What Should be Bought for a Starter Kit?

Hello!

I worked last summer with a face-painting company (using Wolfe paints), and I loved it so much I'd like to take up painting as a hobby. I have one of the pathetic little Snazaroo palettes just to mess around with, but I'd really like to expand so I have more of a proper kit. Where should I start?

Thank you!

I started off using the tag pallette with 12 colours...I found that it had all the colours I needed. If you wanted to you could also get black and white in dfx as they are better for line work
I also bought the tag neon rainbow to use for butterflies. That was a big wow factor for my customers

There are lots of choices in the face paint forum shop above this post..look for the rainbow rectangle and click it. You are in the states so you should be able to find some starter kits there that are affordable and won't cost too much. You can also google the brands and find what they offer for starter kits. Wolfe has a couple of good one. Good luck.

When you say Hobby--do you mean for a little money on the side or just for you when hanging out with friends?

How much are you spending? What do you already have?

In Holland every online store sells starter kits they put together themselves. Don't actually know of Methina does that to?
To give an advice is hard for me, the addiction to big, si my starterskit grow very fast. Only thing I miss is a larger rainbowcake. It will come...

Amy, at this point it would be more of the hanging out with friends, although I would love to eventually start doing small gigs after I get more practice in.

Thank you to everyone else! As far as paint brands go, is there one in particular which is good for bases/blending and another which is good for linework?

Go to the Frequently Asked Questions or the Face Painting Kit sections of the Forum. Tons of info already covered multiple times.

Whiskerly,

My starter kit was all essential colors and I found I had to make another purchase of metallics. (Be careful its addicting I've only been painting 4 months, but I've found a mix of brands is what I like. Wolfe/DFX/TAG for linework and FAB/Paradise/Snazaroo for bases/blending. Of course in VA, you might want to avoid Snaz as it melts in extreme heat- I even had problems in a NY summer!

Also, as an avid forum reader, one hint that has helped me tremendously is when searching for a topic, don't use the search bar on the forum page, instead search on google, whatever topic you want then site:facepaintforum. example: "DFX vs TAG site:facepaintforum.com" This site is the best!

Good luck

if it is just for you and friends buy a few arty cakes, a wolfe (or tag) Blk and white, some of the green sponges, a neon rainbow cake, and some glitter (I suggest the fairy (not large cut) mama clown poof glitter).

If you are doing a few small parties--get an arty cake for Green faces (monster, hulk, leaves, snake), get a pretty one (butterflys, flowers, princess, fairy), and then a med. pallet. I also LOVE my wonderpallet--which is small circles (I think 6) with two colors in each container. I use this almost more then anything else.

Buy brushes from walmart--or hobby lobby--or micheals (use coupon). You can get gems/jews and eye lash glue from there too.

I bought one of each kinds of paints when I did my first pack so I can see what I like--

I like Tag, Wolfe, and paradise

I don't really like Starblends, snazaroo, or Fab--either cause of smell ( sold my starblend because it was instant headache to me) or because I don't like the way it covers (snazaroo) or my own face didn't seem to like it very much (fab--I only have red in fab--so who knows if it is the red, or the brand?)

I do love Facepaint forum store---super quick, great customer service--
but I like a few things on sillyfarm that aren't offered here.

I LOVE my wonder pallet --- but if you get it don't get the Dk pink/lgt pink insert---they are too similar and don't show up as two colors. I have the Blues, white/brown, pinks, yellow/orange, greens, and purples!

I am a newbie too and this has worked the best for me so far. I also bought a few round brushes, a brush bath, and a few other glitters---I have spent about $375 on my kit thus far---it adds up pretty quick.

amylady222,

I'm also building my face paint kit and haven't tried many brands besides wolfe. The information you just provided is sooo helpful!


Any suggestions on "must have" brushes?

I've tried most of the ones recommended on the threads here, and so far I really like the loew cornell yellow handle 795 series. They have them at the AC Moore near me so I use a coupon at a time, or if you want to buy a bunch at a time the FPF shop has good prices and fast/cheap shipping! I'm only a few months in, I heard that the paint chips off the wooden handles but hasn't happened to me yet. Definitely my favorite. OR do you mean types? Then several each round #0, 2 & 4, and 3/4" & 1" flat brush for one strokes

I only have four actual face paint brushes so I can't help you out there---I LOVE round brushes and flat brushes

I bought a butterfly brush and think it will come in handy while doing kids carnivals, but so far haven't used it very ofter--plus you have to practice so you can really learn how to use it.

I also bought the dot brush---it has a red handle--and I don't use it. I find that I just use the tip of my round brush.

I also bought a filbert (sp?) shaped brush, and I just can't get the hang of it--gotta watch more videos and figure that sucker out!

My favorite brushes thus far are a pack from walmart with clear colored handles.

