Maxine Gordon and friends brush up on the fine art of face painting.

YOU see them everywhere. At parties, summer fairs, school fetes. Show me a collection of children and somewhere between the ice cream van and the puppet show will be the face painter lovingly turning your offspring into a terrifying tiger, a sinister spiderman or a beautiful butterfly.

They make it look so easy. A dab of orange here, a swipe of yellow there, a few black lines and little Leo has been transformed into the King of the Jungle.

However, looks can be deceptive. Any parent who has ever tried face-painting will appreciate the artistry of the professional.

That's why York face and body painter Linzi Foxcroft has begun running workshops for adults.

Linzi, 24, of Strensall, a former theatre costume designer, set up her business Face Of Art in February, after being inundated with party and event bookings and requests for face-painting training.

A keen artist, she has been doing face painting since her teens and has developed a distinctive style. She is completely self taught.

She said: "When I was out working, parents were coming up to me asking where I learned to do it and where they could learn.

"I realised there were so many people out there, like mums, parent and toddler group and playgroup leaders, and even children's entertainers who would like to know how to do it."

Sessions last for two and a half hours and cover everything from health and safety and picking the correct products and tools to tips and techniques on basic face painting. Adults have to bring their own models to practise on.

To road test the service, I invited some friends over with their three-year-olds, who were to be our models, for a morning art lesson with Linzi.

The old adage of never working with children or animals seemed to be proven when the kids refused to play ball. To coax them round, Linzi suggested the adults begin painting on each other.

Lesson one: If you attend a training session, take an older child.

Linzi showed us some photographs of body art featuring small, delicate flowers over a woman's cheekbone then illustrated how to copy it.

First we had to apply a base colour using a sponge dipped in our colour of choice. Next we picked a second shade and blended it with the first to create a background for the petal details.

Linzi used orange and pink for her background, creating a gorgeous dusky effect. I chose pale pink and purple, which ended up looking like an enormous bruise.

Lesson two: choose contrasting yet complementary colours.

Next Linzi showed us her technique for painting petals. First, dip a fine brush in one colour then immediately into a second before gently pressing it lengthwise on to the skin. Place four in a round to make a flower. Next, she added a few dots and a line of vines in a stronger colour, finishing off the design with dabs of gold face glitter.

It looked fantastic, intricate and difficult, but within minutes, me and my friends, Petra and Helen, were doing near replicas on each other's forearms and cheeks.

Which was when our daughters wanted to join in the fun.

Lesson three: If you want your kids to do something, lead the way yourself.

First in the hot seat was Saskia Chapman Gibbs who wanted to be a cat. Minutes later, she leapt from the chair her face a riot of orange and white with black whiskers and nose. "Miaoww..." she purred.

That was enough to spur on Francesca Meadows, who instructed Linzi to make her a bunny. Again, moments later, Francesca hopped to the ground, complete with two white bunny teeth protruding from her bottom lip.

None of this was enough to convince my daughter Eva to have a go - although she did allow me to paint flowers on her arms.

Our next challenge was to get the kids to pose for pictures. Eva and I had baked some biscuits that morning, which worked as the perfect bribe.

Lesson four: Take your photos before dishing out any treats/bribes, otherwise some of the face paints will be licked off.

While the children went off to play, Linzi quickly showed me how to paint a butterfly, again passing on impressive yet easy techniques.

Then it was time for her to pack up and go - and for parents to contemplate having a go.

I didn't have to wait long. After lunch, Eva asked if she could be a butterfly.

Armed with my new-found knowledge and confidence, I found a box of face paints which had been lurking in a cupboard since Christmas, and set about applying layers of colour to Eva's face and then drawing in free hand a butterfly shape.

OK, it wasn't a match for what Linzi could do, but it wasn't half bad. More to the point, Eva thought it was wonderful.

And that was good enough for me.

Face painting workshops cost £35 per person. For more information contact Linzi Foxcroft on 07769 976682 or email face.of.art@btinternet.com

Updated: 09:10 Saturday, June 25, 2005