the art of creating unforgettable experiences for her clients. Our course equipped her with the confidence and knowledge to stand out in a competitive market.

“After completing it and as my skills have improved, the foundations that were laid down during the course have allowed me to build up my skill base and I have a better understanding of a lot of what goes into creating and executing good face painting thanks to the course.”

Today, Natalie’s a thriving face painter, known for her attention to detail, high-quality designs, creativity, and ability to connect with children of all ages. Her business has flourished, and she attributes much of her success to the comprehensive training and support she received from our School as well as her commitment to improvement and dedication to succeeding as a Professional Face Painter.

“Face painting has actually given 100% back to me too. I think this is why it is so important to me. Being a mum of two little ones, it has been so rewarding to have something that is for me. I love that I can practice from home while looking after my youngest and then work at the weekend when my husband is home to look after them both. I appreciate I am incredibly lucky that I can do this.”

Not only is she getting more bookings but she’s charging more for her time. After completing the course she increased her hourly rate by 20% from A$100 to A$120 per hour and has since increased it further.

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Natalie also now has the confidence to back herself at Pay Per Face events charging a higher than average rate of A$20 per design (30-50% more than other painters in her region) because she provides such high-quality designs and also a full experience in her chair, choosing not to opt in to cheaper speed painting situations.

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Having secured an exclusive face painting spot at a very busy monthly market outside of Melbourne, Natalie invested in a full market set up and it’s paying dividends. Having been recommend for the spot by another local face painter, it shows that getting to know other painters in your area is another great way to build your business.

“One experienced painter in Melbourne has been particularly influential to me, gives me loads of business advice and has been so generous with her time. It has been so nice to be so warmly welcomed into the Melbourne face painting community.”

As well as her success at the market, Natalie is loved at private parties and events where she’s getting noticed for her high quality designs and rapport with kids (being a school teacher herself is a big help).

“Hearing ‘wow, that’s the best [mermaid/unicorn/tiger] design I’ve seen’ is incredibly rewarding. Client feedback, like being praised for attention to detail and creating a special experience, especially for young children, is priceless. The ultimate compliment is when other face painters seek my guidance, asking me to teach them. It's humbling and gratifying to have my hard work recognised in this way.”

Natalie’s success is down to her hard work and focus that led her to achieve her goals of becoming a successful Professional Face Painter. She researched who to learn from, and took the information she was given and put the effort in daily to succeeding in her mission.

“Education is the single most important investment you can make in yourself. Whatever business you are in and wherever you are in your life. Knowledge takes time and dedication and skill doesn’t just fall in your lap, it’s important that you invest in yourself.

The IFPS course is a fantastic resource and opportunity to learn about the face painting industry and develop your skills.”

And when it comes to building your business, Natalie’s main advice is “take it seriously”. We work in a largely unregulated industry with no minimum standards of service in many countries. But if we expect to represent ourselves and our industry in the best way we need to “do our due diligence in health, safety, hygiene and service and as a collective profession, we should be trying to pull ourselves and each other up.”

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Natalie also recommends connecting with local face painters that you can learn from in person, doing your research on who to learn from, continue to seek professional growth opportunities, and most importantly put in the hard work!

“You will never regret investing in learning but you may regret not doing it.”

You can see more of Natalie’s work and follow her continued journey as an International Face Painting School Graduate at the following places:

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www.squigglesmelbourne.com.au‍

www.facebook.com/SquigglesMelbourne

www.instagram.com/squigglesmelbourne

Ana started face painting in 2016 after being asked to face paint at her daughter’s school.

“When I first joined the School I was just looking to learn the tips and tricks of the art, never imagining it would become something big in my life!”

Before joining the school Ana found most of her inspiration on YouTube as well as a couple of small online tutorials she bought. But she was struggling to find the right materials and instruments and as a result finding it difficult to get close to the designs she was seeing online.

“The biggest difference I found with the School was the quality of each subject, the resources and the guiding hand of our instructors. Learning skills like how to use the focal points in the face, made a huge difference to my designs.”

After completing the Elite course, Ana not only saw increased bookings, repeat customers and awesome reviews, she found confidence in herself. Going from dreading answering enquires and attending gigs to enjoying every minute of an event.

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Starting face painting as a hobby is common to a number of face painters, helping out at a child’s school or community event. And it’s also common to have insecurities and self doubt in our talents, especially if we haven’t undertaken any training. For Ana María these insecurities stopped her from pushing herself and as a result she didn’t realize how much she actually loved to paint - the stress and doubt getting in the way.

“Looking back now, face painting was at first a hobby. I was so insecure and not putting enough effort in. I wasn't realizing how much I was loving it, how much my life and my income was going to change. Now I know, I'm a professional Face Painter and I can feel proud of what I became.”

