Introduction to Powder Face Painting for Professionals by Kellie Burrus

Facepaint.com, the leading online destination for professional face painters, recently hosted an exclusive webinar featuring Kelly Burris, a renowned face painting artist from Long Island, New York. This session focused on powder face painting techniques, specifically designed to withstand humid conditions and high-activity environments, making it an essential skill for face painters working in festivals, restaurants, or bouncy house events.

At Facepaint.com, we provide professional quality face paint, including best-selling KrazeFX Face Paint, and a wide selection of brands to help face painters develop their craft efficiently. Our platform also offers educational resources like blogs, contests, and video tutorials to support the growing face painting community.

Watch the Full Tutorial:

Video Title: Kellie Burrus (Powder Face Painting) Webinar

Why Powder Face Painting is Essential for Humid Conditions
Traditional face paints often lose their vibrancy or slide off when applied in humid environments or on clients who sweat during events. Kelly Burris highlighted the advantages of powder face paints, including their ability to stay vibrant even under moisture.

Key products demonstrated during the webinar include:

• Ben Nye Lumiere Palette – Ideal for translucent backgrounds.

• Mehron Star Blends – Excellent for both subtle shading and opaque coverage.

Powder face painting provides a barrier effect that helps designs maintain integrity even under sweat or water exposure. This makes it especially useful for restaurants, active play areas, or outdoor events where maintaining design quality is challenging.

Essential Tools for Powder Face Painting
Kelly emphasized the importance of using appropriate tools to achieve optimal results:

• Dry sponge technique: Essential for application in humid environments to prevent color loss.

• Wet sponge technique: Enhances opacity for dry conditions.

• Brush recommendations: Craze petal brush, half-inch Blazin brush, and number three round brush for detail work.

By choosing the right tools and techniques, professional face painters can achieve precise lines, vibrant colors, and durable designs that last throughout busy events.

Step-by-Step Powder Face Painting Techniques

1. Prepare the Skin and Powder
   Start with clean, dry skin. If simulating sweat for practice, a small amount of vegetable oil can mimic humidity.

2. Apply Powder with Dry Sponges
   Load the sponge lightly with powder and apply with gentle, consistent pressure. This method keeps the powder effective even on sweaty skin.

3. Enhance Coverage with Wet Sponges
   For areas requiring more opacity, lightly moisten the sponge before loading powder. This method is effective for dry skin or detailed color work.

4. Layer Designs with Brushes
   Use petal and angle brushes to define intricate shapes, such as flowers, butterflies, or superhero masks. For fine details and line work, wax-based paints like Craze, TAG, Wolf, or Diamond Effects are ideal over the powder base.

Demonstration Highlights from the Webinar

• Spider-Man Design: A red star blends base applied under simulated sweat conditions, with black line work layered on top.

• Butterfly Designs: Multi-colored powder backgrounds (yellow, purple, silver) enhanced with traditional paint for crisp details.

• Flower and Rainbow Designs: Layered powder colors create vivid results, with white highlights for dimension.

• Character Requests: The webinar also included unique requests like a beluga whale, demonstrating the versatility of powder paints in creating both classic and custom designs.

Product Comparisons and Durability Tips

Powder face paints have several advantages over traditional face paints:

• Superior staying power – Less frequent touch-ups are needed.

• Resistance to sweat and water – Especially when paired with Mehron Barrier Spray or Ben Nye barrier products.

• Versatility for line work – Wax-based paints over powder bases allow for flexible, durable designs.

• Stencils compatibility – Powders provide precise application for repeated patterns.

Powder cakes that crack during use can easily be repaired by pressing them back together, making them cost-effective and long-lasting for professional painters.

Advanced Techniques and Expert Tips

Kelly shared several advanced tips for optimizing powder face painting:

• Double-loading technique: Combine two colors on the sponge for gradient effects.

• Stencil precision: Powders adhere better to stencils than traditional paints, ensuring clean edges.

• Mixing with Mehron Liquid: Instead of water, mixing liquid can enhance water resistance.

• Line work management: Regular brush reloading ensures consistent color and prevents streaking.

These techniques are particularly valuable for high-volume events or settings where clients are active, ensuring professional results every time.

Practical Applications for Powder Face Painting

Powder face painting is ideal for:

• Bouncy house events – Children’s high activity leads to sweat, and powders maintain design integrity.

• Restaurant work – Servers and performers can maintain vibrant face designs without frequent touch-ups.

• Outdoor festivals – Powder paints resist humidity and light rain, reducing the risk of design fading.

• Special effects – Pairing powder bases with wax-based line work allows for advanced character designs, such as superheroes, animals, and creative fantasy characters.

Conclusion: Mastering Powder Face Painting

Powder face painting provides professional face painters with a durable, vibrant, and versatile solution for any event setting. With proper techniques, brushes, and products from Facepaint.com, artists can deliver high-quality designs that withstand humidity, sweat, and long hours of use.

By integrating these powder painting methods into your skill set, face painters can expand their offerings, tackle challenging environments, and impress clients with designs that last. For more professional tutorials, check out our Facepaint.com educational resources, including webinars, blogs, and live classes designed for artists of all levels.