Dogs are known for their big, snuffly noses, so I thought a sheep dog would be a perfect subject for this week's Big Nose Buddy. This design reminds me a little of the Shaggy D.A.
Materials
• White, grey, and black small split cake
• Light and medium green small split cake (TAG colors shown)
• White face paint (Diamond FX shown)
• Blue face paint (TAG light blue shown)
• Black face paint (Wolfe shown)
• TAP stencil paw prints
• Sponge or dauber
• #2 or #3 round brush
• #5 or #6 round brush
• 1/2-inch flat brush
Tutorial
If you're new to Big Nose Buddies, begin by creating the big nose just above the eyebrow line with white and a #2 or #3 round brush. It's helpful to have the shape because you'll be building the rest of the buddy from this central shape.
Load a 1/2-inch flat brush from a black/grey/white small split cake. Keep the light color to the center and paint the muzzle of the dog as shown below, going around the nose shape.
Using the same brush, reload if necessary and create the upper portion of the dog's head, again keeping the lighter color to the center. Don't forget to add ears. This is a shaggy dog, so as I worked, I wiggled my brush back and forth anywhere I felt the fur would be hanging down and looking shaggy. (On the top of the head, the edge will be smooth.)
Color in the buddy's nose and add a red tongue with a #5 or #6 round brush. Add green grass with the 1/2-inch brush or a #5 round brush.
Use the TAP paws stencil and blue (or your favorite color) and a sponge or dauber to add puppy paws around the background of the image. I prefer daubers for this type of work because it allows me to more specifically place the paint.
Using a small round brush, outline the dog with a good lining black (such as Wolfe, Diamond FX, or Global Strong Black).
Finally, add white highlights, dots, and starbursts. It's important when working on your highlights to stay up on the tip of your brush as much as possible to keep a slender line.
Beth MacKinney is the owner of and primary face painter for Face Paint Pizzazz in Elgin, Illinois, and her artwork has appeared in The Colored Palette and SkinMarkz magazines. She services Elgin, Illinois, the NW Chicago suburbs, and northern Chicago, as well as the eastern suburbs of Rockford. Stop by Facepaint.com to check out her other face painting blog posts and tutorials.