Other than business growth, a couple of big mentionable successes for Ana María was getting to face paint Felipe Fernández del Paso, who is known for his set designs for film classics such as "Desperado", "From Dusk Till Dawn" and Oscar nominated "Frida". And a recent moment of pure joy, to receive a huge round of applause at an event from the appreciative guests. What a wonderful moment of appreciation!

"It's been amazing how the course helped me grow in the last 4 years, I'm feeling more happy and confident. At the beginning I was dreading every call and every time I went face painting. Now I enjoy every minute of it. And just yesterday I received an ovation at a big event. It's nice to get this kind of recognition!”

Ana recognizes the importance of having a community of face painters around you (both in person and online). Connecting with your local community can lead to new prospects as well as a sense of community. Through her growth in the course and understanding all of the basics needed to become a Professional Face Painter, Ana María has been able to train up another local face painter and bring her in to her team as a second painter in her business.

From an insecure hobby painter to training and hiring her partner, the growth in her self and her business has been huge. Way to go Ana!

And her advice for new face painters?

“Keep going, you're unique and you have your own art different than the others, just look for inspiration from other artist and do it your own way. Learn every technique and choose the one you love most and spend time improving it (for example some like to do swirls, others like me, love working with split cakes). And last but not least, be humble but still be proud of yourself!”

You can find out more about Ana María on her website: https://www.tukituki.ch/

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Klara first experimented with face painting at her cousins birthday with a small palette and a couple of brushes. She was then asked to accompany another face painter at an event but felt so disheartened by the difference in skill compared to the other face painter that feeling frustrated she stopped painting for almost 10 years! 😞

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Thankfully Klara picked up the brushes again in 2016 and started investing time in practicing and growing her skills. She took inspiration from photos on the internet and took a small course locally. As her skills improved she started to promote herself on Facebook and got some bookings as a result.

Klara had been face painting for around ten years when she came across the International Face Painting School’s Professional Course.

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Whilst already an experienced painter, Klara was struggling with elevating her designs to the level she was seeing online. Specifically she struggled with the placement of designs on the face and producing consistent and quality line work.

“ I had completed some small courses locally and I wanted to improve myself further. Despite the previous courses, even copying a design from others was sometimes very difficult. It never fulfilled my expectations!! So I found IFPS.  And yes, I wish I had found IFPS 10 years ago!“

Starting the course Klara wanted to be able to create her own designs instead of being a copycat. One of her goals was to be more confident at face painting and to be able to take the risks to create real art of her own.

“When I compare my own work now, with the designs I did before the course, the improvement is huge and I am proud of my achievements.”

Starting the course Klara soon realized there were a lot of fundamentals in face painting that she hadn’t learned despite having been painting for so long. An example being she was using glycerin based face paint for her line work and as soon as she switched to wax-based paints she saw an instant improvement and was soon achieving those crisp lines she admired online.

The clear instructional videos where a huge help throughout the course along with another huge eye-opener, how to use focal points in face painting!

“Immediately my design placement and lines were better. I learned how a design was built up, so examples from the internet weren't that hard any more. And of course developing your own designs. And I started practicing seriously!!”

The biggest success for Klara since completing the course is that she is now able to accept bookings with complete confidence and of course she has been able to increase her rates since she’s increased her skills.

“Before the course I was able to get by at a gig. But now I am confident and proud of what I can do, and the most important part is the joy I have when I’m face painting.”

“The most rewarding benefit from completing the Professional Course is that I now know what I am capable of, I am confident while painting, more relaxed during gigs and no longer just a copycat. I am not afraid of long lines any more, I know what designs I have to bring to a busy event. “

And Klara’s advice for new face painters:

“Don’t wait, learn from the best and book onto a course with the International Face Painting School! You won’t regret it.”

You can follow Klara’s work online at:

https://www.facebook.com/KinderschminkKampen

https://www.instagram.com/kinderschminkkampen

Scroll through images of a unicorn or Disney-inspired face paints will pull up not only images of adorable little creatures painted by Elodie, but also a slew of Elodie-inspired designs by other artists! Her cutie-pie designs are some of the favorite inspirations for professional face painters, and it’s no secret why.

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But how did Elodie become LodieUp? It started with a childhood dream to work at Disneyland Paris. During an internship there whilst studying she discovered face painting. She saw the face painters and it just clicked.

“Everything I loved: colors, glitter, makeup, drawing, and all things Disney all in one job! Wow! In order to qualify as a Disneyland face painter, we had to attend makeup school, so I enrolled in 2013. One year later I joined the team as a park face painter!!!”

