A Celtic inspired armband is a nice addition to your St. Patrick’s Day designs, but it can be popular any time of the year for teens who would like a little more sophisticated or realistic look as their body art choice.

Tools:

• Paradise Brilliant Gold face paint
• Mehron Gold Glitter Powder
• Round brush #1
• Round brush #5
• DiamondFX Black face paint
• DiamondFX White face paint

Process:

1. Spray your metallic gold face paint with a little water to moisten the cake. You can just use the metallic gold if you like, but if you tap a little Mehron Gold Glitter Powder onto your moistened gold face paint, you’ll end up with a more opaque gold which has a stronger metallic sheen to it.

Load your #5 round brush with the gold mixture to outline your design. I chose a simple Celtic knot and made a mirror image of it beneath the first image. Then I added a simple chain wrapping around the arm. (Tip: End your painting when you reach the torso rather than trying to go all the way around the arm. If you don’t, some of the face paint will rub off on the clothing.)

2. Outline your image in your DiamondFX black with your #1 round brush being careful to keep in mind which portions are on top and which portions will go underneath. This intertwining of the design is what makes Celtic designs uniquely beautiful, so it’s worth the extra attention to detail.

3. Once your design is established, use your #1 round brush to thin some of your DiamondFX black and brush it on the back of your hand. (You’re using your hand as a palette so that you can control the amount of pigment you are mixing with the water and see how it looks on the skin.) Add a little more water to thin it out. You want to achieve a very thin black which isn’t as dark as the black you used for outlining your design. You’re going to brush this along the all the edges which are on the bottom side of your design, creating a light shadow which will give this piece the illusion of being three-dimensional and sitting up off the arm.

4. The final step is to again use a #1 round brush and Diamond FX white to add a few highlights to the design. Place these sparingly on the upper edges and corners where light would naturally glisten on a golden armband.

This technique will work with any Celtic knot designs, so feel free to experiment by making yours as simple or as elaborate as you like. Thanks for checking out this tutorial, and I hope it helps make your St. Patrick’s Day events fabulous!