Face Painting Classes

Global College of Body Art (GCBA), previously called “Making Faces”, is known across Australia for our popular Face and Body Painting Classes – suitable for absolute beginners, as well as advanced courses for more experienced face painters. Our classes are run in our state-of-the-art training studio in Grays Point, Sydney (locations details here) and we are also happy to provide group classes on your premises in other locations.

We share years of face painting experience and knowledge in our fun and easy face painting workshops. Our fun Body Painting Classes are also a Sydney favourite.

Face Painting Classes – What You Will Get

• Fun and relaxed one and two-day face painting classes (all face painting supplies provided)
• A valuable “Certificate of Body Art” qualification to assist with future employment
• A great skill for bonding between parents and kids of all ages
• A popular skill to liven up your children’s parties, attract more guests to your fundraisers and the perfect activity for childcare workers
• Free face painting tips and hints on the website, as well as face painting designs and ideas from our huge gallery
• A lot of fun!

Classes We Offer

In addition to our body painting courses and special effects makeup classes, we run the following range of Face Painting classes:

Something for everyone – Beginner or Advanced

We offer two levels of training: Day 1 for beginners and Day 2 for those who want to expand their skills. Day 1 will give you all the skills you will need to start painting confidently and safely at your kids parties, fundraisers, events, school concerts, in the classroom or just for fun! Refer to our class outlines below for details on what is included in each class.

Who are our classes perfect for?

• parents wanting a fun new activity to connect with their kids
• grandparents who love entertaining the grandkids
• childcare workers, as a valuable new skill for their resume
• community groups looking to face paint at a fundraiser
• adults/teens looking for a high-earning part-time job
• anyone wanting to earn some extra money
• Venue owners, to offer a kids’ attraction
• Playgroups/mother’s groups looking for a fun activity in the holidays
• Anyone planning for a children’s party
• makeup artists wanting to add another skill set
• aspiring body painters, to learn the fundamentals before starting a Certificate of Body Art course

Success Stories – Our Students Go Places!

Our hands-on face painting classes have been popular in Sydney for 10 years, and we have trained over 600 students in that time. Many of our students have gone on to run large, extremely profitable face painting and children entertainment businesses. We have also been the trainer of choice nationally for all the Captain Starlights (part of the Starlight Foundation), Wesley Mission, Lollipops Playlands and more than 10 large Sydney child care franchises.

Location

Our brand new state-of-the-art training facility and studio is located in Grays Point NSW (45mins south of the Sydney CBD). There is plenty of free parking and the college is 5 minutes by taxi from Gymea train station.

Street Address:
6 Mansion Point Road
Grays Point 2232 NSW Australia
click for tips/directions

Class Outline:

Face Painting Day 1: Beginners & Intermediate

• Duration: 1 Day, 10am – 4pm
• Equipment: All equipment supplied
• Instructor: Julie Tattam
• Prerequisites: None
• Style: Hands on workshop, everyone paints and gets one-on-one guidance at each step
• Location: Grays Point Studio – see College Location for more details
• Cost: $250 plus GST

Class Content

DAY ONE (Saturday) – Beginners and Intermediate Face Painting

For both the complete beginner, as well as those who have dabbled a little with face painting, this class will teach you everything you will need to know to get out there face painting with style and confidence. (See below for “Who is Day One Suitable For?” for more information). We cover the following topics in this workshop:

Saturday Morning:

• what products and equipment to use (and what NOT to use)
• how to use them
• hygiene and safety
• the key face painting techniques you need to master, including essential brushstrokes and sponging/blending
• Step-by-step guidance through painting the most popular boys designs
• Step-by-step guidance through painting the most popular girls designs
• Tips on small things which will set your face painting apart from others
• How to set up your face painting area
• How to position the child and keep them still and entertained

Saturday Afternoon:

• more advanced products and equipment and how to use them
• more advanced face painting techniques such as double loading, gems, body adhesives, daubers, dotters and lots more
• Step-by-step guidance through more intricate designs for both boys and girls
• Information on setting up a face painting business or face painting stall
• Appropriate insurances, police checks and permits required for face painting in different situations
• How to price your face painting services
• How to quote for face painting at parties and events
• Legal considerations regarding copyright, photography and council regulations which affect face painters
• How to manage your queue
• A huge range of tips on how to increase your speed and therefore increase your income

Because our class instructor (Julie Tattam) has years of experience in face/body painting and in running large team of face painters, Julie is also able to impart along the way a range of practical tips and tricks which will have you painting like a pro. Students will come away knowing how to confidently paint a range of the most popular face painting designs for both boys and girls, as well as having a solid knowledge of the hygiene, legal, marketing, insurance, pricing and other aspects to being a successful face painter.

