If you can apply your own make-up or doodle a simple design, you can learn to face paint for a kids party. With these easy tips and techniques and a little practice, you'll be turning out all sorts of colorful characters. Find out how to achieve spectacular results and the admiration of children and parents alike.

First and foremost, inform parents that there will be face painting at your party. Check for any skin allergies. Do not paint children with open cuts or rashes.

Prepare by obtaining the correct paints and materials. Use water-based paints which clean off easily with wet wipes or mild soap and water. Whenever possible, Use paints that have FDA approval for cosmetics. Acrylic paints are not meant for use on the skin and should be avoided.

Have lots of sponges and brushes handy, as well as a container of water. Use a different sponge or brush for each color to minimize the need to clean frequently.

When brushing on color, use only enough water to allow the paint to flow on smoothly. Use even less water when sponging color on large areas. Apply as you would shoe polish, dabbing to even and smooth the color.

The easiest way to get comfortable face painting is to apply color to the entire face and then add simple accents or sparkles. For example, for a Spiderman party, sponge on an all-over red background, then with a fine brush paint a spider web on the cheek or around one eye. Red works well for a ladybug party too, just add a couple of large black spots on each cheek.

For a Shrek or Hulk party, green faces alone can convey the character and mood of the day. White with dark under-eye shadows makes a great Halloween mummy face, pink and glittery is perfect for a princess party, lavendar with a few well-placed flowers for a garden party. Clowns are easy - white face with red cheeks and nose, blue crosses over the eyes.

When you're ready, practice a few simple cheek designs. Many face painting books are available with designs from simple to spectacular. Use these to inspire you and practice, practice, practice. The more you practice, the quicker you will be able to complete a design, and your confidence will grow.

Try these quick and easy cheek designs:

Girls: hearts, stars, flowers, slogans, butterflies, ladybugs, smiley face, dolphin

Boys: spider, spiderweb, scars, mustache & beard, snake, shark

Face painting stamps are also available online to make the process even easier. These rubber stamps allow you to stamp a design on the child's face and simply color it in!

Invest in a good quality facial glitter, which adds pizzazz to any face paint design.

Supplement your face painting by making available some temporary tattoos for kids to choose from. Many different themes are available.

Have a mirror handy to show kids the result of your handiwork. They'll get excited about your handiwork, and that enthusiasm will spread!

Plan other games and activities for kids to do while you take them one at a time for face paint.

Remember that everyone is capable of sponging on face color and making simple designs. That's all kids really want. Once you've conquered the basics, you can always graduate to more intricate designs.

You might just enjoy face painting so much you'll decide to hire out your services for other kids parties, too!

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