In 2016, Elodie was contracted to China to train Disney face painters there and after a busy 4 months she made the decision to seek outside training to widen her repertoire and have a chance to find her own style rather than the more restrictive Disney style.

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After searching for options she found the Professional Course at the International Face Painting School.

“OMG! I was scared at the start of the online training, especially in practice. I told myself that I had nothing to lose, so I signed up!”

But within 2 short years Elodie had graduated from both the Professional and Elite courses and set up her own business that today is hugely successful. She later became an Instructor at IFPS and continues to be an important part of the team.

“I honestly never even thought of being a school instructor, or an instructor at all! Olga asked me, it was very natural, and of course, I said yes. She personally trained me to be an instructor for the School. I have learned a lot and I continue to learn every day! It is a difficult role, but so enriching!”

Some of the most helpful elements from the education through the School are similar to that of other graduates. Learning the essentials of hygiene and safety then focal points and placements! But also important for Elodie was being taught how to persist in your endeavors and be kind to yourself!

What did she find most helpful about her learning with the School?

“I would say first because it’s SO essential: hygiene, safety, and the basics! Second, persistence and being nice to yourself! Third, focal points and placements!”

Elodie’s advice to other students comes from her own experiences as an instructor in the School.

“For all students, those to come, and all those who are currently face painters: please, stay nice to yourself and be patient! I see too many people bashing and saying they suck! No, nobody is incompetent! Learning is sometimes frustrating because to succeed in a technique, you have to tame it. You have to go through testing. Looking for and going through the discomfort phase and then arrive at the desired result!

It is completely normal not to succeed the first time and it does not matter! All the greatest artists never succeeded immediately. They all have a lot of work, doubt, failure, and perseverance… but never give up, you too will get there! Compliment yourself! Each advance is a small victory on your course.”

Elodie has had huge success since graduating from the School with her own line of essential glitter balms and face painting palettes, teaching courses of her own and continuing to support our IFPS community.

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Elodie shares her top 3 tips for new painters:

1- Having the right professional equipment – I think it is essential to start the job in very good conditions, your equipment and tools do at least 50% of the job!

2- Copy a design from a favorite artist (if you post the design on social networks, never forget to tag the person. It’s a golden rule that will save you a lot of problems. It’s one of the best ways to learn and work on your creativity.

3- PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!

To follow Elodie online you can check out her Instagram:

‍https://www.instagram.com/lodieup.facepainter/

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Helene is a talented face and body painter from Denmark who joined the School in 2018 approximately 8 years into her face painting career. Helene started face painting professionally in 2010 after winning a YouTube competition by Lisa Joy Young, with the prize being a 12 color Diamond FX palette. From there her career was born.

“I have always been creative and discovering face painting I had the chance to share my art and talent with a whole community of likeminded creative people and the rest of the world. It was a no brainer to start my own business which funds my art and keep me on my toes always developing my skills.”

Whilst Helene was already an accomplished artist when she joined the School, she was looking for more improvement in her work. Specifically she wanted to gain more knowledge about placement, color theory and to become more confident in her own work.

“I was struggling with color combos and placement and was interested in the complete study based on tested and tried theory and practices ending in a certification from the School.”

While already an established face painter before taking the course, the skills she learned and the confidence it gave her had a big impact on the way she ran her business and her mindset around the art itself. 🤩

“I felt pretty confident in my skills before taking the training but thanks to having Olga Murasev as my personal mentor I was encouraged to push my limits and become more confident in my own designs rather than just copying.”

Studying with the International Face Painting School is about so much more than physical techniques improving. It’s about that feeling inside that we get when we trust the brush in our hand, know that we can fix mistakes, and find our own style and flair.

And for Helene it’s clear that she’s succeeding on many levels with a number of successes under her belt:

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• Getting Top Ten and Top Twenty placements at the World Bodypainting Festival in Austria in the World Award Facepainting and Bodypainting categories.
• Top Ten in the European Bodyart Contest in Amsterdam.
• First place at the UK Face and Bodyart Bodypaint Contest.
• Winner and runner up at several online competitions.

As you would expect given the above accolades, Helene has seen a huge transformation in her business since graduating from the School. Her charge out rates have increased over 65%, she’s had increased bookings, more recognition, repeat customers, fantastic reviews, and has added the title of Instructor to her list of credentials.

“I feel very confident in the work I do now. So much that I've started teaching classes and hosting workshops. I dream of travelling the world as an instructor and be considered on the same level as the artists I admire the most like Matteo Arfanotti, Mark Reid, Milena Potekhina, Silvia Vitaly and many more.”

Helene’s advice for new face painters:

“Stick to the programme (with the School), learn and listen and take a more analytical approach to your studies. You'd be surprised the epiphanys you get when you see behind the designs you try to replicate.”

