20 + Pennywise Clowns | IT Face Paint Makeup Ideas for Halloween
Pennywise the Dancing Clown is going to be one of the top looks for this Halloween season! You don't have to have the strong facial features as Bill Skarsgård did in the 2017 version of the movie to pull off possibly the creepiest Halloween look in history. Through the magic of makeup you can transform yourself or somebody else into this terrifying clown!
IT is not an actual clown, but Pennywise is one of his illusions from the book by Stephen King. IT appears as Pennywise so often in the book that he is the main character in the 1990 mini series and the 2017 movie. The image of Pennywise the Dancing Clown with a red balloon provides you with a perfect prop to take along when you pull off this look. You can paint your own hair, wear a wig, or wear a rubber cap with the wig attached to give you the swollen head look that he/she/it is famous for. The gender of Pennywise is debatable, and artists have been playing with versions that fit anyone's taste!
Amazing Penny Wise Makeup and Painted Neck Ruffle by Tyra Jones
Makeup artists from around the world have submitted pictures of their Pennywise makeovers for this blog post. Scroll down to see their takes on Pennywise and learn some tips and tricks to do your own amazing look!
What Products do I need to create a Pennywise Makeup Look?
You will need at least three basic colors to create the Pennywise clown face. Black, Red and White. If you want your makeup to last all day and night we recommend using theatrical cream or grease based makeup and setting it with powder, or using an alcohol based paint like Proaiir Hybrid liquids or Solids.You can use water based face paint, but it may sweat off in a club or at a haunt. If you do use water activated makeup, be sure to use a setting powder or sealer spray on the skin first, and also on top of the makeup when you are done. This will help prevent sweat from ruining the makeup, although it might look even better and scarier if the makeup decays a little.
If you plan on painting the teeth over the lips, use a lipstick sealer like Mehron Lipstix on top of the makeup as well to prevent the teeth from being licked off.
Sara Hicks' beautiful take on Pennywise
I recommend using eye shadow or face painting powders for shading the face and eyes. You can get away with blending the cream based or dry blending the water activated makeup if you have had some practice, but the powders easily give it a special distressed look if done right. Check out the image below by Kelly de Jonghe to see what I mean. The shading on the forehead, around the mouth and around the eyes really crank up the creepy factor!
Makeup by Kelly de Jonghe of Twinkel's Face Paint
My favorite solid white water activated face paint for the base is Fusion Pro Parafin White. It is the most intense white face paint on the market. If you want a very light white base, look into Mehron Starblend White. You can also use Starblends wet for a more opaque look and it is very durable to sweat. Fusion Strong Black is great for the eyes and eye brows, and Superstar Carmine Red is perfect for the mouth and nose.
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Fusion Body Art Face Paint | PRO Paraffin White 32gr
For a cream makeup check out Ben Nye Clown White for a smooth base. You can use a black makeup pencil or black creme paint applied with a thin brush for the details. We also have Ben Nye Jumbo Red Creme Crayons that you can use for the mouth and nose, or check out this Ben Nye Creme Makeup Palette with all of the colors you will need. Just don't forget the setting powder, or it will smear.
Kristy Lindley of Urban Sparkle helped bring this Pennywise to life!
Proaiir Solids and Proaiir Hybrid Liquids are another great option for a long lasting look. You will remove these first by rubbing the paint with liquid hand soap until the soap breaks down the paint, and then you wash away with water. The ProAiir Solids Kit is perfect for the Pennywise look as well. Apply ProAiir Solids with brushes, sponges dipped in the Prolong Activator / Sealer.
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ProAiir Solids | Hybrid Water Resistant Face Paint - Primary Palette with 1 oz ProLong Activator
STEP BY STEPs for Pennywise Makeup
The White Base
Apply a smooth white base using the paint of your choice. Remember that if you apply white too thickly it could start to crack since it has such a high powder content, so go solid but not too thick. Patting with a sponge helps even out any blotches. The more skin you can cover the more real it will look, so don't forget to paint the ears, into the hairline and the neck for to accomplish a complete makeover. For quick faces at a birthday party you can just stick to the face.
To increase the scary factor and look more like the most recent version of Pennywise, tap on some grey or black powder onto the white to give it a slightly dirty decayed look. You can also draw super fine grey wrinkle lines on the forehead or more thicker browbone and cheekbone shading.
Gaby Renteria created this scary version of it and accentuated his forehead with faux cracks on his skull cap.
Lips and Clown Mouth
Paint the lips red and make them slightly larger by outlining outside of the lip line and then fill them in. You can make them scarier by lightly outlining the bottom lip in black and blend the black into the middle of the lips. Another option is to dab a little black onto the middle of the lips and blend it around a bit. Seal the lips with lipstick sealer so that they last all day.
From the corners of each side of the mouth draw a thin red line that curves out towards the cheek bones and then curves back to the bottom of the outer edge of the iris of each eye. Skip over the eye and continue the line straight up and end it with a pointy tip about an inch and a half above the clients real eye brows. You can mix a little black into the red to make it look kind of dirty or like dried blood.
