Making Split Cakes

I have another face painting one for you today... yippee!!!

A lot of face painter's out there will tell you it can get quite expensive buying split cakes, as they can cost more then the single colour face paint's themselves. So today I am going to show you how you can make split cakes out of the colours you already have.

If your reading this this thinking 'what do cakes have to do with anything?' I don't blame you, I was the same when I first heard about split cakes. Basically a split cake is 2 or more colours pushed together in a single pot so you can pick up all the colours in a single stroke of your brush. 

You will need:

• Face Paints (colours you want in your cake)
• A Pot
• Knife / Artists Spatula
• Ruler
• Paper
• Tissue (to clean knife)

First of all you want to pick out what colours you want to use. Try to pick colours that blend well together as they will blend together a little on the brush.

Next you  want to measure out your pot, you can either use a new pot of an old face paint pot that you have used all of the paint out of, baring in mind round ones are harder to fit the paint into.

Using a ruler and paper, either draw around your pot or mark out the outline. This will become the template for cutting out the paint to size.

The potsI am using are just ones I have collected from my uncle, I think they had chocolates in but they have been washed, and it doesn't matter that they don't have a lid as I don't find they need one. 

Once you have your template, you need to mark out on your paint where you need to cut. I just use the tip on my spatula to put little dents in as the paint is soft.

Now you need to cut down into the paint, be gentle as sometimes the paint can break and crack. Make sure you go over each cut a couple of times to make sure it is cut all the way down. 

Then you need to price it out with the knife or spatula and transfer it to the new pot. Don't worry if it breaks because you can just mold it back together in the new pot.

Now do the same with the other colours until your split cake is completed. Remember to wipe off your knife or spatula between colours with a tissue. 

...And here is the end result! 

I know there are a few cracks in the orange, but they will fade out after the 2 or 3 uses. So, not as neat as the shop bought ones but its a lot cheaper, means you can pick out your own colours and order they go in and you get the same results so these are all round winners for me!

Hope this helped :)

Stay Inspired

Amy

xxx

20 Face Painting Must Haves

Hello!

I have been trying to re-organize my face painting supplies into the box I take to events, and as I was emptying them out, I found that I had stuff in there that I never use, and there were things missing that really should be in there. For the longest time, every time I do an event, I have took this box and and I have been running back into the house for other things before I leave. So, I finally decided, enough is enough! 

I have come up with this list of 20 things every face painter out there should be taking to events.

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• Face Paints - I think you would look pretty silly turning up to paint faces without your face paints.
• Split Cakes - These are very useful for putting several colours on the face at once, it makes it so much quicker and easier. Also I find that the parents are impressed when I use the split cakes as they are amazed at how they are used and for so many different things too. From making butterflies and fairy's to dragons and fire, they really do have their uses.
• Brushes - You want to make sure you take a good selection, and a couple of spares just in case.
• Brush Tub / Water Bucket - I love my brush tub as it has holes that I can store my brushes in so they are not just laid out on the table, but in one of the compartments, it has ridges on the bottom which are brilliant at getting excess paint off your brush. You can buy them on eBay from around £5. If you don't have a brush tub, make sure to take a water bucket with you. Try to find one that is solid colour so you can't see the water inside, it doesn't look good to the parent if you have just washed off black paint in your water and then use it on their child's face. To avoid this, I always keep one brush that I use only for outlining in black separate, I keep it in its own cup of water.
• Gallon of Water - Useful for when you need to change your water but you don't want to leave your table to find the nearest tap. Make sure to change the water on a regular basis to keep it clean! No parent out there wants mucky water to be used on their child's face, and the cleaner you are, the more likely they are to hire you or recommend you to a friend.
• Spray Bottle - I take a spray bottle with me as I spray my paints with water instead of using water from my bucket or tub. This guarantees all the water that goes on my paints is clean and it cleans my rinse water cleaner for longer. It is also brilliant for spraying your sponges and squeezing them out if they are getting clogged with colour.
• Sponges - Very useful when covering a large area or whole face. To make your sponges last longer and get more use out of them, cut them in half or quarter, this also gives you a nice flat edge to work with too. Make sure to take extra sponges too just in case the colours get mixed on the sponge, you don't want to be covering the face in white with blue splodges all over it because you got blue on your white sponge.
• Mesh Laundry Bag - To keep your sponges in. This keeps them all together which makes your table look tidier. It also stops your sponges blowing away in the wind if you at an outside event.
• Q-Tips - I use Q-tips to paint in the lips, it's more hygienic then using a brush to paint in a child's lips, then using the same brush to paint on a child's eye. You also don't know what that child has been eating. If that child has been eating nuts and the next child is allergic, you could cause an allergic reaction by using the same brush whether you have cleaned it or not. I find it's best to eliminate all of that and just use Q-tips.
• Baby Wipes - No fragrance ones if possible. Make sure they are soft as you may be wiping the child's face with them. Also use them to clean your hands when they get dirty.
• Hair Clips - A definite must have for any fringes or loose hairs. Hair dressing clips are the best as they open horizontally and don't catch on the hair.
• Mirror - You want your client to see the masterpiece you have just created. It doesn't look good if you don't take a mirror, because every child will want to see what they look like after, and they don't want to have to go searching through mum's handbag to find a tiny make-up mirror they can't see anything in.
• Design Book / Board - We all know how picky and indecisive children can be. It helps if they can see some designs that they can choose from. Most children will just point to which one they want. If you use a book for all your designs, let one child pick one and while you are painting that child's face, the next child can be looking through and picking one.
• Table and chairs - If you are been paid for an event, 9 times out of 10, the person paying you will expect you to bring everything you need. It doesn't look good if you turn up and they have to go searching for a table and chairs for you. Also I take 2 chairs with me to events, one for the child and one for me, your legs can get pretty tired after standing painting for 5 hours straight and some designs can be done sat down. I use a camping table and chairs that fold up so they fit in my car easier and are easier to carry in and out of the event.
• Table Cloth - Ideally one that covers the table and reaches the floor, at least on one side. This makes your table look more professional and keeps it looking clean and tidy. You can store the things you are not using (such as your bags, boxes, clean water) under the table and it is hidden by the cloth, it also keeps those little hands off anything you don't want them touching.
• Business Cards - Always have business cards out on your table so people can just take one, even if they don't have a child with them, they may have a child at home they are planning a party for. I tend to count out piles of 50 and put a rubber band around each pile. At the start of each event, I will put 50 out and keep the rubber band, once they run out I will refill with another 50 and again keep the rubber band. At the end of the event, I will count how many rubber bands I've got and how many cards are left. This is a brilliant way of keeping track of how many cards have been taken at the event.
• Stickers - I give a sticker to every child I face paint, but I always keep the back of the sticker (the piece of paper it comes on). At the end of the day, I count how many backs I've got and that lets me know how many face's I have painted that day.
• Glitter - Make sure it is cosmetic grade glitter and try not to put it too close to the child's eyes or mouth. Glitter can finish off any design just by adding that extra sparkly touch.
• Gems - I always make sure to carry gems on me at events. They are perfect for children who don't want too much paint on their skin and they are inexpensive to buy, but make the design look more expensive. You can buy them from any craft store in a large variety of colours. They are brilliant for finishing off crown's and tiara's on all the little princesses.
• Drinks and Snacks - Trust me, if you are doing an all day event, you will need to take some with you. You can't always guarantee you will get a break for food, so take some sandwiches or cereal bars with you that you can munch on in between faces. Most importantly though, MAKE SURE YOU EAT FIRST! Have a good breakfast in the morning that will give you enough energy to keep you going throughout the day. Take lots of water or juice with you too, especially to outdoor events during the summer.

I hope this helps you prepare for your next event.

If I have missed anything off that you can think of, please comment below, I would love to know what your essentials are.


Stay Inspired
Amy
xxx

Two Types of Bear

Hello again!

Today I have another face painting post for you, and this one is about teddy bears. 

I remember when I had just started out face painting, I think it was my second event, and this little boy sat down and said he wanted to be a bear... You can imagine my face. I had no idea where to even begin, thankfully I managed to convince him to be spider-man instead.

That night when I got home, I looked online for 'bear face painting' and I was glad I had convinced him otherwise.

Now though I have two types of bear that I paint, a simple one for the wriggly kids who can't sit still longer than 2 minutes. And a harder one that covers the full face, but I will show you how it's done.

If you are going to use these designs at your next face painting event, don't forget to practice a little first. 

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First I will show you the simple bear. This one is very good for little kids who don't want full coverage and those wriggly kids who seem to have ants in their pants (like my mum used to say).

1. Using pink paint, draw a semicircle over each eyebrow. You can use a brush or a sponge, I tend to use a 1/2'' flat brush but you can use any you are comfortable with.

2. With brown paint, draw a thick line round each semicircle to create ears. Join the ears together by drawing a thick line between the two. Then drag flicks upwards into the forehead for a the hair and using a dye brush or you finger, blend the bottom down onto the nose. While you have brown on your brush, you can also do the muzzle now by filling in between the top lip and nose and rounding it off at each side, Try to take a little onto the nose at each side just so the nose doesn't look separate.

3. Outline the ears and hair in black making sure the hair ends in thin points. I tend to just do a flick between the brown and pink of the ears as it looks odd if you outline the whole pink section. Then from each eye, do 3 flicks starting with the largest at the top.

4. Now you can outline the muzzle in black, starting from the top lip, curve it round and end in a point near the nose. Draw a thin line down the center and paint a triangle on the nose. Paint in the top lip with the black and curve the center thing line out to join the lip. Don't forget your whisker dots on each side of the lip, just to fill in the empty space.

5. Now you can either leave it like this, or for a tattered teddy you can paint a patch. Simply paint a square on the cheek of whatever colour you would like, outline in black and paint little stitches from the square onto the cheek.

TaDa... One quick and easy teddy bear that is perfect for girls and boys of any age!

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Now the other bear. This one is full coverage of the face, so it takes longer and uses more paint. If you charge for your face painting skills, you may want to take this into consideration when pricing. 

1. Using either a white or a pale yellow, paint a circle around the mouth and nose to create the muzzle of the teddy bear. And draw a small semicircle at each side of the forehead for the inside of the ears.

2. With Brown face paint, create a large circle around the face connecting at each side of the muzzle and fill in. Make sure you match up to each of the ears otherwise they will be floating.

3. Outline the muzzle and paint the lips in black. You can extend the lips if you like to make it look more happy. Paint on a nose and draw a thin black down connecting it to the top lip and round off at bottom.

4.Next you need to outline the rest of the bear in black, making sure to go around the ears and also outlining the inside ear too. With a dry brush go back over these lines dragging some of the paint out away from the design for make it look like fur or fluff. This also softens the design a bit so its not so harsh.

5. Now for the finishing touches. Draw a line straight down the center of the nose connecting the top to the muzzle, then create little stitches down this line. Add some little hash marks around the face to mark it look a bit tattered and to fill in any empty area's. For little girls, you can add some eyelashes by doing some black flicks on the outside of each eye. 

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If you are going to use these designs at your next event, practice them first to help you memorize them and experiment with them.

I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I have, and I please leave pictures in the comments section below if you do try them out. 

If you have any questions or requests, please leave a comment and I will try my best to reply.

Stay Inspired

Amy

xxx

Face Painting - Hygiene

Hello!

I have another post about face painting for you, and today its all about hygiene. When painting faces you have to make sure you keep your brushes and sponges clean as they will be touching lots of peoples skin during each event and you don't really want to be spreading germs around. So, today I will show you how I wash all of my supplies.