You can follow and connect with Helene online at the following places:

• www.sminkehjoernet.dk
• Instagram @sminkehjoernet
• Facebook @sminkehjoernet
• TikTok @sminke_hjoernet

If you’ve not come across Linnéa’s work online yet, then you are missing out!

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Linnéa offers colorful services for birthday parties and events such as face painting, glitter tattoos, and beauty bar, as well as offering maternity belly painting, face painting courses, airbrush tattoos, bling, and bubble hair.

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Linnéa started the course with IFPS with the goal of being able to create her own designs, learn from her own mistakes, and to learn better techniques and fun designs.

After watching lots of YouTube and scouring Facebook. Why did she choose IFPS?

“It had the whole package with everything I needed and more. Theory regarding colour and focal point, hygiene tips, brush techniques, fun designs, a whole chapter about butterflies and the best part was when I should create my own designs.

I could do it in my own time with no rush. I had my own mentors that could guide me and in the end I got a diploma, badge and could call myself a professional face painter.”

After the course Linnéa felt more confident in her techniques and started to create her own designs. But ultimately she started to believe in herself and then the results followed! 🤩

“I started to believe in myself after seeing the before/after pictures of my work and after all encourage and compliments from my tutors.”

It’s very clear to see the transformation of Linnéa’s work from before and after. However, the transformation from completing the Elite course is so much more than just the quality of work produced.

“Making people smile and feeling proud of what I can do, that is my biggest work.I can now teach other painters during summits, courses and webinars. I create my own designs for face painting brands, I have designed face painting palettes and I have also illustrated game cards.”

As the first Elite program graduate from Sweden, Linnéa’s career pivoted after graduating. This gave her the confidence in my work to put herself out there, and as a result she got more bookings and recognition.

Not only was she so much more confident and her quality of work exceptionally high, she was able to identify her own mistakes and correct them in her designs - an invaluable tool that continues to benefit her today.

“Thank you International Face Painting School and to my mentors for making me grow as a face painter and for believing in me.”

You can follow Linnéa online and get in touch here:

https://www.instagram.com/linneanovak

https://www.facebook.com/linneasansiktsmalning

https://www.linneasansiktsmalning.se/

Penney is a successful face painter in Sydney, Australia. She had her first experience with face painting in 2012 after being asked to face paint at her daughter’s school fete. That sparked a love for the art and a huge journey to professional face painter.

“I’ve always loved crazy and colourful makeup since being a child. My dad used to have to tell me not to wear makeup out in public! Every Halloween and birthday parties where it was dress up, I would always go full out.”

Having previously thought, if she wasn’t in her corporate role, her second career would be as a makeup artist - so face painting seemed like it was just meant to be! And then also - it actually just seemed to come to me - I was offered opportunities to paint and I couldn’t believe it was real.

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Like a lot of face painters, Penney was struggling most with composition of designs - getting that placement that works best to a person’s unique face.  She was also struggling with basic line work and one-stroke techniques and as a result wasn’t getting the results she wanted from her face painting.

Following YouTube tutorials and getting inspo from Instagram wasn’t providing enough insight into how these designs were created and how Penney could build her skills to the same level.

“I started the Professional Course as I really just wanted to achieve excellence in face painting. I wanted to paint as beautifully as all the amazing artists I saw around me.”

As you can see from the above, she’s definitely achieved that goal of painting beautiful pieces of art. 😍

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Penney made the move from hobby to professional face painter in 2022 after being offered subcontracting jobs from another mum at the school who was a professional face painter and had seen her work.

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About 6 months later, Penney set up her own business along with a dear friend (who was also the organizer of the school face painting stall) after they realized how much they loved face painting together.

“After working in a corporate career for nearly 30 years, I really wanted this face painting to be something I would do for myself, under my own banner.  I also found I was getting so much positive feedback for my work, sub-contracting, but then feeling a little invisible when I wouldn’t necessarily get the repeat business or leads as a result.”

Setting up her own business wasn’t an overnight process. Penney and her friend went step-by-step doing what they could when they could and Penney acknowledges there are still aspects they’re setting up and wanting to grow. A great insight into the reality of starting up your own business! But having the confidence to set up her business has lead to a number of successes.

“I’ve gone from subcontracting at A$80-90/hr to my own jobs at A$125/hr. I’ve had a local pub offer me repeat bookings and was also invited to pitch to paint at a corporate conference after my boss found out how much time I’d put in to getting my diploma and saw my work.”

“The courses through IFPS were so comprehensive. It really does give you the essential foundations you need. The personalised attention of the Elite course was so enriching.”

You can follow Penney’s work online and get in contact with her here:

https://www.instagram.com/penney_the.glitterarti

www.theglitterarti.com.au