Have you ever thought "I could do that!" when watching a face painter?

Well maybe you could!
Face painting is an incredibly rewarding activity whether it is just for fun on your children and their friends, or whether you become professional. You will always have grateful admirers and happy photos, even if the end result is hot and sticky, covered in candy floss and going up and down on a bouncy castle.

Being face painted is the epitome of fun. Face painting can be surprisingly hard work!

So how do you get started?

• For safety reasons as well as good results only use water based make-up designed for facepainting, we have Starter Kits listed under Products for those putting a toe in the water as well as a wide variety of suitable products for the serious painter.
• Get a book, we sell several that we recommend, or try your library.
• Have a go.
• If you want to face paint at your own child's party practice a few faces first so that you are confident on the day. You are likely to be distracted and it will be more difficult if it's your first time. Try to offer a limited selection, maybe to suit the theme of the party. Do not let them choose from a published book.
• If you think you're a natural keep going - but be warned - it's addictive!
• If you decide to 'go professional' you will need a decent kit and Public Liability Insurance - it can be expensive, but the rewards are good both for your pocket and self-confidence.

The London School of Facepainting runs lots of classes for beginners as well as classes for professionals. Students have six months free membership of facepaint-uk.com and you can take an assessment for insurance purposes through them as well. Look under Training to find out more.

Members should log in to find more information on starting out, more items magically appear in the menu to your left under Training! We also have an article on How Much to Charge? in the magazine archive.