Face painting dates back thousands of years across many cultures and has been used for hunting, military and religious purposes as well as for signaling inclusion in a team or tribe, and in portrayal of characters in theatre and opera. In the 1980s, face painting began to be used to delight children at fairs or parties.

During Family Week, Noemie Derungs—a 2013 Yoga Development Course graduate, karma yogi and artist—painted the faces of our visiting children.

“Face painting is not only about the design, image, shape or colour, even though most children are very specific about colour and placement,” says Noemie. “It’s also about the relationship created with each child during the short time we are together. Building trust, having patience and concentration are all important factors to ensure that each child has a quality experience.

“The face painting requests ranged from butterflies, flowers, rainbows and unicorns to a horse, an explosion of colour and a big black cat with five kittens, each a different colour.  The children asked for images of things in their lives that they love and are important to them.  And they wear these images as a way to honour and celebrate these elements in their life.”

As we explore our bodies as vehicles for the sacred this month, which image, shape or design would you choose for your face?

 

FACE PAINTING TIPS
  1.  Always use clean sponges on every face for hygienic reasons.  You can use round sponges cut in half.

2.   Use water-based paint as opposed to oil-based.  It is much easier to work with and easier to fix mistakes.

3.   Most faces can be done in a basic three step-process:

Step 1:  Apply your base colour/colours with a wedge sponge (working with lighter colours before darker ones can be helpful). Thin layers generally work best and look the most professional.

Step 2:  Draw the picture or details for your face with your brushes and colour them in.  Stencils might also be helpful.

Step 3:  Add finishing touches and details, such as sparkles (if using sparkles, make sure they are non-metallic).

4.  To help calm down excited children long enough to be painted, telling the children a story as you work is a good distraction.

5.   Always clean brushes and water between faces – there should be no double dipping in the paint with a dirty brush.

6.   Made a mistake?  No worries.  Here are some ways to recover in no time.  Since lines usually start out thin, you can simply thicken them to incorporate or cover up your error.  You can also try adding more colour to the area.  If all else fails, use a wet wipe!  Carefully wipe the paint from that area of the face and repaint with your brushes (avoid using sponges at this point because they are too big and may further smudge the face).

7.   You may want to have your camera on hand to capture photos of unique work.

8.   Have a stand up mirror or hand mirror nearby for the children.

9.   Children are more concerned with getting a design on their face than with complex, fancy details, so make sure to keep it simple.

 

Back to 50th Anniversary Art Projects

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Materials
  • Water based paints
  • Clean towels
  • Wedge Sponges
  • Stencils
  • Mirror
  • Selection of paint brushes
  • Wet wipes