Easy Face Paint Ideas Anyone Can Paint in Five Minutes

The secret behind most easy face paint ideas is that they are made from just three strokes: a dot, a line and a teardrop. Learn those three with a round brush and you can paint hearts, flowers, stars, whiskers and pumpkins in a few minutes each. This guide starts with the strokes, then gives twelve simple designs with short steps, all small enough to fit on one cheek.

The three strokes

• Dot: touch the tip of a brush, or the end of the handle, straight down onto the skin and lift. Handles make perfectly round dots for eyes, flower centers and polka dots.
• Line: load a fine brush, hold it upright and pull it toward you in one smooth motion. Start with light pressure, press a little harder in the middle, then lift: the line goes thin, thick, thin.
• Teardrop: press the side of a round brush down, then pull and lift so the stroke tapers into a point. Teardrops become petals, leaves, flames, hearts and wings.

Practice on the back of your own hand or forearm first. It doubles as a patch test: the FDA suggests trying a dab of any new product on the arm before it goes on the face, especially for people who tend to have allergies.

Twelve easy designs

Design	Colors	Time
Heart cluster	Red, pink, white	2 minutes
Star trio	Yellow, white	2 minutes
Rainbow	Five colors on a split sponge	3 minutes
Flower	Pink, yellow, green	3 minutes
Cat nose and whiskers	Black, pink	3 minutes
Pumpkin	Orange, green, black	4 minutes
Ladybug	Red, black, white	4 minutes
Spiderweb	Black	3 minutes
Balloon bunch	Three bright colors, black	4 minutes
Lightning bolt	Yellow, black	3 minutes
Butterfly	Two colors, black	5 minutes
Snowflake	White, light blue	4 minutes

Heart cluster

Two teardrops whose points meet at the bottom make a heart. Paint one large red heart and two small pink ones beside it, then add a white dot on the upper curve of each as a shine mark.

Star trio

Draw a large five-point star with five short lines, then two smaller ones trailing toward the ear. Fill them in yellow and add white dots around them.

Rainbow

Load a split sponge with stripes of color, press it in an arc on the cheekbone, and finish with a white cloud of three dots at each end.

Flower

Paint five pink teardrops with the points facing inward, add a yellow dot in the middle, then two green teardrop leaves. One of the most popular cute face paint ideas, and one of the fastest.

Cat nose and whiskers

A black or pink triangle on the tip of the nose, a line down to the upper lip and three thin whiskers on each cheek, pulled outward.

Pumpkin

An orange oval made from two curved strokes, a short green stem and a black grin. Add a few curved lines for the pumpkin's ridges.

Ladybug

Paint a red circle, a black half-circle head, a center line and four black dots. White dots for eyes make it cute.

Spiderweb

Five straight lines from one point, joined by curved lines that dip slightly between each spoke. Hang a dot spider from a thin line.

Balloon bunch

Three ovals in different colors, each with a white shine dot and a wavy black string, all tied together toward the jaw.

Lightning bolt

Draw a zigzag outline in black, fill it with yellow and add three short "zap" lines on each side.

Butterfly

Two large teardrops for the top wings and two small ones below, points facing the center, a black body line and two curled antennae.

Snowflake

Three crossing white lines make six arms. Add a small V near the end of each arm and a few light-blue dots around it.

Making simple designs look polished

• Use the right consistency. Water-activated paint should look like melted ice cream on the brush: too wet and it streaks, too dry and it drags.
• Outline last. A thin black outline and a couple of white highlight dots make even a rough shape look finished.
• Keep designs on the cheek. Small cheek designs are quick, easy to fix and stay away from the eyes.
• Clean brushes between colors so yellows stay bright.

Safety basics

Use only paint made for skin, follow the label, and keep color out of the eyes. Never use markers or craft paint as a shortcut. Remove designs with the method the label recommends, gently and before bed. If the skin reacts, wash the paint off and check with a doctor or pharmacist.

Once these feel easy, try bigger designs from our full list of face paint ideas, or pick designs that suit young children in face paint ideas for kids.