For groups with particular interests, such as schools or sporting clubs wanting to use their skills at a fundraiser, we can also tailor a private group course to cover your specific interests.

Who is the Day One class suitable for?

1. Ages:
   All ages (adults and high-school students over 16yrs, or 14yrs if attending with a paying parent). This wide range of ages allows families the ability for parents and children to attend a class together (as a “Mum and Me” day out, for example). However, we do also offer adults-only classes where preferred, so please email us for more information.
2. Experience:
   No painting experience necessary at all. The class is designed to suit to all ability levels.
3. “I have painted before, do I need to start with the Day One class?”:
   If you have dabbled with face painting before, we still recommend you start with the Day One class, unless you are extremely confident with your mastery of the following techniques: teardrops, reverse comma strokes, double-ended commas (tiger stripes), swirls, body adhesives, double-loading, sponging, sponge-blending, split cakes and have a lot of experience using face paint which is NOT LIQUID. Painting with liquid paints is very very different from painting with the professional-quality solid face paint cakes we use in class.

Class Outline:

Face Painting Day 2: Advanced and One Stroke

• Duration: 1 Day, 10am – 4pm
• Equipment: All equipment supplied
• Instructor: Julie Tattam
• Prerequisites: Day One, or contact us for exemption based on equivalent industry experience
• Style: Hands on workshop, everyone paints and gets one-on-one guidance at each step
• Location: Grays Point Studio – see College Location for more details
• Cost: $300 plus GST
• PLEASE NOTE: Completion of both Day 1 and Day 2 is required to achieve the Certificate of Face Painting qualification

Class Content

DAY TWO (Sunday) – Speed Painting for Profit (One Stroke Technique), Scary Monsters, Introduction to Simple Special Effects Prosthetics, Festival Hand Painting, UV Painting, Glitter Tattoos and Design Resources

Prerequisite: This class is available to students who have previously attended our Day One class (or can demonstrate equivalent industry experience – please contact us to discuss). The Day One class is often attended in the same weekend (ie. the day before), which attracts a large discount, or you can attend the Day Two class further down the track after completing Day One.

The Day 2 Advanced Face Painting Class covers the following:

Sunday Morning – Speed Painting for Profit (One Stroke Technique):

• stunning and popular technique using “rainbow cakes” and “one stroke cakes”
• what products and equipment you need for the one stroke technique
• brush loading and manipulation
• the essential strokes to master
• flowers and leaves, including the amazing cabbage rose
• how to bring all these techniques into a face design
• Guidance through a range of impressive boys designs
• Guidance through a range of impressive girls designs

Sunday Afternoon – Scary Monsters, Introduction to Simple Special Effects Prosthetics, Festival Hand Painting, UV Painting, Glitter Tattoos and Design Development:

• scary monster designs
• using simple prosthetics such as horns and foreheads to enhance your monster designs
• correct preparation, adhesion, painting and removal of prosthetics
• creating henna-like festival designs on the hands. This is incredibly popular at the moment
• work with glowing UV/Neon painting under blacklights!
• complete overview of Glitter Tattoos – a great extra moneymaking tools for facepainters
• resources to support you as a face painter including magazines, conferences, key mentors in the industry, helpful websites and more

Who is the Day Two class suitable for?

1. Ages:
   All ages (adults and high-school students over 16yrs, or 14yrs if attending with a paying parent). This wide range of ages allows families the ability for parents and children to attend a class together (as a “Mum and Me” day out, for example). However, we do also offer adults-only classes where preferred, so please email us for more information.
2. Experience:
   This class is available to students who have previously attended our Day One class (or can demonstrate equivalent industry experience – please contact us to discuss). The Day One class is often attended in the same weekend (ie. the day before), which attracts a large discount, or you can attend the Day Two class further down the track after completing Day One. Please Note: Completion of both Day 1 and Day 2 is required to achieve the Certificate of Face Painting qualification.
3. “I have painted before, do I need to start with the Day One class?”:
   If you have dabbled with face painting before, we still recommend you start with the Day One class, unless you are extremely confident with your mastery of the following techniques: teardrops, reverse comma strokes, double-ended commas (tiger stripes), swirls, body adhesives, double-loading, sponging, sponge-blending, split cakes and have a lot of experience using face paint which is NOT LIQUID. Painting with liquid paints is very very different from painting with the professional-quality solid face paint cakes we use in class.

Class Outline:

Certificate of Face Painting

• Duration: 2 Days, 10am – 4pm each day
• Equipment: All equipment supplied
• Instructor: Julie Tattam
• Prerequisites: None
• Style: Hands on workshop, everyone paints and gets one-on-one guidance at each step
• Location: Grays Point Studio – see College Location for more details

This comprehensive 2-day course covers our full set of classes, right through from the beginner and intermediate classes on the Saturday, to the Advanced classes on the Sunday. By the end of this weekend, you will have the complete set of skills to paint hundreds of designs with confidence, and you will receive the “Certificate of Face Painting” qualification.

