These 25 face painting ideas for kids will help you get your child ready for a sweet or spooky Halloween.
Face painting is an easy way to take a homemade (or store-bought) Halloween costume to the next level. I’ve rounded up some fun (and frightening) face painting ideas for you to explore!
Worried you aren’t artistic enough to pull them off? Don’t be! I’ve included plenty of easy DIY face paint ideas in this list. However, if you are blessed with artistic skills so good they’re scary, you’ll also find a few not-so-easy options to try your hand at.
Bonus: Did you know you can make your own face paint at home? Yep, it’s true! Check out this recipe for homemade face paint. This may be a great option if your child has sensitive skin and you’re concerned about the chemicals in store-bought face paint.
Tip: These face painting ideas aren’t just for Halloween! Bookmark this post and come back whenever you need a fun activity for kids, such as a birthday party.
Easy Halloween Face Painting Ideas for Kids
1. Sweet Little Kitten – I’m particularly fond of this face painting idea in the event of inclement weather. You can dress your little one up as a kitten using a matching long-sleeved top, jacket, and pants, and top it off with cat ears and this adorable face painting idea.
2. Spooky Pumpkin Halloween Face – You can easily customize this face paint idea for multiple people by making the “pumpkin’s” mouth show different expressions. For example, here you have a “spooky” pumpkin, but you could also have a happy, sad, or maybe even surprised pumpkin.
3. Friendly Dog – If your child doesn’t have the patience to have his or her whole face painted, then this face painting idea may be perfect for you. Similar to the kitten idea (#1), this is a great choice for colder Halloweens.
4. Scarecrow – Trust me, this face paint idea looks harder than it is. Other parents will think you’re some kind of face-painting Picasso when it really isn’t that complicated. Plus, this costume is a unique and frugal option; you can probably make the bulk of this costume with stuff already at your home or found at your local thrift store.
5. Mischievous Pirate – Ayyy matey! Here’s an option that even the most craft-challenged among us (🙋♀️) can probably tackle.
6. Wonder Woman – Confession: I kind of want to try this one on myself! Hey—who says these are just for kids? 😉
7. Too Adorable Pig – Please see the picture in the collage above for an example of this Halloween face painting idea. Bundle your little one up in a pink jumper, paint his or her face as shown, and voilà, you’ve got an adorable piglet on your hands!
8. Cat – If your little one isn’t so little anymore, try this fiercer, more grown-up version of the Sweet Little Kitten (#1) Halloween face painting idea.
9. Cheerful Clown – What’s awesome about this Halloween face paint idea is that since it’s a clown, no one will expect it to be perfect. It’s fine to get silly with the shapes and colors and be a bit unsymmetrical.
10. Panda – And you didn’t think your kid could get any cuter?
11. Spiderman – Spiderman costumes are pretty easy to find; unfortunately, most of them come with cheap plastic masks that break in about 30 seconds … hence this heroic Halloween face painting idea.
12. Pretty Butterfly – Quick and easy, this is perfect for the face painting novice. Mix things up by letting your child pick the butterfly’s colors.
13. Precious Puppy – This is another Halloween face painting idea that’s good for kids that can’t hold still (which is probably most of them), since it only covers about 1/3 of their face. Plus, it’s completely and utterly adorable … so your little one is sure to score lots of candy (enough to share with Mom and Dad)!
14. Kitty – This Halloween face painting idea is the cat’s meow! Please see the picture in the collage above for an example of this Halloween face painting idea.
15. Valiant Soldier – The only problem with this face paint idea? Finding your kid after trick or treating ends to wash the paint off! (Get it?)
16. Tiger – Walk on the wild side with this fun and feisty Halloween face painting idea. This tiger idea is so good I think it could easily be used for occasions other than Halloween such as kids’ birthday parties, block parties, and school festivals.
17. Not Too Ferocious Lion – This face paint idea was executed using homemade paint that calls for just 3 ingredients. It’s perfect for really young kids who might eat or lick at their face paint.
18. Dracula – Utilize this option for the kid (or adult) who wants to don a slightly spookier costume this year. If your vampire tends to be a messy eater, add a drop or two of red face paint for spilled blood.
19. Bat – Need a quick and simple Halloween costume? Dress your child in all black and utilize this face painting idea. If you want to get a little more complicated, do a Google search for homemade bat costumes; there are “how-to” articles on making bat wings out of black umbrellas.
20. Hello Kitty – This Halloween face painting idea is perfect for the Hello Kitty fan in your life (or just about any little girl).
21. Lovable Dog – Please see the picture in the collage above for an example of this Halloween face painting idea. This is a great option if you’re looking for something cute and silly.
Not So Easy Halloween Face Painting Ideas for Kids
22. Frightening Tiger – Ready to take on a more difficult face painting challenge? Try this ferocious tiger!
23. Gorgeous Butterfly – This face painting idea for a butterfly is so beautiful that your child will hate to wash it off. This idea would also work well for adult Halloween parties.
24. Scary Dinosaur – If your child is obsessed with dinosaurs, treat him or her with this Halloween face paint idea. This would also be a fun and frugal activity for a dinosaur-themed birthday party.
25. Exquisite Rainbow Princess – This is one of my absolute favorite Halloween face painting ideas. It’s probably too complex and detailed for me to successfully execute, but that doesn’t make me admire it any less. This would be the perfect “cherry on top” for a princess, fairy, or pixie costume.
Use these face painting ideas to take your child’s Halloween costume to the next level!
Which of these DIY Halloween face painting ideas for kids can you envision your little one in? Please share in the comments.
Chrystal Hardee says
Number 1
Kelli says
I think that little kitten is so cute too! 🙂
A Lazy Girl says
These look fun, I did a tiger for my daughter a few years a go
Kelli says
How fun! I can’t wait to paint my little guy’s face. 🙂
Sabrina says
I’m going to try these looks on the kids in my area. These are too adorable!:)
Kelli says
I agree, Sabrina! They are too cute! 🙂
Julile says
As a professional face painter I assume you know that by using all these photos of other professionals works you are in breach of copyright laws. I know several of the artist whom work you are using. I strongly suggest you remove painting which you yourself have not painted or give credit acknowledgement to each photo of the original artist as re required by copyright laws.