Simple face painting design of a lion

Here is a simple face painting design of a lion that your kids are sure to love. You only need a few basic colours and this design only takes a few minutes to do, so it will suit those children who struggle to sit still for long periods of time. 

Possum (aged 4 years) absolutely loves getting her face painted, which surprises me because I never liked it myself as a child. She loves the feeling of the paint on her skin and that she can be transformed into a character within minutes. 

We have recently been talking a bit about lions and of course you saw our awesome paper plate lion mane, which I shared recently. Possum asked to have her face painted like a lion and so I thought I’d give it a go. I’m in no way a professional face painter, but I think I’ve worked out a few tips that will make you surprise even yourself! 

To do a simple face painting design of a lion you will need –

• White face paint
• Yellow face paint
• Orange face paint
• Black face paint
• Sponge
• Paint brush 

It’s a good idea to start with your child having a clean face and their hair pulled back in a ponytail or with a headband. Have all your paints ready to go and don’t forget a handheld mirror. 

Begin with sponging some white paint in a ‘T’, across the eyes and down the nose to the chin. Some children may not like face paint over their eyes, which is completely fine. It’s important to be guided by their requests. I did sponge over the eyebrows and slightly higher. 

Next I filled in the remaining areas with yellow face paint. I did sponge it over the nose as well, this gave the middle of the face some colour and acted as a highlight. 

Next I added orange face paint to my sponge and dabbed it around the outside of the face.

Blending the paints in certainly a key to achieving a natural look. Using the same sponge, blend the paints together lightly by brushing the sponge in an outward direction from the eyebrows and cheeks.

Using your paint brush, add lion stripes above the eyebrows and around the outer edge of the face.  

Add your white and black stripes around the face too! 

Don’t forget to add a little black nose and a few dots and stripes for whiskers. Super cute, right?

Possum loves her handmade paper plate lion mane so she enjoyed using it once her face painting was complete. I think you’ll agree, it completes the look. Hahaha

Of course I wasn’t completely expecting to have my own face painted, but Possum was keen to have me look like a queen. It was seriously hilarious and a great way to play together. 

Would you let your child paint your face? 

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