First I rinse all my brushes under running water just to get any excess paint off. Then I soak all of my brushes in hot water from the kettle with a little shampoo or body wash in, this kills any germs and it loosens any dried on paint. I make sure to put my brushes in the container first with the shampoo, then pour the water over them. You don't need a lot of water, just enough to cover the bristles and barrels of the brushes, especially if you have wooden brushes with paint on the handle section, the hot water can peel the paint off and they end up looking grubby and dirty. You can mix the brushes around a bit in the water but its not essential, I always tend to do it on brushes I have used dark colours on though, just to lighten the bristles again.

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While the brushes are soaking in the hot water, I use this time to clean my sponges. You can put them in the washing machine if you like, just make sure they are washed alone(unless it is with any towels you have used), and they are in a bag (like those ones you can buy for washing your delicate's). Also I tend to put a little shampoo on the sponges too before putting them in, I run them under the tap and get the shampoo foaming first. I don't tend to use washing powder or softener as some people are allergic to certain brands and I find its just not worth it. I don't want to be the cause of some kid turning bright red and itchy just because I used a sponge on their face. Just put it on a temperature of 40° or higher.

Another way to clean your sponges is just under warm running water. Squeeze your sponges under the tap to get any excess paint out first, then add a drop of shampoo or body wash and rub into the sponge. You want to get it foaming to get the paint out. Once you have all the shampoo foamed in the sponge, you need to squeeze it under the tap to get ALL of the shampoo out. Don't worry if your sponge still has some colour on it, you will find the face paints stain the sponge. To make sure they are clean I usually press the wet sponge onto a piece of kitchen roll, if the kitchen roll is left clean with no colour on, then the sponge is clean.

To dry your sponges, I squeeze them inside a piece of kitchen roll to get any excess water out, then just leave them sat on some dry kitchen roll and leave them to air dry is best.

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Now I tend to go back to my brushes, I take my brushes out of the hot water and run them under the tap together. Then I take each brush separately and run them under warm running water. I make sure to rub the bristles with my fingers to get any shampoo out and any paint that might still be in there (especially in thicker or larger brushes). Again I use kitchen roll to check they are clean and to get any excess water out.

I reshape my brushes while they are still damp on the kitchen roll. For round brushes, I roll the bristles to create the point of the brush again. And for flat brushes, I drag the brush down the kitchen roll gently. Then I just leave my brushes to air dry on kitchen roll with my sponges. 

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Now a lot of face painter's out there have different ways of cleaning their actual paints and split cakes, but I find the quickest and easiest way is to just wipe them with a baby wipe. It gets any other colours off that have mixed in during the day and it gets any brush marks off so leaves them looking clean and tidy. Just wipe them gently, you don't want to pick any paint up on the wipe, just the messy bits. And if you are cleaning split cakes, make sure you only wipe in one direction as you don't want to mix the colours. 


Always remember, you will get more customers if your supplies look clean and tidy! :)


Stay Inspired
Amy
xxx

Accordion Pocket

Hello!

Today I have making some accordion pockets to go in scrapbooks I am making, so I thought I would show you how to make them.

The one I will be showing you is one I am making to go on the inside cover of a scrapbook but I have also made another one this morning with file tabs in to keep in my handbag, all I did was cover the back with paper too so it didn't look messy. 

You will need:

• C5 Sized Envelopes
• 6''x 6'' Decorative Papers
• Paper Cutter / Ruler & Scissors
• Scoring Tool
• Adhesive (Double sided tape is easiest for this)
• Magnets (Optional)

I am using magnets for my closure but you can use any type of closure you want. These also look really cute with the string closure.

First you need to cut your envelopes at 4 1/2'' from the bottom, like in the picture.

You can cut as many envelopes as you want, but you want at least 4 otherwise there isn't enough stability and it might rip when you open it. I am doing 5 today.

