If you’re looking for something fun and quick for kids this summer, but still carries a level of custom design even when you’re after speed, try out this super-fast monster monogram face paint design.

Materials

• TAG small split Snake (or other favorite one stroke split)
• Paradise dark green face paint
• Diamond FX white face paint
• Diamond FX black face paint
• Stencil
• 3/4 inch or 1 inch flat brush
• #3 round brush
• #1 round brush
• Sponge

Instructions

1. Choose a small split cake in the color you’d like to use. For the example, I went with classic monster green and used the TAG small split called Snake. Load your 3/4 inch or 1 inch flat brush from the small split cake. I used the letter S for my example, but you could do this with any letter. I started working around the S shape, and then went back on the other side so that when I was finished, the entire letter shape had the darkest color on the outside edge.

Because this is a monster monogram, I wiggled my brush as I went around the letter shape, trying to get an irregular outline that would look a little bumpy and reptilian.

2. Next I loaded my sponge with Paradise dark green, making sure it was not too wet. I placed my HAS reptile texture stencil over the design and carefully patted some of the dark green on the letter. Texture is a fast and easy way to impress with almost any design, so it’s worth the extra effort to use it, and this is one of my favorite stencils.

3. We’re almost finished already, so you can see how quick this design is. At this point, I cleaned off an area for the eyes with a wet brush. I didn’t get all of the green, and you can see how a little of it still came through the white. If necessary, you can add a little more later to whiten it more. I painted two white circles for the eyes using my #3 round brush. I also added some claws down at the bottom, although you could go with horns or fangs here and there around the shape if you prefer.

With my #1 round brush and the Diamond FX black, I also added some dots, the eye details, and some black outlining. Because I used the Snake split cake, I really wouldn’t need to add any outlining to the entire shape, since the outer color is black on the cake.

4. Finally I used my small brush and added some teeth to the monster. (My model wanted lots of fangs, so I added more than I might have normally.) To balance out the design, I added some white dots for contrast.

One extra tip for mini-monograms, as your subject in the chair might be a smaller child, is to switch to your 1/2 inch brush and make your monster monogram a little smaller.

Happy monograming!

Beth MacKinney is the owner of and primary face painter for Face Paint Pizzazz in the NW Chicago suburbs. She also writes for Examiner.com as the Chicago Face Painting Examiner.