Money Saving Tip: Making Your Own Split Cakes

I talked about how useful split cakes were in my previous blog post, however they can be pricey. The solution? Create your own!

Take your time - decide what colours will be most useful to you

The first thing you will need to do is to decided what colours and brands you are going to use. Unless you are familiar with the different brands of paint, I would recommend using the same brands of paint for your split cakes. Some brands don't mix very well and they can also "wear down" faster or slower, meaning you might end up with uneven split cakes which can be difficult to use.

The most useful cakes to have vary from person to person, so think about which designs you do most frequently and create split cakes that will work with those designs. Butterflies are very common along with Frozen designs, or you can just make colourful generic purpose cakes.

Video Tutorial

Here is a tutorial on how to make your own split cakes. Bear in mind that every paint is a little bit different; in this video the purple paint did not come out in one piece at all, however the pink was fine. Snazaroo are usually the best paints to start out with, as well as the cheapest.

Something to bear in mind is that you will have leftover colours, so theoretically you can make 2 of each split cake, or if you used 3 colours you will have enough paint to make 3 split cakes, and so on. You can combine the colours in many different ways, so take the time to decide what to do with the leftover paint. If you are not sure, make sure the paint is kept in a container and simply keep it to use on your next project.

Buying your first rainbow cake

What, why and how?

Rainbow cakes, also known as split cakes, are cakes (or "pots") with 2 or more different colours in them, and they allow you to put multiple colours down at once with perfect blending and fast applications.

The split cakes pictured here are TAG split cakes and come in rectangular pots - this is great space saver as the cakes all fit together like a jigsaw, and you get an even amount of each colour.

Split cakes are designed for a sponge to fit nicely across them, but you can also pick up jut a few of the colours with a paintbrush for all sorts of designs.

A spray bottle helps dampen your
split cakes evenly.

Split cakes also allow you to carry more colours without taking up as much space in your kit. For example, the yellow and orange split cake is perfect for tiger masks; because I usually use these two colours together to paint tigers I now only carry one split cake in my bag, rather than a yellow cake and an orange cake. This also means that I can have a sponge in one hand and the spit cake in the other and can do the whole base without having to pick up another cake. Very useful for blending a nice smooth base when you keep going backwards and forwards between colours!

If you are planning on using split cakes then I would immediately invest in a small spray bottle. These are also referred to as a mister or spritzer, although the latter sounds to me too much like you're about to have a cheeky drink...Whatever you call them they are extremely useful for wetting paints evenly although if you want to you can always stick with using a damp sponge or paintbrush on a dry cake.

Tutorial: How to use split cakes with a sponge

I have included a quick tutorial to show how split cakes work. The trick is not to get the cake too wet, otherwise the colour will run and you'll end up with paint pooling over the surface and dripping off the edge, over your hands, over the face of a child...you get the idea. You can get the sponge wet and then squeeze any excess water instead of wetting the cake if that works better for you.

Considerations when buying split cakes

One of the main considerations is cost. These TAG split cakes are £9.50 each, which is about standard for a high quality split cake (although "pixie cakes" split cakes will set you back over £12 a pot). If you are just starting out or if you have a limited budget then think carefully about which cakes will actually be useful to you. I recommend starting with a girly split cake for butterflies, princess crowns and fantasy tigers. 

Buying your first set of glitter

Adding that extra sparkle...

Glitter is an absolute essential in your new face painting kit. You can paint a pretty butterfly with lovey colours and then just a sprinkle of glitter will make it become a stunning butterfly. Glitter will allow your design to sparkle in the sun; the more eye-catching your designs the more children will see them and the more customers you will have.

Glitter can also be used to cover up small mistakes. When you are face painting, mistakes are GOING to happen. The skill of a good face painter is not to immediately jump in with baby wipes but to correct the mistake, incorporate it into the design or simple cover it up and draw attention elsewhere. If you have a tiny smudge or you have transferred paint from your hand onto the design then glitter can sometimes be a good "quick fix" option.

A little fairy dust goes a long way!

Superstar Aurora glitter in a "Puffer Bottle"

The wonderful thing about glitter is it really will last a long time. When you are applying glitter to a design it only needs to be a light dusting (anything heavier will cover up your line work and fine details), so your glitter really does go a long way.

In terms of colours, you don't need to have an entire rainbow (as sorely tempting as it is!). In fact, you can get away with just having one pot of iridescent or white glitter. Because this type of glitter doesn't have a particular colour it will accent any colour paint that you apply it to. 

Glitter comes in two types of "dispensers". You can either buy glitter in a pot and apply it by unscrewing the lid and using your finger or a paint brush to pat it onto the design, or you can use a "puffer" bottle (shown in the picture) which you squeeze to shower your design in glitter, like a tiny water bottle full of glitter! The first option is for precision and the latter is for larger areas, and the one I would recommend for beginners.

