Sometimes parents ask for cheek art designs thinking they're quick and that it will allow you to paint more children in a short time. What they don't realize is that often cheek art takes longer because of the small details. It also can be harder to paint successfully on wiggly children. This cheek art design using one-strokes isn't overly detailed, which should allow you to paint it quickly, and it's a great design for kids who like friendly little monsters.
Materials
• Favorite color small split cake (Global pictured)
• White face paint (Diamond FX or Wolfe white)
• Black face paint (Diamond FX, Wolfe white, or Global strong black)
• Green face paint (TAG)
• Orange face paint (TAG)
• Yellow face paint (TAG)
• 3/4-inch or 1-inch flat brush
• #5 round brush
• #1 or #2 round brush
• Cosmetic grade glitter
Tutorial
Load your large flat brush from the small split cake you've selected. For this design, I used one of my Global small split cakes, but any of your favorite splits will work just as well as long as you keep the light colors on the center of the design. Place the flat brush on the skin and wiggle it back an forth to make a "furry" circle, keeping the bristles in the center at the same point while the outer bristles move in a circle. For my little monster, I gave him furry horns (like a horned owl), but whether you decide to do that or not is up to you. You could make him perfectly round if you like.
Next, load your #5 round brush with white to add the eyes after your background is dry. (If you don't wait for the background to dry, the color will bleed through more.) Use the #5 brush again to add a small orange nose below the eyes and the yellow legs and feet. Also fill in the area around the feet with green grass.
Use one of your small brushes to add details like the eyes and eyebrows and to outline around the nose. Then add some strokes to intensify the fur and outline the legs and feet.
Finally, use colors from your split cake and white to make dots and starbursts around your monster and add glitter to the design if desired.
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.