Step-by-step tiger face painting instructions from Extreme Face Painting

 

 

This tiger face will bring out lots of grrrrrowling, so make sure she practices her pounce. Add some black cat ears and let the oohing and aahing begin.

 

 

Step 1: With a sponge, lay in white eye spots, painting directly over the eyelids. Add the white of the muzzle, painting around where the nostrils will be. Add white to the cheek and chin, applying the paint in strokes that move from the center of the face out toward the ears. Place thin white spots under the eyes.

 

 

Step 2: Add the orange basecoat of fur, then stipple it into the white to blend.

 

 

Step 3: Using a sponge, apply brown in the corners of the eyes and along the sides of the nose. Paint a widow’s peak on the forehead and add brown to the lash line, exaggerating the eyes. Use the edge of the sponge to blend.

 

 

Step 4: Further develop the shape of the eyes using a no. 3 round and black. Add black dots curving down along the lines of the mouth, placing smaller dots closer to the center. Suggest fur at the base of the muzzle and jawline, stroking your brush upward from the bottom.

 

 

Step 5: Using a no. 6 round and black, add the stripes. Start at the corner of the eyes, and use teardrop shapes that face away from the eyes and make curves that go from thick to thin. While stylizing the stripes, be sure to keep them symmetrical.

 

 

What paint you should use:

Water based, hypoallergenic and nontoxic paints. (Or any brand of face paint.)

 

What brushes you should use:

Small synthetic rounds with stiff bristles and sharp points. (Like a no. 3 round) Remember that the bigger the brush size, the less control you’ll have.

 

Other materials you may need:

 

Cotton swabs, erasers, disposable brushes, sponges, loose polyester glitter and hand sanitizer or baby wipes to remove the paint.

 

A note on stippling:

This is one of the most useful sponge techniques. Stippling is great for blending color, suggesting texture, indicating highlights and suggesting facial hair. To get the most realistic result, hold your half sponge upside down so the rounded part touches the skin. Using the edge of the sponge would result in lines—something you want to avoid when stippling.

 

From Extreme Face Painting: 50 Friendly & Fiendish Step-by-Step Demos by Brian & Nick Wolfe.

 

For even more great face paints, buy it on Amazon!

 

Check out more easy face painting ideas.