All glitter that you use must be COSMETIC glitter!

I really do feel like the above statement needs to be bold with the FORCEFUL CAPITAL LETTERS as it is so so important. Luckily, face paints like Snazaroo are so widely available that stories of parents painting their children's faces with acrylic paint are thankfully less and less common. However, to someone who has never face painted or does not work with makeup all glitter can look the same, and this is where face painting can turn very nasty...

Cosmetic glitter is, as a general rule, significantly more expensive than regular craft glitter. This is because it is made from very fine particles that you can barely feel when you rub it between your fingers. The importance of this is that if any glitter gets in children's eyes or mouth then it won't cause any damage.

3 of many reputable brands that sell glitter are Mama Clown, Superstar and Snazaroo. My favourite current glitter is Superstar Aurora which you can buy here in the UK.

Expanding your glitter collection

Most face painters have a few different colours of glitter to compliment their most popular designs, for example a blue glitter for a Frozen mask, red for Spiderman (don't be afraid to ask boys if they want glitter!) or gold for princess crowns. Beyond that you will only expand your range of glitter if you start doing glitter tattoos, something I will touch on later. 

For now though, one beautiful glitter will boost the quality of your designs at a low cost.

Buying your first brushes and sponges

Brushes

There are many different types, sizes and brands of brushes, and in this post I will talk about the 3 basic brushes that are essentials for your kit. The only rule that applies to all of them is that they should be synthetic brushes. Synthetic brushes hold their shape well, you don't lose any strands whilst your painting and they give you a very smooth stroke with your face paints.

Good quality brushes can last you years, so expect to pay £5 - £10 per brush. When I first started I decided to buy a £1.99 bag of assorted synthetic paint brushes. Although this did save me money in the short term I really didn't realise the quality I was missing out on, and within a couple of months I replaced my entire kit with Loew-Cornell brushes and have been reaping the rewards!

Types of Brushes

All images belong to Silly Farm. Go and check out their website to see even more brush types!

Round brushes

Round brushes are the "classic" paint brush shape, and are used for applying outlines, teardrops, dots and more.

The size of the brush is represented as a number from 1 to 6 (although the size can be larger than 6, 6 is the largest number that you will need for face painting). For your kit you will need at least 2 of these; this could be two size 3's or a size 2 and a size 4. Don't be afraid to buy a few different sizes and brands, as every face painter has their own preference and you need to be comfortable with these brushes.

Flat brushes

Flat brushes have a blunt or squared end to them, and are used for quickly painting large areas, creating sharp edges and painting with split cakes (something I will talk about in a separate post).

The size of a flat brush is usually measured in inches, with a 1" brush being the largest a face painter will need. Adding a 3/4" brush to your kit will help you with painting pirate bandanas, batman masks, animal eyes and many more.

Chisel/Filbert Brushes

These brushes are flat but have a nice rounded tip to them. They can be used to create teardrops, tiny butterflies, hearts and, most often, create flower petals.

Some chisel brush sizes are represented by number and some by size. A small size will help you with teardrops and small flowers, whilst the larger brushes will help you paint hearts and fast butterflies. My personal recommendation would be to practice using the round brush for teardrops and flowers, as this will keep your kit small and lower the budget; one you start to earn money then this is a good next step to try.

Sponges

Before you even reach for your brushes you will nearly always need to lay down the base colour of your design first. Having splashed out on expensive paintbrushes, you will be glad to know that good quality sponges are not expensive at all! Snazaroo high density face painting sponges will set you back a fiver for 10 on Amazon, and will last a long time. Because you have taken the time to buy good quality paint, even with these cheap sponges you will get professional looking results.

Once you have bought sponges, take a pair of scissors and cut them in half to make semi-circular brushes (so really, you actually got 20 sponges not 10!). In a later post I will explain more about why you cut the sponges and the best techniques, but for now you will just have to trust me and go dig out those kitchen scissors...

To dedicate or not to dedicate...?

The number of brushes or sponges you buy will depend on whether you decide to dedicate your brushes and sponges to each colour or face that you paint. Some painters will take 200 sponges to a gig and use one sponge per face. Others (me included) prefer to dedicate one sponge to each colour of paint for the day. I find that this later option does not only save time washing my kit at the end of the day, but it also saves paint. Once I have used a sponge I can re-wet it to keep using the paint, rather than loading it with a colour, using a few dabs of it and then getting a fresh sponge out to get more paint. This means my paints last longer, and saves me an awful lot of money in the long run!

With brushes, it is usually a decision as to how many colours you want to dedicate. Personally, and if you are a beginner then I recommend this to you, I have three of each brush. One is dedicated to white, one to black, and the third brush does all the colours. This way you avoid getting other colours in your lovely clean white or black paint in you colours.

Sponges are nice and easy, so take your time finding high quality brushes that you are comfortable with!

Buying your first paints

Snazaroo paints perfect for beginners!
 Image from www.artstore.co.uk

Face paints are going to be your most important buy, so it's important to get it right. The key words here are:

• Safety
• Quality
• Cost

Whether you are a beginner who has never picked up a paintbrush or a seasoned pro, you will always be balancing these 3 key words.

Safety

Any paint that is going to be applied to skin must be completely safe. Not only does this mean you must make sure that the paint is FDA approved, but being aware which brands are safe for sensitive skin or which are suitable for use on very young children. Every brand will tell you how to use it, so make sure you read the safety information carefully.

Quality

Paints can have different qualities such as how well they blend together, how pigmented the colours are, how well the paints will stay on, etc. Some paints have extra qualities such as glitter incorporated into the paint or that they will glow in UV light. To decide what paints you want, you need to identify your needs and pick appropriate brands.

Cost

The higher quality the paints, the higher the cost will be. You will need to set a budget in mind and stick to it, making sure that you buy high quality face paints that will help you create stunning designs but that won't bankrupt you in the process.

Which paints to choose

Because you are just starting out, the best place to start is with Snazaroo paints. Although it might be tempting to try that little palette of "Fun Face Paints" you saw in Poundland last week, you could compromise safety as well as quality. Snazaroo are a highly trusted brand and are widely considered the safest paints of the face painting world. They are FDA and EU compliant, completely non-toxic, water-based and safe for all ages.

You can buy a starter kit directly from their website here, or you can pick your own colours from somewhere like Amazon.co.uk here. I recommend having blue, red, yellow, orange, pink, brown, black and white.

You will use most of these paints for laying down the base colours of your designs, however you will also need black and white to outline and draw details onto your creation. Here is where spending a little extra cash will really make the difference!

You may be tempted to say that the Snazaroo black and white will work fine, and you are completely right. They will work fine. However, the Snazaroo white does not paint over other colours very well, and the Snazaroo black can cause all sorts of problems, quickly turning to a sludgy mess that goes everywhere. Instead, I highly urge spending that little bit extra cash and opt for a high quality black and white. The two best brands for black and white are Diamond FX and Wolfe. Diamond FX are slightly cheaper and slightly easier to get hold of (especially in the UK). They will honestly make painting so much easier and I cannot even stress how well a good quality black and white will hold up in the long run!

Beyond the basic

Once you have bought your basic paints you can begin to expand into other brands and build up your colours. Buying palettes of colours or test pots is a good way to try out brands before you buy full size pots.

Paints are a huge topic, and one that I will frequently revisit, so don't worry if your paint kit looks small now! Just stick to the basics for now and we will revisit the topic soon.

Mission Statement

The Mission Statement of This Blog

This blog is a record of my experiences starting my own new life as a face painter, tips and tricks that I have found along the way and any information that I can give to help you start your face painting journey.

Finding Your Calling

There is no formula to help you find your calling. Some people are born into the right circumstances and fall straight into their dream job whilst others stumble across it. I myself was training to be a primary school teacher and, to support myself whilst I was at Uni, got a part-time job in a huge indoor soft-play area. Every now and again one of the supervisors would get out an old and stained Snazaroo face painting box with a few brushes that looked like they should frankly have been put out of their misery years ago. Despite the uncleaned paints and the sad, wrecked brushes I was completely in love. Within 3 months of joining the company I had bought my own beginners Snazaroo kit, painstakingly handmade my very first rainbow cakes, and handed my notice in declaring that I was going to go and be a face painter. I left my teaching course, and have never looked back.

Acting on Your New-Found Passion

The hardest part about finding my passion for face painting was explaining it to other people. Neither my friends, my family or my university tutors could understand why I would want to leave a teaching course (highly regarded degree, nice regular paycheck, good pension etc.) to do my "painting hobby". No-one would believe that this was going to be my job, not just a hobby. In fact, I spent so long trying to convince people to no avail that I finally ignored them all and did it anyway. I have now found a whole world of fascinating people who really get me, and quickly earned the respect of my family as they finally see what face painting means to me.

Therefore my challenge to you is to look at your life, and to identify what is holding you back. Opinions of others? The worry of failure? The feeling that you shouldn't change your life because you have always invested too much time in it? Hopefully this blog will help you take your new passion one step at a time, and help you overcome any boundaries you have identified.

This is the very first face painting item that I ever bought, just 6 weeks before leaving my job