Three blue drops flying off to one sideLight blue, white. Three drop shapes fanned on the cheekbone with their points together, a white shine dot in each.
Croissant in five curved segmentsTan, brown. A crescent on the cheek, ends pointing down, crossed by four brown lines that fan out from the middle.
Fox face with a sideways glanceOrange, white, black. A pointed orange head with two tall ears, white cheek tufts, both eyes looking the same way.
Dizzy face with a spiral for each eyeYellow, black. Two small spirals for eyes and a wavy line of a mouth on a yellow circle.
Face blowing a pink bubble-gum bubbleYellow, black, pink. Arc eyes on a yellow circle; a pink bubble covers the mouth, a bare curve left on it as the shine.
Face in round glasses with two front teethYellow, black, white. Two black rings joined by a bridge, a dot eye in each, a grin with two white teeth below it.
Gap-toothed grin with one tooth missingYellow, black, white. A wide grin holding a row of white square teeth, one black gap just off the middle.
Grumpy face: slanted brows and a flat frownYellow, black. Two short brows slanting inward over dot eyes, the mouth one curve turned down.
Heart-eyes face: a red heart where each eye goesYellow, red, black. Two small red hearts for eyes on a yellow circle, an open black smile under them.
Laughing face with a blue tear at each eyeYellow, black, blue. Eyes squeezed into two arcs, the mouth an open D on its side, a blue drop hanging off each side.
Melting smile sagging into a puddleYellow, black. The lower edge of the circle runs down in three drips to a flat puddle; eyes and smile sit askew.
Party face in a striped cone hat with a paper hornYellow, black, blue. A blue-striped cone hat on top of the circle, happy shut eyes, a rolled paper horn at the lips.
Shy smile between two round pink spotsYellow, black, pink. Two dot eyes set wide on a yellow circle, a very small curved mouth, a pink spot each side of it.
Star-struck grin with an orange star for each eyeYellow, orange, black. Two orange stars tilted apart for eyes; under them the grin is an open half circle.
Sunglasses face with a one-sided smileYellow, black, white. One black band of two lenses across the circle, a slanted white glint on each, a lopsided smirk.
Surprised face with ring eyes and a round mouthYellow, black. Two black rings for wide eyes, a dot inside each, brow dashes lifted high, a small ring of a mouth.
Typed smile: a colon, a dash and a bracketBlack. Two dots, a short dash and one curve, side by side on the cheekbone; tilt the head to read it.
Upside-down smile, eyes at the bottomYellow, black. A yellow circle with the curved mouth near its top edge and two oval eyes below it.
Wink and a tongue poking out at one cornerYellow, black, red. A yellow circle on the cheek; one dot eye, one wink arc, a red tongue at the corner of the grin.
Hearts and signs 13
Battery showing three green barsBlack, green. An outlined rectangle lying along the cheekbone, a small nub at one end, three upright green bars inside.
Gold star sticker with one point peeling upYellow, orange, white. A star on the cheek with a white rim; one point folded over to show an orange underside.
Heart typed as a less-than sign and a threeRed. A pointed bracket and a numeral 3 side by side on the cheek, close enough to read as a heart on its side.
Hundred sign: 100 underlined twiceRed. The numerals 100 slanting upward on the cheek, two short strokes under them.
Light bulb with short lines of lightYellow, gray, black. A round bulb on the cheek with a gray screw base below, five short dashes fanned around the glass.
Pair of eyes glancing to one sideWhite, black. Two upright white ovals on the cheek, outlined, both black pupils pushed to the same side.
Red heart inside a white message bubbleWhite, red, black. A rounded bubble outlined in black, its small tail pointing at the mouth, one heart in the middle.
Red question and exclamation marks, side by sideRed, white. One of each mark on the cheek, a round dot under each, a thin white edge down one side.
Three blue drops flying off to one sideLight blue, white. Three drop shapes fanned on the cheekbone with their points together, a white shine dot in each.
Three hearts in a row, the last one an outlineRed, black. Two solid hearts and one empty outline side by side on the cheek, like the lives left in a game.
Three Zs rising, each larger than the lastBlue. Three capital Zs climbing from the cheek toward the temple, the smallest one lowest.
Two hands shaping a heart around bare skinYellow, black. Two small hands whose fingers meet at the top and thumbs at the bottom; the heart between is unpainted.
White heart on a red rounded squareRed, white. A red square with soft corners on the cheek, a white heart painted over its middle once the red is dry.
Animal faces 12
Fox face with a sideways glanceOrange, white, black. A pointed orange head with two tall ears, white cheek tufts, both eyes looking the same way.
Frog face catching a fly on its tongueGreen, red, black. A wide green head with an eye bump at each top corner; a red tongue curls out to a black dot fly.
Giraffe face with two knobbed hornsYellow, brown, black. A long yellow head on the cheek, two short horns with round tips, brown patches, half-shut eyes.