Also I bought some Daubers sponges at walmart and have really enjoyed those--I like the coverage a sponge gives (which BTW in teh facepaint world-- the pink sponges are less stiff then the green sponges--I bought one of each and I used my pink sponge about 2 times and haven't since. I like the green sponges WAY more) but the control a brush has.

Hope that helps a little--I can't recommend brands since my knowledge is totally lacking ---there are brush threads all over in this forum--look at one of those

ANY--while I have my opinion there are some way amazing ladies that ONLY use Snaz or ONLY use starblends, so you just gotta find what works for you!.

You are all so wonderful! I'm so glad this forum is available as a resource for beginning painters.

(I've been browsing Silly Farm and I'm beginning to see how it would be very, very easy to spend a mountain of money on face painting...So many wonderful things to acquire...)

Oh yes, it's very easy to fall victim to magpie-syndrome. "Must have ALL the shiny!"

As other people have said a good basework palette (kryolan, paradise, snazaroo) and some linework black and white (wolfe, dfx, TAG), some green sponges, 3-4 round #5 brushes, a flat 1/2"-3/4" brush and a white fairy dust glitter is a good start.

Arty-cakes or one-stroke cakes are amazing and definitely trigger the magpie in me, but by the time you start buying those it will add up VERY quick.

I agree about the arty or other one-stroke cakes - they're fantastic, but not necessarily a "must-have" for a beginning painter. Personally my "can't live without" kit would be:

Basic, bright colours for blending - I actually like Snazaroo for this, it's very easy to blend with and I like the way it goes on for bases!

Black and white for line work - I use Wolfe or Superstar (FAB)

A set of high-density sponges - they come in rounds, cut them in half

A set of brushes - I like Royal Soft-Grip for value ones, and some other brands too. I'd choose a small round for fine work (size 1 or 2), then a 3-4 and a 5-6 round. Add in a 3/4" flat and a #4 filbert I've finally got the hang of using for teeth and leaves, and I'd be just about functional.

A small pot or puffer of fine iridescent glitter or a clear glitter gel.

A few sponge daubers (also called sponge mops or pouncers) just because they're so much fun for painting wuppies, spiders and other things with!

To be honest....you don't need much more than that, and you can even get one of the small mini-palettes from Wolfe or Snaz to fulfil the first 1-2 items on the list.

Of course, that isn't to say I'm not a magpie. There's evidence of that elsewhere on here, and I lovvvvvvve my split cakes. But there's plenty of time for buying those things, and I think there's something to be said for learning how to use the basics well before you move on to all the cute spangly things.

Hey Gang!
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I am not paid to tell you this.
It is true.

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Happy Painting!

Um...yes! I believe the forum store has already been mentioned and heartily recommended on this thread! But now it's been recommended again, which never hurts.

After all, Metina has turbo-rocket-boosted fairies powered by pure rainbow dust who deliver at unreasonably high speed.

Who can beat that?

I DO like Snaz paint even though some people don't - I never found that they don't cover welll, they always do a good job for me and I worry about reactions less. For white details, teardrops, linework, I like Wolfe white, as it's very dense and opaque. I have Wolfe and DFX for linework in black. I love my big round Wolfe Neon Rainbow pot, also my TAG Pearl Rainbow (Metina has it on sale right now, it came up on the first page), it's gorgeous and my new favorite color, Tag lime green. I use the leaf arty cakes a lot (one has white in it, one has yellow in it. I've bought different glitters but actually found that all you need is the Irrisdescent white on the Face Paint Forum, best price/shipping. There doesn't seem to be enough difference in some glitter colors, once they're on the face, to warrant anything but the irridescent white. I like Lowes Corrnel blue handles. A few wide flats (for arty cakes), rounds in 1, 2 and 3 and also some "0" catagory rounds or "spotters". I like the red color sponges the best.

Tina,

At first I was convinced that Snaz wouldn't work for me, but I'm finding that my faces are getting better as I practice using this paint. I'm glad that there's someone to attest to its quality. (Still...with my birthday just around the corner, I'll definitely be putting a Wolfe or DFX palette on the list.)

I love Snaz for bases - it's beautifully blendable, soft-feeling and easy to remove. It can take some practice to get the hang of, but I'm getting there. There are a couple of artists on this forum who use ONLY Snaz, even for line work (I prefer Wolfe/Superstar for that) and they make beautiful work.

Each to his/her own - we all have our own style and preferences.

Edited to add: I just read back and realised I've already said much of this. Sorry.

like I said before---some people work mostly with Snaz and do amazing, some people work mostly with starblends and do amazing--some work with a little of everything.

I think one thing we mostly all agree on is that wolfe black is great for linework...

Just keep trying things and figure out what works for you---you could also do what I did and buy one of each brand and see what works for you---

PS: I like Ben Nye--but their paint sucks up the water--so you need a lot of water to get it activated!

Hey Whiskerly - off topic, I know, but I was wondering where in VA you are? I'm in the Richmond area!

Lynchburg...nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. (: