A Step-by-Step guide to some basics of CATS-style face painting.

Please be aware that my advice is taken out of personal experience spanning over several years of CATS-style face painting. I have experimented with many different materials and have found the methods that I prefer. Depending on your experience and ability, you may prefer alternate methods. I will try to touch upon all the methods here. If you feel anything has been left out, please do email me and inquire, as I am always happy to answer any questions you may have.

1. A clean workspace is advantageous. Before beginning a project, and to avoid interruption, make sure you assemble any materials you need. A typical setup includes a reference for the face you are going to complete, a mirror large enough to see the whole face, good lighting, the selection of face paints that you plan to use (may be oil-based, as with Ben Nye and Mehron creams, or water-based, as with Snazaroo and Kryolan Aquacolor products; these two paints may both be used in the same face), appropriate sponges for the paints you are using, and paint brushes for the application of detail and thin lines. You may also want to assemble extra supplies, such as fake eyelashes or mascara, spirit gum or wig tape to secure a wig, and glitter.

Other Preparation may include securing longer hair, with an elastic hair tie or a wig cap. I would not recommend washing your face prior to painting. The natural oils will help protect your face from the paints and can aid in removal later. If your face is dry, lightly applying facial moisturize may help to protect your skin.

If you are using false eyelashes, you may want to apply them now. For myself, I am more comfortable putting them on before I start painting. I can use my fingers to help position and hold the lashes without fear of smudging a completed paint job.

There are several ways to help block out facial hair (eyebrows, mustaches, and beards) if you are concerned about it. The hair can be smoothed down by rubbing a wetted bar of soap in the direction the hair grows. As the soap dries, the hair will be held in place. Professional hair-blocking products can also be purchased. Though this helps to smooth hair, it will not block out color. When professional blocking products are not available, it may be possible to super-saturate the hair with the face paint itself, helping to disguise darker colored hair.

2. Begin any face by applying a base. Bases can be applied using sponges or wide brushes, whatever makes you the most comfortable. I know some who use fingers to apply their paint and it works just fine, albeit having messy fingers. I prefer to use sponges, as they allow me to stay relatively clean and aid in even application.

Many people have problems with streaks or splotches in their base. This can be eliminated by pressing and dabbing the paint onto your skin with the sponge, rather than pulling it across your face. You may have to pass over the same area of your face several times in order to evenly spread the color.

It is good practice to apply lighter colors before darker colors. This helps to keep your lighter colors free from darker contaminants, on your face, in the paint pot itself, and on the sponge. It is much easier to blend dark colors into the light than lighter colors into the dark. It may seem difficult to paint your base colors on opaquely and evenly, especially for white and yellow colors. With oil-based makeup, this effect will diminish greatly once the color is powder set. With both water-based and oil-based makeup types, white will look brighter once contrasting colors are applied around it.

With the primary base color (often white), it is generally not necessary to be particularly precise with borders, as the edges will be refined with other colors. The secondary base color, however, should be applied with care, taking the time to avoid spreading the color into unwanted places. Obviously, if your face has only one base color, this does not apply. For faded color borders, use the sponge to gently tap the paint from the darker color toward the lighter color to produce a gradient. For well defined color borders with oil-based paints, pull the corner of the cosmetic wedge across your face, towards the outside. For both oil-based and water-based paints, brushes can be used to create harsh color borders.

Though any character can be painted using just the face, it can be advantageous to continue the paint onto the neck, especially if a costume is to be worn. Paint on the neck helps to dehumanize, eliminating the appearance of bare skin in the middle of an otherwise feline costume.

You may also wish to use brushes to add color to the eyelids before setting the makeup. This allows for smoother blending with the base coat.

When applying said copious amounts of powder, make sure to close your eyes and hold your breath. Accidentally getting a lungful of baby powder is choking, and the feeling of having too much dust in your lungs stays with you for quite a while.

Use a powder brush to dust off excess powder. Use a spray bottle of water and dry cloth or a moist wash cloth pressed into your face to soak up more excess powder and to help brighten the colors again. Pressing the makeup with your fingers can also help to bring color back to the top of the powder set. If you have set the makeup properly, you will not transfer the color from your face to your fingers. The paint should be virtually immovable.

4. After the base is completed and powdered if necessary, we move on to the details. This includes the lining around the eyes, eyebrows, muzzle, and any character-specific markings.

I prefer to do my details with water-based makeup, regardless of whether I used oil-based or water-based paints for the base. Water-based makeup dries on its own and does not require setting, so the colors stay bright. I find also that its application is smoother than oil-based paints on a set base, so that details are cleaner. If oil-based paint is used for details, it must be set upon completion.

Clean, fluid details and symmetry take a steady hand, a good eye, and much practice. You shouldn’t be discouraged if your first attempts are shaky. You will improve with time and repetition. It may be helpful to start by resting your elbow on a steady surface or using your free hand to help steady your painting hand until you are able to hold the brush steadily without support.

A feline nose can be accomplished by filling in the underside of your nose with paint. Take care to avoid connecting the lower edges of the nose, as this creates a more canine impression. Use a light hand and swift strokes to place whiskers above your lips. Use a light hand and a single slow stroke to pull the color from the nose downwards to your lip.

For male faces, continue this line to the bottom of your upper lip. Draw an upright triangle starting at or slightly above the top of the lip and draw out the sides until you reach the corners of your mouth, continuing the line in an outward upward sweep to create a feline lip.

For female faces, fill in the lips with a lip color, the same as you would for lipstick (you can use lipstick or your paints). Use your detail color to line the lips. As with the masculine muzzle, upon reaching the outer corners of your upper lip, continue the line with an outward, upward sweet to create a feline effect.

Eye details vary as much as each character. The most important thing to remember, however, is their purpose: to draw the eye into an upward slant, creating a more feline impression. This can be done by creating wings in the inner and outer corners of each eye. The top lid is commonly lined completely, while the bottom lid can be lined completely, halfway, or not at all. If you are painting for a stage performance, keep the size of the house in mind. Details need to be bold enough to be read from the audience’s perspective.

Eyebrows can be one of the most difficult details, as it is obvious if they are not symmetrical. Again, don’t be discouraged. Symmetry comes with practice. In order to help hide your own eyebrows, it may be advisable to draw the cat eyebrow directly onto or slightly above your natural brow. This can also help in forming the right shape for the brow.

To create a finished look, top everything off with highlights and furry markings. Fur can be painted to the sides of your face to help dehumanize, and is a huge tool when blending your makeup with a wig. Match black markings to black stripes on a wig. Diminish the difference between painted skin and hair. Water-based paints can be used to intensify the base colors and eye shadow if setting the oil-based paints was too much for the color. White is a huge highlighting tool, especially when coupled with black details. It gives the makeup job that “x factor” that can make a face really pop, as well as helping to make details bolder (also advantageous in the theatre world).

Once again, if you used oil-based paints for the details, your face requires a double dose of setting powder. If you used water-based paints and are planning on performing, it may be necessary to use a liquid sealant to seal the paints and prevent them from smudging or being sweated off.

Now is the time to add any finishing touches. If you didn’t use false eyelashes, go ahead and apply mascara. Apply any glitter required. Make sure your wig, if you are using one, is properly secured using wig tape, spirit gum, or both.

Be sure to clean your brushes and sponges (cosmetic wedges can be thrown out) after you've finished.