Using Stencils

The question of whether to use stencils or not for face painting can be a controversial topic. Often, people who are against the use of stencils say that the use of them is "cheating" and, consequently, results in lower quality face painting. I believe that when deciding to use stencils the following three points should be kept in mind:

1. What type of stencils you use
2. When and how you use them
3. The difficulty level involved

But before we examine these points in more depth, let's loo at how stencils are used. 

The basics of stencils

To start with, you will need to lay down your base colour. I have chosen a bright green base so that my stencil will show up. Stenciling lighter colours onto darker is trickier, but depending on your paints can end up looking pretty cool.

You will need to let this base become reasonably dry before you apply your stencil. You can either move to painting another area of the face to let this part dry, or you can use the dry end of the sponge to dab away any excess paint and make it dry faster.

TIP: I am using Cameleon paints for my stenciling, as they sponge really well and are very soft. The benefit of this is that you can get a good coverage without being able to feel a thick layer of dry paint on your face. Soft paints are best for painting over eyes.

The most common method with stencils is to use a sponge. Your paint must be thick and sticky, and in some cases (for example, with very strong, dark colours) on the dry side. If you feel confident you can use a paintbrush, but take time to experiment and find out what works best for you.

Take your stencil and press it firmly into place where you would like the pattern to be. You will need to find the balance between pressing firmly to keep the stencil still and as flush to the skin as possible and not so firmly as to end up slowly pushing the child you are painting onto the floor. This is going to take practice, so try and find a few willing friends before you try this for the first time on a fidgety child!

Use your sponge to gently dab over the stencil. With stencils, building up the colour is much more effective than trying to get fast, instant coverage. Just take a few extra seconds to dab repeatedly back and forth across the stencil until you have a nice coverage. Fade out at the edges if you need to to avoid sponging on the line at the edge of the stencil.

You can now add your linework over the top. For this tutorial I added a very simple outline that could represent a dragon or monster eye, whatever you would like it to be.

By varying colour, area of coverage, shape of the base and the line work over the top you can see that even with this one stencil you can create a huge amount of variety. Quick eye designs like these can be perfect for large events when you don't have time to do a full face paint; you could do two monster eyes, some fangs and horns and have a super quick design that little children will love!

So what type of stencils are best for face painting?

You will need a stencil that is made of plastic that is both durable (although we try to take the very best care of our kit, gigs can sometimes get crazy and our kit will get bashed around) and flexible to curve around the contours of the face. Stencils can be pricey, so if you want to use them be discerning in your selection process. Anything that is faster to paint by hand or has a design that you probably wont use very much is not worth your budget when you are starting out. Get one and play with it - stencils aren't for everyone!

There are stencils with various textures and patterns, like the one I am using, that are simply to create quick repeating patterns, but there are also stencils that are entire face paint designs. I would not recommend getting these, as they will quickly make your face painting boring, "samey" and unable to be changed to meet the desires of the customer.

When are you using your stencils?

This links to my last point; stencils are great for aiding you in creating patterns in your work, but don't be fooled into thinking they will do all the work for you! You will need to work out when just painting in some rough splodges by hand is a better choice than delicately using a stencil. Using them on very small children is nigh-on impossible...

Stencils are, however, fairly essential in airbrushing (both face and body). If you are happy that you can create all the shapes you want with a brush and sponges then don't feel pressured into buying an expensive piece of plastic that you will carefully ignore.

Practise...all is practice...

Stencils, as I have mentioned before, can be extremely difficult to master. They can stick to the work you have already painted and pull parts of it up. They can pick up paint and transfer it all over the face paint as you move the stencil before you even realise. If your paint is slightly too wet it can bleed under the stencil and flood your whole design, causing you to have to painstakingly start again.

You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to become consistently good at using stencils, otherwise they will just be too much of a gamble to use on a paying customer.

Where to go next

I would recommend watching tutorials on face painters using stencils, not only to give you a good idea about how they work, but to give you a great visual library of which stencils you like the look of before you order them. 

To start you off I recommend watching Lisa Joy Young's Graffiti tutorial as she uses a lot of stencils for the base: Click here to go to the video

Happy watching!

The Importance of Water

Planning for a face painting event is very important, but something that can easily slip your mind is water for your paints. When you are practicing at home or even painting at someone's house, there is always water to hand and a sink to empty your dirty water into. 

However, when you are out at a local market or face painting at a large event it may not be possible to find a sink with running water, and you don't want to be rinsing your face painting pot into some not-so-sanitary potable toilets...

The most graceful solution to this is very simple. You will require 2 large plastic bottles (preferably the same size) and a funnel or jug or a really really steady hand...Simply fill one bottle up with water and leave the other empty. Fill your water pot up and then, when the water needs changing, use the funnel/jug/your incredibly steady hands to pour the dirty water into the empty bottle. 

A series of small bottles full of water and one big empty bottle will also work and the small bottles might be easier to pour from. At the end of the gig you can then tip your dirty water away on the ground (not if your indoors, that sort of thing tends not to get you re-bookings...) or take it home and pour it away later. By using bottled water at your table you also avoid having to get up and leave your kit to the mercy of impatient, curious children!