Next you need to stick all of your envelopes together to create an accordion. I find that double sided tape works the best as it gives you straight lines so your pocket opens neatly. Place the tape on pockets as I'v shown in the picture, making sure to leave about an inch at either side. Line all your envelopes up together making sure the openings are all at the top.

Using the top part from one of the envelopes, seal it shut and from this edge you want to score at 2'' and then at 2 1/4''. This will give you enough depth for up to approximately 8 envelopes with photos in. If you are wanting it deeper just change the score line. So, instead of 1/4'' between, you could but 1/2''. Then on the open edge, cut diagonally down from the score line. This will make the finished pocket look neater.

Now you can stick the flap you just made on to the back of the pocket. Make sure to line it up with the edges of your pocket so you don't end up with a wonky flap.

If you are using magnets, you want to stick them on now so you can hide the tape under the decorative paper. I just use duct tape to secure my magnets on, because it is quick and strong enough that they won't be pulled off when I go to open the pocket. Make sure your magnets line up and that the positive side of one is to the negative side of the other, otherwise you won't be able to close your pocket.

Now you just need to add you decorative paper. The piece on the flap is 6''x 1 3/4'' and the larger piece is 6''x 41/4''. I also add a piece on the inside of the flap to hide the magnet which is also 6''x 1 3/4''. If you covering the back you will need a piece that is 6''x 4 1/4''.

Then add any embellishments you like and voilà! 

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and get creative with it. 

Stay Inspired

Amy

xxx

5 Easy Face Painting designs

Hello again!

Face painting is a fun way to entertain the kids all year round. Whether its dress up day at school and you can't find a costume, or its summer holidays and they're complaining they're bored every 5 minutes (trust me, I know how it feels). It can be a saviour at Halloween and birthday parties, and you don't need to be an artist, you just need some imagination... and some face paints.

I wrote a blog post about starting out with face painting and all of the supplies you will need, but if you are just doing it to entertain the kids, you may just want to buy 3 - 5 colours depending on what designs you want to paint, I would definitely recommend black though, as black is used in almost every design out there to outline and add detail. 

If you want to read that post, the link is here:
http://libidascreations.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/thinking-of-face-painting.html

I have put together 5 easy designs for you to try out and give you some inspiration.

Clockwise from top left: Pirate, Elsa Crown, Spider web eye, Flowers and finally, a Tiger.

I know some of them look a bit complicated but they are all done using basic techniques. Here's how I did them...

Pirate: 

• Cover the whole forehead in with red, either with a sponge or a brush, doesn't really matter which. Add two little trail bits down one side to create the knot.
• Next draw an eye patch around one eye and fill in with black.
• Outline the bottom of the head scarf with black using a thin brush and draw a circle above your two trail pieces, this will create your knot and then outline the trails.
• Don't forget to add the strings from the eye patch leading up diagonally as if they are tucking under the head scarf.

Optional:

• Draw a thin red line on the cheek and draw little black lines over to look like stitches over a scar. 
• Then draw a mustache on the top lip.
• For extra effect, you can add black or white dots randomly to the head scarf to make it stand out a bit more.

Elsa Crown: (Frozen)

Try to keep this design as symmetrical as you can.

• First draw a blue diamond in the middle of the forehead.
• Using a yellow or a gold, paint a line curving down each side making sure to meet at top and bottom.
• Then from the bottom point, draw an arch over each eyebrow. 
• Add a curved point shape to each side of the center bit and triangles on both sides.

Optional:

• Using white paint, add some flicks with your brush, down from the center of the crown and from each eye.
• You could also try adding dots of different sizes randomly to the design to create some interest and make it look more detailed.

Spider Web Eye:

• Sponge on whatever background colour you would like, covering one eye completely. Extend the colour out towards the hairline, going up diagonally and out along the cheek.
• Let the base colour dry. Then add black lines down the outer edge of the face, all aiming towards the nose. Make sure to bring the top line down onto the top of the nose and the bottom line almost meeting the nose, and both ending in a thin point.
• Now just add curved lines between these to make it look like a spiderweb.