Koala face asleep, big ears and a wide noseGray, black, white. A gray head with two fluffy round ears, white fluff inside them, shut arc eyes, a large oval nose.
Monkey hiding its eyes behind both handsBrown, tan, black. A brown head with a round ear each side; two tan hands lie flat across where the eyes would be.
Monkey with a hand clapped over each earBrown, tan, black. A tan face patch with dot eyes and a small round mouth; a brown hand pressed flat over each ear.
Monkey with both hands over its mouthBrown, tan, black. Wide dot eyes on a tan face patch; two brown hands, outlined in black, crossed over the mouth.
Mouse face with ears as big as its headGray, pink, black. A small gray head between two huge round ears, pink inside each, a pink nose, three whiskers a side.
Panda face with round ears and slanted eye patchesWhite, black. A white circle on the cheek, two round black ears, a slanted oval patch for each eye, a small nose.
Penguin face in a black hood with an orange beakBlack, white, orange. A black circle on the cheek, a white heart-shaped face inside it, dot eyes, a small orange beak.
Polar bear face on a pale blue circleLight blue, white, black. A blue disc on the cheek; on it a white head with two small ears, dot eyes and a black nose.
Winking pig face with a wide snoutPink, dark pink, black. A round pink head, ear tips flopping forward, a wide snout with two nostril dots, one eye shut.
Food 14
Bowl of noodles with two chopsticksRed, yellow, black. A red bowl on the cheek, wavy yellow lines heaped over its rim, two black sticks slanting out.
Broccoli floret like a small treeGreen, dark green. A green stalk that forks once on the cheek; a bumpy cloud of dark green dabs on top.
Cheeseburger with a cheese corner hanging outTan, brown, yellow. A domed bun, a dark patty, a yellow corner of cheese drooping over it, a flat bun below.
Croissant in five curved segmentsTan, brown. A crescent on the cheek, ends pointing down, crossed by four brown lines that fan out from the middle.
Fortune cookie with its paper slipTan, white, black. A folded tan crescent on the cheek, darker along the fold; a white slip with dash lines sticks out.
Pear with a stalk and one leafYellow-green, brown, green. A pear on the cheek, narrow at the top and round below; a short stalk, one leaf beside it.
Pizza slice with three pepperoni roundsYellow, red, tan. A point-down triangle on the cheek, a tan crust along its top edge, three red circles on the yellow.
Rice ball triangle with a dark wrap at its baseWhite, black. A rounded white triangle on the cheek, outlined, with a black rectangle wrapped over its lower edge.
Round cookie with chips and one bite goneTan, brown. A tan circle on the cheek with a scalloped bite out of one side and seven dark chip dots.
Sunny-side-up egg, the yolk near one edgeWhite, yellow, black. A wobbly white shape with a thin black outline, one round yellow yolk nearer one edge.
Sushi roll seen from the endBlack, white, orange. A black ring on the cheek, a white ring of rice inside it, a small orange square in the middle.
Toast slice outlined in a brown crustTan, brown. A bread-slice shape on the cheek, square below and rounded on top, a brown crust line all the way around.
Triangle sandwich halves with lettuce showingTan, green, red. Two triangles of bread leaning together on the cheek; a wavy green edge and a red line in each.
Waffle square with a pat of butterTan, brown, yellow. A rounded square ruled into a grid of small pockets; a yellow square melting in the middle.
How it works
These simple emoji face paint ideas are 55 small designs for one cheek, each in three colors or fewer: 16 smiley faces, 13 hearts and signs, 12 animal faces and 14 foods. Fifteen of them are also filed under Easy.
Read the full guide
Yellow first, then black
Fifteen of the 16 smiley faces start as a yellow circle on the apple of the cheek. Let the yellow dry, then add the eyes and mouth in black with a thin brush. The third color goes on last: the red tongue of the winking face, the pink bubble of the gum-blowing face.
Your own emoji, not a phone's
An emoji looks a little different from one phone or app to the next, because each company draws its own set. So the lines here describe each face in plain shapes, for you to paint your own way. The word comes from Japanese: e, picture, and moji, character.
Questions and answers
What are easy emoji face paint ideas?
Four of the Easy designs need one paint: black for the typed smile (a colon, a dash and a bracket), red for the typed heart or the 100 underlined twice, blue for three rising Zs. A bitten cookie takes tan and brown.
What colors do you need for emoji face paint?
Black and yellow first: 39 of the 55 designs use black and 24 use yellow. White comes next, then red for the hearts and tongues. Tan and brown are for the food: nine of its 14 designs use one or both.
What emoji animals can you face paint?
Three monkeys covering their eyes, ears and mouth, a panda, a sleeping koala, a polar bear, a winking pig, a frog catching a fly, a mouse, a fox, a penguin and a giraffe. Each is a head on one cheek.
What paint do you use for emoji face paint?
Face paint that is sold for use on skin. The US FDA suggests trying a dab on your arm for a couple of days before a first use, to check for an allergic reaction, and says not to go to bed with makeup on.