Cleaning Your Face Painting Kit

Cleaning your kit is an important job. It makes your brushes last longer and keep their shape, it makes sure your kit is free of any germs and keeps you looking professional. Although this last point may not seem important (as a face painter you really should be judged on the quality of your painting, not how clean your paints are kept) parents will often think twice if your tablecloth is covered in old paint or the box you keep your paints in clearly hasn't been washed.

Today I am posting not only how to clean your kit, but how to use a couple of tricks you can use to help you make the process as easy as possible.

Table Cloth

When you start face painting, a table cloth is a good investment. Even if you have a lovely table, a table cloth over it means you can store your kit bag, water bottles, and any other extra supplies under the table. This keeps your area tidy, but also keeps them away from the wandering hands of curious small humans...

In terms of material, getting a laminated table cloth (the type you often see in schools or playgroups for art lessons) will allow you to wipe the table clean extremely easily. You can even carry a spray bottle of surface cleaner and a cloth and clean it before you pack up, meaning it's all ready to go next time.

If you are not a fan of the laminated cloth then the best choice is a black material. Black matches any environment and doesn't show stains. If you buy a slightly shiny material then you can even shake the glitter off it at the end of the day and it's ready to be used again.

Brushes

Cleaning brushes thoroughly is so important - you won't believe how much paint a brush can hold...the easiest way is to first rinse the brushes in hot, soapy water (I use good quality washing-up liquid) and then put some soap on your hand and the press and swirl the brush in your hand. Keep soaping and rinsing the brush until you can't get any more paint out of them.

Once the brushes are clean, gently stroke the bristles back into their correct shape and leave them somewhere to dry. Don't try and put them back in the kit whilst they're damp or they will dry in odd shapes.

TIP: Make sure you take a bag of some description that used brushes and sponges can be put in at the end of the day! Otherwise you will be getting all the other brushes, sponges and cases dirty and giving yourself more cleaning to do.

Sponges

You can wash sponges in the same way as brushes; if I only have a few sponges from practicing or painting a friend I will usually wash them this way. However, if I have a lot of sponges from a day of face painting, I will use a net washing bag and just put them in the washing machine by themselves. It saves time and is just as good as washing them by hand.

Paints

When I mention cleaning paints, there are two elements. Firstly, there are the pots and lids of the paints where excess paint has gone, usually, just about everywhere. Not to mention the number of times you pick them up during the day whilst your hands are covered in paint...The second element is the paint itself. If you have been mixing colours or simply using the same brush that wasn't quite free of the first colour before it was plunged into the second colour, then your paints will look muddy. This is a problem because next time you try and use them you will get the 'muddy' colour and spend a long time trying to sort out the problem. 

To clean the lids, simple take them off, dump them in soapy water, wipe them with a cloth and leave them to dry. When you are cleaning the pots try to keep the water away from the paints; use a damp cloth to gently remove all the paint off the outside.

To clean the surface of the paint, take a damp cloth again (make sure it is clean, I recommend buying a cheap pack of disposable cloths for all your paint cleaning) and wipe it across the surface. The most important paints to do this with are rainbow cakes, as you want the colours to be clean and crisp for the next time you use them.

Water pot

Water pots will always be stained, however it is important that they are clean. This means soaking your pot in hot soapy water and then taking an old paint brush and really scubbing the paint out of the corners where. This means that when you put new water in the next day you won't get the ghost of yesterday's paint coming back!

TIP: To keep your brushes clean whilst you are working you can buy blocks of brush soap or put brush cleaner in your water pot to keep your brushes from clogging up as you go.

Kit bag

The only thing that will start to cause a problem with your kit bag is the fact that it will, inexplicably, fill with glitter. Giving it a quick vacuum every now and again will stop and glitter or dirt from transferring to your paints, brushes or self. You might also want to invest in a 'laminated' bag, made with material that can be quickly wiped down at the end of the gig.

Towels

Small black towels are great to have. Keep your sponges on them, wipe excess paint off onto them or use them to catch glitter with and at the end of the day it can go straight in the washing machine.

Your own face...

If you have your face painted at the event (something I highly recommend - children love seeing your face painted and will often choose the same design for themselves) then at the end of the day you will probably want to remove it.

Baby wipes may seem like a good option, and most of the time they do the job pretty well. However, it is worth mentioning that even the best baby wipes can react with your face paint and cause skin irritation, and that the best way to get face paint off is with warm soapy water and a flannel. Give your skin a moisturise afterwards as the paint will have dried your skin out slightly and you will be good to go! Face wipes also tend to smear the paint around your face without actually taking it off, and I find that a flannel just works so much better.

Practice makes perfect

The best way to get efficient at cleaning your kit is to list what needs cleaning and make sure it gets done as soon as you can. The longer you leave everything, the harder it will be to get the paint out. Once you know what needs doing it will become a quick and easy routine; practice makes perfect!