Optional:

• You could add a little spider to your design by doing two dots and flick 8 little legs out from them.

I know my spider in the picture looks rubbish, but my cat rubbed against my arm as I was doing it and I couldn't be bothered wiping it off and starting it again.

Flowers:

• First you need to paint the flowers. You do this by loading up your brush with whatever colour you want and placing the point on the skin. Now keeping the point of the brush in the center, push down outwards 5 times going round in a circle to create the petals. Should look like this...

• Don't forget about the dot in the middle to finish off each flower. You can do as many flowers as you like in as many different colours.
• Next, load your brush with green and add lines between the flowers to look like they are on a vine. try to make it curve a little to look more natural.
• Then with the green still, add some leaves onto the vine just like you did the flower petals but instead of doing 5 just do 1 for each leave.

Optional:

• You can add some dots in any colour randomly around flowers to create a bit more interest or try adding a bit of glitter for some sparkle.

Tiger:

• Sponge white onto both eyes, making sure to take the colour up above the eyebrow at an angle and end in points at either side of the forehead.
• Now sponge Orange between the white on the forehead, taking it down the nose and across under each eye going about half way down the cheek.
• Outline the white areas with thin black lines.
• Add a heart shape to the end of the nose in black.
• Then just add some lines from the outer edges aiming into the middle of the design to create the tiger stripes.

Optional:

• Add three little dots at each side of the top lip and three lines to represent the tigers whiskers.

So, I hope you have fun trying out these designs and feel free to experiment and change them to suit your style. 

Stay Inspired

Amy

xxx

Face Painting - Practicing

Hello again!


I wanted to talk to you more about face painting. The other day I posted about starting off face painting and what essentials you needed to buy to get you started. Here is a link to that post:

http://libidascreations.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/thinking-of-face-painting.html

And I hope that post got you thinking about starting face painting because it is a really fun hobby and you have the potential to earn a little extra money from it if you decide to. But, before you get to that stage, you need to practice!

So whether you practice on yourself or some victim out there who doesn't know it yet, you need to get some designs done and it helps to practice. I know it comes without saying that the more you practice, the better you will get, but there are other benefits to come from it too. Such as, say if you have a design, the first couple of times you paint this design you will probably need a picture or drawing for reference, but, if you practice it, you will find that after a few times you won't need a reference anymore because you've practiced it and you know how to paint it without the reference. 

When I first started, I used Google images a lot by just searching 'face painting designs' and trying to copy from the images that came up. Now though, when I'm doing new designs, I also use Pinterest and YouTube for ideas and references. Usually I will start by copying the image or video once to see if I can do the design (trust me, for some of them it seems like you need to go through art college first), but also to see roughly how much paint is used as this all plays a part when it comes to pricing. 

Once I have copied the design once, I will take a photo and I draw out onto a template my own version of it. Like this... 

As you can see with this design I haven't changed too much as it is a simple design anyway. I just took some of the dots away and I've added some glitter, I have also replaced the snowflake in the center with just some simple flicks as I was trying to keep it simple. I have done this because I do charge for my face painting and I was trying to keep this one within a price range, which is with some of my cheaper designs. 

So, once I have drawn out my version of the design, I then paint out my design. While I am doing this, I make sure to time how long it takes as this adds to the pricing too (obviously designs that take longer will cost more).

This is my design painted out...

There is glitter on the dots under the eyes and on the blue diamond but you can't really see it in this photo. 

This is how I came up with a lot of my designs when I first started and I still use this method now for some of them. But the more designs you do, and the more you face paint, you will come up with your own style and methods that suit you. Sometimes I just sit down with a face template and draw whatever comes into mind. 

So, I hope this will help you come up with some designs of your own and remember... you have to practice!


Stay Inspired
Amy
xxx