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Mehron | LipStix (Lipstick Sealer) by Invisible Finish 0.5oz/15ml
The Clown Nose
Load your brush with red and a tiny bit of black and paint the clown nose on. You will want to cover the nostrils completely, even the undersides of them, and the whole tip of the nose with a very slight curve at the top if you want it to look like the Pennywise from 2017.
If you client is concerned about them wiping the paint off of their nose on accident, you can seal it with lipstick sealer as well. The Sealer will also give it a slight shine!
Gaby Renteria dragged the red up the nose a little to make it a little more scary.
The CREEPY Eyes
Outline the eyes in black and then dry blend out the black or use eye shadow to create the smoky eye look. You can get creative here and add other colors like purples, reds, greens, blues or silver if you want. You can also shade a little on the side of the nose if you want.
Upclose of the Pennywise Makeup by Kristy Lindley of Urban Sparkle
They Evil Eye Brows
The older 1990 Tim Curry version of Pennywise had black short thin eyebrows with a more friendly arch, while the newer version has eye brows that are carved into it's skull cap, so they look light grey. It is up to you how obvious you want to make them, but don't forget that the new Pennywise has eye brows that transition from a scowl to an evil arch. I think of it as a type of sideways s curve that makes Pennywise look extra menacing.
Adding your own twist!
If you want to do a Pennywise Character with a twist, the possibilities are endless. Below you will see some creepy, cute and glam versions of Pennywise!
Pennywise inspired design by Heather Saxon Porter from Rainbow Tiger Face Painting. These killer teeth and intense wrinkles were all done with that magic of face paint! Heather used extreme shading and highlighting to create this amazing look!
Katie Leonard painted this more glamourous Pennywise design, and the client made sure to have a pretty outfit to match. By skipping the white base you get to see more of the human behind the clown, and the shimmer black eye shadow, red glitter accents on the red paint, and large eye lashes throw a feminine twist to the Pennywise character!
Thomas Bartley from Thomas Paints took Pennywise to new terrifying heights with this massive mouth of long yellow teeth and drool. He painted the red eye makeup to look like dripping blood and made the hair look almost like brains. The red contacts are the finishing touch to this incredible design!
Ahna Scione played with adding the blue color and used fake teeth! Her haunt designs have made her TikTok Famous @ahnascione. Her awesome website is ahnascione.com or see her at DAHC Art
Have trouble painting creepy teeth?! Why not buy a custom pair of Dental Distortions in Pennywise! You can get them in pink or black gums! These are custom fit fake teeth that snap on to your real teeth. The FANGS 2.0 series are easier to customize and are thinner and more comfortable than any fake costume teeth that you may have tried! Find more creepy add ons by visiting our Special FX products page here.
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Dental Distortions | FX Fangs 2.0 - PENNYWISE VENEERS - BLACK GUMMED
You don't have to be the literal clown this Halloween. Hannah Grace painted this awesome Pennywise inspired design on her face and body for an amazing look.
This prize winning design by Thomas Bartley of Thomas Paints uses the face as a canvas for a terrifying scene from the movie. Below you will see another artist recreated the scene for a special photo!
Don't look behind you! Pennywise on the prowl by Fadila Kakaka
Gemma McEvoy from Glittergem Face and Body Art added deep shading on the forehead and jaw line and nose to create a lot of dimension to the Pennywise face. She also omitted the red nose to make it more unique. Wouldn't you be terrified to see this child walking down the street on Halloween?!
Jnat Gunna helped turn her child into a super cool Pennywise Character with a red and black one piece clown costume and short red spiky hair.
Dominique House with her well dressed Pennywise the Dancing Clown
Tiffany Vale's Pennywise design included this cool silver and white costume with a wig and bald cap combo which was sure to send chills down other people's spines! 
Anna Chapovalov created this Pennywise look, which makes my blood run cold. The texture on the skull cap and sheer white ruffle collar amps up the look!
Makeup artist, Tracy Osborne, had the luck to paint Pennywise Twins. The blood stained dressed with little red pompons and red crimped wigs styled with pig tails pulled this creepy team Halloween look together.
Face painting Pennywise at kids parties!
Amy Harrison Catherine Grace Meg Billington
Face painters know that a lot of kids will ask for a Pennywise design at any type of party, not just on Halloween! Make sure to practice your Pennywise designs and keep it light and fun so that you don't scare off any guests! In general Pennywise has been all over social media and movie posters so kids have gotten used to him, but don't forget that some people are terribly scared of clowns so paint this design with caution.
Please let us know if you need any more tips or tricks to make your Pennywise nightmares come true! Contact me at anna@jestpaint.com
Thank you to all of the incredible artists who submitted their work for this blog post! We wish you all an amazing Halloween Season!
Sara Hicks and her model got into the spirit!
Kelly de Jonghe's little Pennywise creeping around!
Pennywise IT Look for the 2023 Halloween Season
Every year once we are over Christmas it feels like Halloween is just around the corner, at least for those of us that love the season! So, it is never too early to start thinking about your 2023 Halloween look, and if you have not done it yet, then Pennywise might be the character for you this year.
Make sure you start looking into the different styles and gather some info on how to achieve that look and what products you will need to get. It is best to start early so that you have plenty of time to try out the look, see what works and what doesn't for you, research the proper face painting and special effects products and start practicing! Don't wait until October to get ready because many must have products run out of stock by then.
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