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Kids of all ages love to have their faces painted (especially the younger ones!), so it's the perfect thing to learn how to do if you have young kids* or you*re planning to have a birthday party for your children.

With this in mind, I*ve prepared a few tips for people just starting out in face painting. Here they are:

1) If you*re painting a design that needs a large area to be covered with paint, use a sponge instead of a brush. Why? Because applying the paint with a sponge means it will dry quicker. It's a good idea to have a few sponges set aside if you need to use different colors, because this means you won*t have to try and clean the sponge for each color*which would take time.

2) Always let the first color dry before you start painting on a second! If you forget to wait for it to dry, they colors will most likely mix and you*re going to have to start from scratch again.

3) Make sure you know what you want the finished face to look like. Don*t mak it up as you go along. You need to be able to paint faces rather quickly, as if you have children, you already know that kids aren*t always very patient*and they may get bored or restless if you*re thinking on what to paint next.

4) If you*re not good at painting freehand yet, don*t be afraid to use a stencil. You can get stencils of stars, hearts, flowers, and all sorts of things. These are perfect for stencilling onto a cheek. You'll need stencils of different sizes to accommodate different face sizes.

5) If you want something faster than stencilling, why not try temporary tattoos? Make sure the person's skin doesn*t react badly to it first, by asking them (or their parents)*or testing it on a small area first.

6) If you have a line of kids ready to have their faces painted, ask them to be thinking about what they would like a few minutes before its actually their turn. You don*t want to be delayed while each kid thinks of what he or she would like painted on their face.

7) Remember to have a mirror with you at all times so you can show the person what you have painted, and to make sure they*re happy with your work.

8) Professional face paint and stage makeup can be quite expensive, especially if you*re planning to paint a lot of faces. You can make your own simple face paint with cheaper ingredients. A quick search on Google will find you plenty of ideas that you can use to make your own face paint with. Bear in mind this won*t be as good as the professional face paint, so if you can afford it* I would advice you to get the professional stuff.

They you go, that's my 8 tips a for professional face painting! I hope you found them useful.