Face Paint Calculator — Supplies & Timing

Simple cheek art (star, flower, butterfly) takes 2-3 minutes. Half-face designs (cat, dog, superhero) take 4-6 minutes. Full-face designs (tiger, dragon) take 8-12 minutes. For parties, medium designs give the best balance of quality and throughput.

In a 2-hour party (using about 70% of time for painting), one person can do about 16-20 simple designs, 10-15 medium designs, or 7-9 full face designs. If you have more children than this, either simplify designs or have a second painter.

Buy water-based, non-toxic face paints that are specifically labelled as safe for skin. Avoid craft paints or acrylics. Good brands include Snazaroo and Eulenspiegel. A basic palette of 8-12 colours plus brushes and sponges covers most designs. Buy hypoallergenic paints for sensitive skin.

A standard face paint palette (12 colours, 10ml each) typically covers 25-40 faces depending on design complexity. Full face designs use 3-4 times more paint than simple cheek art. Buy extra white, black, and red as these are used most.