Nothing is sweeter than enjoying some cheerful family fun with the classic board game, Candy Land! And as such, we have found that it is often a highly requested theme for children's birthday parties.

While, as face painters, we know that the children are likely to ask for the usual popular designs from our choice boards, it's always nice to offer a few tailored options that stay within the event's theme as well.

Not only is it impressive, but it also allows us another way to customize the experience for our valued clients! 

For this Peppermint Forest design you will need the following supplies:

• TAG Regular Rainbow (or your favorite true colored rainbow cake!) 
• BAM Stencil 1027
• Sponge
• Global Fun Stroke Dublin 
• Global Red
• TAG Snake One Stroke
• Diamond FX White 
• Diamond FX Black
• Silly Farm Big Drop Brush
• Number 2 Round Brush

Step 1: To begin, load a sponge with TAG Regular Rainbow. Use BAM Stencil 1027 to lay down the base of the design. Apply the pigment above the eyebrow and on the upper cheek area. Carefully sponge over the stencil and be sure your sponge is neither too wet nor too dry.

Tip: It may help to ask the child you are painting to lean toward you as you apply the stenciled design.

Step 2: With the Silly Farm Big Drop Brush (or a medium sized filbert brush of your choosing) load the white and pink from the Global Fun Stroke Dublin. Use the rounded tip of this brush to your benefit to easily paint on the candy cane shapes. Keep the lighter color toward the top of your peppermint candy cane shapes. 

Step 3:With a Number 2 Round and Global Red, paint in your peppermint stripes. 

Step 4:  In the board game, Peppermint Forest is surrounded by snow but I took some creative freedoms and made the mints sprouting out of some green foliage. You could easily switch the leaves out for mounds of snow or simply leave the candy canes without anything to anchor them at all, especially if you are in a bit of a rush. Totally up to you! 

With the same brush we used for the candy canes, Silly Farm Big Drop, load your brush with light and dark green from the TAG Snake One-Stroke and add the leaves at the base of the candies.

Next, load a Number 2 Round with Diamond FX White and add in starbursts, dots, and highlights on your candy canes and leaves. 

Final Step: And it's optional! Don't you just love that? Load your number 2 brush with Diamond FX Black and outline your peppermint and leaves. 

And there you have it, friends! A quick, but super sweet, Peppermint Forest inspired Candy Land design. 

I hope that you enjoyed this step by step tutorial and will be able to use it at an upcoming event. 

Please leave any comments, suggestions, and feedback below. We love to hear from you!

Ashlie Alvey is the owner and artist of Chubby Cheeks Body Art in coastal Savannah, Georgia. You can find her artwork featured in such publications as SkinMarkz Magazine, The Colored Palette, and Wet Paint Magazine. Ashlie is most passionate about creating happy memories for her clientele in the form of birthday party entertainment and one-of-a-kind maternity art. You can follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/ashlie_alvey and view her Facebook business page at www.facebook.com/ChubbyCheeksArt.