When you think of face painting, images of carnivals, fairs, and parties probably come to mind. We love face-painting so much we offer it as an add-on perk to our mobile birthday parties!

Face painting is in fact a unique art form, and the makeup artists who use faces as their canvas and transform them into animals or fantasy characters are truly talented. As a creative outlet for people of all age, face painting is an inexpensive, fun way to explore the worlds of art and imagination.

Let’s review the benefits of learning the art of face painting, so you too can be inspired to learn the tricks of the trade and explore this creative medium!

Stretch the Boundaries of the Imagination

Through face painting, you are able to explore other worlds and become characters that you’ve only fantasized about. Being able to transform yourself into someone or something else is the ultimate form of creativity. With just a little face paint and a few strokes of a brush, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

Encourage Creativity

When you are the one transforming yourself with face paint, you are allowed to become whatever it is that your mind dreams up. You can take your two-dimensional drawings and artistic inspiration and transform them into a three-dimensional work of art.

Face painting encourages you to go beyond the world of traditional drawing and painting by pushing yourself outside of your artistic comfort zone, you are removing any set boundaries and freeing yourself to go further with your ideas. A three-dimensional canvas allows you to explore a vast world of creative options that you might have never encountered before in your traditional artistic practices.

Get Comfortable with Making Mistakes

One of the most frustrating parts of learning a new skill is the concern of what will happen if and when you make a mistake. If you are using a medium that you cannot erase or wipe away, you might become so worried about making an error that you no longer enjoy the art you are trying to create. With face painting, if you make a line that you do not like or paint on a color that just doesn’t work it can easily be wiped away!

A majority of face paints are water-activated and can be removed with water alone. Others might take a wipe or a little soap to remove completely, but they are always removable. You can restart as many times as you would like without worrying about ruining your one chance to get it right. This art form teaches you that mistakes happen, but you do not have to let them ruin your fun!

Learn Color Theory & Symmetry

Face painting teaches you about color theory and symmetry in a way you might not have experienced before. Learning to mix colors and draw things in proportion on a piece of paper or canvas can be very beneficial for some learners, but for others, it may not be enough to fully grasp these concepts. Face painting allows you to take these fundamental concepts of art and visualize them in a three-dimensional way. It is an incredibly valuable and impactful learning tool.

Open New Doors to Career Success

Learning to face paint can open you up to a plethora of career possibilities. Not only can you become a professional face painter, you could also explore the worlds of makeup artistry, theatre, performance art, and so much more!

Face painting is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the world of imagination and character creation. You may find that you enjoy physically creating these characters as makeup designs, or you may find yourself inspired to start writing about these characters that you have created. The basic skills you learn through face painting will carry over into so many other areas of the artistic and creative world. The patience you learn while trying to create the perfect brush stroke or ideal color combination is a lesson that will stay with you for years to come.

Face painting can be more than just a hobby. It can be the starting point of achieving your dreams and career goals. You’ll never know how far you could go with it unless you try! Keep flexing your creative muscles with all kinds of DIY projects on our blog.

Photography courtesy of Mary Crylen and design courtesy of Becky Curl and Nicole Mez