Face Painting Tips at Halloween

Halloween is the busiest week of the year for a face painter — and the one night everybody else has a go too.

These are the tips we give across the counter at our Wantirna South warehouse every October: what actually works, what quietly ruins a good design, and what to buy. Everything linked on this page is a live product in stock right now.

Three Halloween looks, step by step

The classic skull — 10 minutes, two colours

1. Lay the white base. Sponge strong white over the whole face in two thin passes, stopping just under the jawline so there is no hard edge at the neck. Let it dry completely.
2. Block the eye sockets. Fill both sockets solid black and carry the shape up towards the brow bone. Go bigger and darker than feels correct — this is the part that disappears under party lighting.
3. Nose and teeth. A small black triangle over the tip of the nose, then vertical stitch lines across both lips and out towards the cheeks. Keep the lines slightly uneven; perfect teeth look like a cartoon.
4. Shade the hollows. Soften a little black under the cheekbones and at the temples with a barely-loaded sponge. That is what turns a flat white face into a skull.

What you need: TAG Strong White 32g, TAG Strong Black 32g, a half moon sponge, the Heart Face Art brush essentials and, if you want the shortcut, the H06 Funny Bones stencil.

The zombie — 45 minutes, most of it drying time

1. Build the torn skin. Stipple liquid latex onto the cheek or forehead with a sponge, let it dry fully, then gently roll or tear the edges to lift a flap. Tissue pressed into a second layer gives it more depth.
2. Kill the colour. Pale the whole face with white, then mottle sickly green and grey over it with a stipple sponge. Never wipe — dab, so the skin stays uneven.
3. Rot and bruise. Work purple, yellow and green from a bruise wheel around the eyes, jaw and the edges of the wound. Paint deep red raw inside the torn section.
4. Blood and finish. Coagulated blood inside the wound, a little fresh stage blood running down from the edge, and decayed teeth. Grey contact lenses finish it if you have them.

What you need: Liquid Latex 30ml, a stipple sponge, the SFX Bruise Palette Wheel, coagulated blood, stage blood and Tooth FX Nicotine / Decay. Full walkthrough: zombie face paint.

The vampire — 20 minutes, highest impact for least effort

1. Drain the colour. A pale base a few shades lighter than your own skin. Do not go pure white — that reads as a mime, not a vampire.
2. Put the shadow back. Grey and purple in the eye sockets, under the cheekbones and at the temples. Paleness only looks drained when there is depth underneath it.
3. The bite. Two punctures about two centimetres apart, on the side of the neck following the muscle — never dead centre. Build them slightly raised with modelling wax and bruise the skin around them.
4. The blood. Coagulated blood in the punctures, then a thin trail of fresh stage blood running downward so gravity looks right. Strong red lips, bloodied teeth, done.

What you need: Creamblend Stick in White, the SFX Bruise Palette Wheel, modelling putty / wax, Diamond FX Essential Red and Tooth FX Blood Red. Full walkthrough: vampire makeup for Halloween.

Painting a queue this Halloween? Work in one colour across everyone before you switch — whites first, then colour, then black. You will paint twice as many faces, and every one of them will be cleaner. Keep one sponge per colour, a second water pot purely for rinsing, and scary stencils on the table to keep the line moving. Painting children rather than one costume? Start with our kids Halloween face paint guide.