Piccolo is a fictional character in the very popular Dragon Ball manga series. After being evil at first he decides to team up with the main character Goku and his friends in order to defeat newer, more dangerous threats. So, he is now one of the good guys!
With the promise of a new Dragon Ball movie coming up this year, it is about time to renew our designs. Because Piccolo's head is entirely green and I don't want to paint an all green design, I decided to create a colorful Piccolo mask, using all the colors of his outfit.
Supplies:
TAG 1-Stroke Leaf White or TAG Light Green and Medium Green
Global Funstroke Moscow (Sub Global Purple, Lilac)
Filbert Brushes #6, #8, #10 and #12
Baby wipe
Step 1: Sketching the design on the face
For this design I decided to make a rough sketch on the face first with a watery white paint. I wanted to be sure that my previous sketch on paper would fit the face.
Step 2: Filling in the design with all the colors
For the colors I looked at the characteristics of Piccolo's face and outfit. His green head, the purple suit with the blue 'belt' and the pink pads.
I started painting the head and ears with a filbert brush and a dark green/light green/white splitcake, trying to create some depth by varying the color from darker on one side to lighter green on the other side. Then I added the purple mask with a small filbert and the blue band with two shades of blue and a flat brush. For the pink pads I used a filbert brush and a red/pink/white splitcake.
Step 3: Outlining the entire design
With this design you have two possibilities. The quickest one is outlining everything in black, which I did (because my son wanted black outlines ;-)). I used a round brush #2. But sometimes it is nicer to use the same colors only in darker shades. So, a darker green for the outline of the head and ears, a darker purple for the mask, darker blue for the belt and a darker red for the pads. It looks softer, but takes a bit more time.
Step 4: Shading
To soften some of the black lines of the head, mask and belt and create a bit of shadow I used a blending brush which I moistened with a baby wipe. I didn't do all the lines, but if you have time you can do more and give e.g. the pads a more 3D look.
Step 5: Adding highlights
For the highlights I used a regular white and a round brush #4. Like with the black outlines there is also the option of taking the same colors but lighter shades or blend the white highlights more into the base color to give it a softer, more natural look.
Additional info:
In this design I didn't want to paint the characteristic antennae, because placement is difficult and it quickly becomes a bit messy. But.... there are other options ;-). I made antennae from soft, air drying clay that is very light and attached them on the head with medical tape.
Next time I would definitely try to make them a little bit shorter and with a wider (but still thin) base, so it would stay in place better when moving ;-). But it was worth the try! I'd love to see what you come up with!!
Want to have Annabel as your personal instructor? Take a Class at the International Face Painting School.
Annabel Hoogeveen is the owner and founder of 'Blije-Snoetjes Kinderschmink', a Facepainting company and school in the Netherlands. She is painting for about 10 years and is passionate about teaching others how to facepaint, 'because the more face painters there are, the more kids we can make happy'.
Annabel likes colorful and easy 'on-the-job' designs. But, as a former vet, she also has a passion for painting realistic 3D animals.
She is an instructor at Olga Murasev's International Face Painting School (www.facebodyart.com), has written several Facepainting blogs and recently won the 'Black Panther' competition here at Facepaint.com.
You can see more of her work on her Instagram and Facebook pages.
