How to Face Paint a Striped Tiger

Paint only an inch or so under the bangs to avoid sticky hair.

Whether you're manning the face painting table at the county fair or decorating your little one for Halloween, few painted faces stand out like a striped tiger. Like many face painting designs, no single correct technique exists for painting a tiger face. To focus your artistic talents, ask the subject to sketch the tiger face she envisions or identify a particular design in a catalog or magazine. Painting a tiger face isn't difficult, but a firm grasp of basic face painting application and color blending will serve you well in this artistic endeavor.

Things You'll Need

• Hair clip
• Two makeup sponges
• Thin paint brush
• Black face paint
• White face paint
• Orange face paint
• Plastic cup of water
• Clean paper towels
• Cotton swabs

Instructions

1. Secure the subject's hair, including bangs, off her face in a clip or barrette. Face paint leaves hair sticky and can ruin the design.

2. Apply a large circle of white face paint around each eye using a makeup sponge. Extend the circles by painting small white flares next to the eyebrow to enhance the shape. Leave an inch and half of skin around the eyelid unpainted to avoid eye irritation.

3. Paint the upper lip and outer base of the nose white with a makeup sponge.

4. Smooth orange face paint around the entire face with a new makeup sponge so the orange runs adjacent to the white sections. Ask the subject if she wants her neck painted, otherwise stop at the jawline.

5. Blend the edges between the orange and white paint on the upper lip with gentle, fluid strokes using the white makeup sponge.

6. Let the entire face air dry.

7. Paint a black perimeter around the white area surrounding the eyes using a clean paintbrush.

8. Paint the tip of the nose and philtral dimple black with the paintbrush.

9. Paint black stripes that start at the edge of the face and move inward toward the nose. Stop the stripes at least 1-inch before the nose. You can space your lines equidistant around the face like sun rays or group the stripes in clusters. For example, paint three stripes starting from each side of the jaw, three stripes from the forehead and three stripes from the outer edge of each cheek.

10. Allow the stripes to dry and remove the hair clip.

Tips & Warnings

• Let the child hold a mirror while you paint so she can watch the tiger face take shape.

• Adjust your painting techniques based on the subject. For example, a highly detailed tiger face is appropriate for a 12-year-old subject, but requires too much patience and sitting still for a 4-year-old.

• Avoid spreading bacteria or possible skin conditions by sterilizing your makeup brushes and sponges with antibacterial solution between painting subjects.

References

• Face Painting Designs: Tiger Face
• Face Paint: Tiger Face Paint Kits and Instructions