My very creative friend, Vicki, is an art teacher and a face painting pro (she painted over 500 in one day at a school event!). For her daughter’s Pink Princess Birthday Party she painted adorable butterflies on all of the little princesses’ cheeks, and below is a simple how-to and free printable template so you can do some butterfly face paining of your own.

How to Butterfly Face Painting Collage |

  1. The first step is to draw the body of the butterfly (formerly known as a caterpillar). Use a dark face crayon (black) and start by drawing two horizontal ovals for the head, a long (vertical) oval for the body and two lines for antennas on top of the head.
  2. Using a contrasting color (red), draw the top outline of the wings, going up and curving around the eyebrow area.
  3. Draw the bottom portion of the outline of the wings in the same color (red).
  4. Using a lighter color (white), highlight the inside of the wings by tracing the shape just inside of the outer wing lines.
  5. Use another color (blue) to fill in the remaining space on the inside of the wings, blending as you go.
  6. Add some contrast to the wings using the original dark color used for the body (black).
  7. Use a gel glitter (silver) with a thin face paint brush and paint the glitter over the contrasting lines drawn in step 6.
  8. Sit back and admire your work – all done!
Face paint template
Face paint template

Download and print the free printable butterfly face painting template by clicking the hotlink and use it as a guide for your butterfly face painting.

Butterfly template design and painting by the talented Victoria Russotti.