Below is a full description of what you will cover on both days:

Saturday Morning: Beginners

• what products and equipment to use (and what NOT to use)
• how to use them
• hygiene and safety
• the key face painting techniques you need to master, including the 4 essential brushstrokes and sponging/blending
• Step-by-step guidance through painting the most popular boys designs
• Step-by-step guidance through painting the most popular girls designs
• Tips on small things which will set your face painting apart from others
• How to set up your face painting area
• How to position the child and keep them still and entertained

Saturday Afternoon: Intermediate

• advanced products and equipment and how to use them
• intermediate face painting techniques such as double loading, gems, body adhesives, daubers and more
• Step-by-step guidance through more intricate designs for both boys and girls
• Information on setting up a face painting business or face painting stall
• Appropriate insurances, police checks and permits required for face painting in different situations
• How to price your face painting services
• How to quote for face painting at parties and events
• Legal considerations regarding copyright, photography and council regulations which affect face painters
• How to manage your queue
• A huge range of tips on how to increase your speed and therefore increase your income

Sunday Morning: Advanced – Speed Painting for Profit (One Stroke Technique):

• stunning and popular technique using “rainbow cakes” and “one stroke cakes”
• what products and equipment you need for the one stroke technique
• brush loading and manipulation
• the essential strokes to master
• flowers and leaves, including the amazing cabbage rose
• how to bring all these techniques into a face design
• Guidance through a range of impressive boys designs
• Guidance through a range of impressive girls designs

Sunday Afternoon: Advanced – Scary Monsters, Introduction to Simple Special Effects Prosthetics, Festival Hand Painting, UV Painting, Glitter Tattoos and Design Development:

• scary monster designs
• using simple prosthetics such as horns and foreheads to enhance your monster designs
• correct preparation, adhesion, painting and removal of prosthetics
• creating henna-like festival designs on the hands. This is incredibly popular at the moment
• work with glowing UV/Neon painting under blacklights!
• complete overview of Glitter Tattoos – a great extra moneymaking tools for facepainters
• resources to support you a as a face painter including magazines, conferences, key mentors in the industry, helpful websites and more

Who is the Day Two class suitable for?

1. Ages:
   All ages (adults and high-school students over 16yrs, or 14yrs if attending with a paying parent). This wide range of ages allows families the ability for parents and children to attend a class together (as a “Mum and Me” day out, for example). However, we do also offer adults-only classes where preferred, so please email us for more information.
2. Experience:
   No painting experience necessary at all. The class is designed to suit to all ability levels.

Because our class instructor (Julie Tattam) has years of experience in face/body painting and in running large team of face painters, Julie is also able to impart along the way a range of practical tips and tricks which will have you painting like a pro. Students will come away knowing how to confidently paint a range of the most popular face painting designs for both boys and girls, as well as having a solid knowledge of the hygiene, legal, marketing, insurance, pricing and other aspects to being a successful face painter.

Class Outline:

Private Classes

• Duration: Flexible – anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days
• Equipment: All equipment supplied
• Instructor: Julie Tattam
• Prerequisites: Dependent on the techniques your group would like to focus on
• Style: As you desire. The class can be as “watch and learn” demonstration-style class, or our normal hands-on workshop style, where everyone paints and gets one-on-one guidance at each step
• Location: Grays Point Studio OR Julie can come to you, at your own premises

Who are our private classes perfect for?

• childcare centres and schools, as part of their ongoing training
• community groups in preparation for a fundraising face painting stall
• as a birthday party activity for adults/teens
• as a school holiday activity for vacation care groups
• children’s playland owners, to train staff as a whole group
• playgroups/mother’s groups wanting a fun group activity
• makeup colleges wanting to hold a one-off master class for their students

What do our private classes cover?

Anything you like! Pick and choose the topics that interest you from our other classes, or tailor your own! We can chat through your objectives and design a class to suit your timeframe and budget.

Where are our private classes held?

We can either hold your class in our Grays Point Studio OR we can come to you, at your own premises.

What is your minimum age limit?

We recommend that students are over 16yrs, or 14yrs if attending with a paying parent. This wide range of ages allows families the ability for parents and children to attend a class together (as a “Mum and Me” day out, for example). However, with prior notice, we can design a class to suit any ages within your group.

Do we need any experience?

Not at all. We can design your class to suit to the ability levels of your group, so that all students’ skills are stretched to the appropriate limit, everyone has a fantastic time and no one feels rushed or left behind.

How do we book a private class and how much do they cost?

Contact us to put together your ideal class. We can discuss the cost options and give you a range of options to suit your budget.