• 54 designs
  • Checked October 2026

Gothic Face Paint Ideas

Press for three dark, decorative designs: lace, a bat or a moon, a thorned rose, or cracked porcelain.

Gothic Face Paint Ideas

Show all 54
  1. Blue china pattern on a pale temple patchWhite, blue, gray. A pale patch at the temple with three small blue flowers and a leaf scroll, one gray crack over it.
  2. Black rosebud on the cheekbone, stem curving to the jawBlack, dark green. A closed bud on the cheekbone, its stem curving down to the jaw with four thorns and one leaf.
  3. Bat perched on the upper horn of a crescentBlack, pale yellow. A crescent on the cheek, open side to the nose; a small bat sits on its top horn, wings half open.

Next step Paint a bat on canvasDoodle a rose first

All 54 designs

Lace and filigree 13

  • Black tassel hanging at the temple Black, gold. A gold knot at the temple near the hairline, a black tassel of seven threads falling toward the ear.
  • Cameo oval with a pale profile, on the cheek Black, cream, gold. A black oval on the cheek, a cream head in profile inside it, gold dots around the rim.
  • Damask leaf motif, mirrored around a stem Black or deep red. An upright stem on the cheek, three pairs of curled leaves mirrored either side, like wallpaper.
  • Filigree teardrop under one cheekbone Gold, black. A teardrop outline under the cheekbone, point up, filled with three small curls and bead dots.
  • Iron hinge strap curling across the cheek Black. A flat bar from the ear toward the nose that splits into two curls at its end, three rivet dots along it.
  • Lace leaf at the corner of the jaw Black. A leaf outline at the jaw corner, tip toward the ear, one center vein, rows of tiny loops in each half.
  • Lace rosette of eight loops on one cheek Black or white. A small ring on the cheek, eight loops around it, a dot on the tip of each loop, fine brush.
  • Open birdcage with its door ajar Black, gold. A domed cage of seven thin bars on the cheek, a gold ring on top, its small door standing open.
  • Pair of pointed-arch windows at the temple Black, deep blue. Two tall narrow windows side by side at the temple, each with a sharp pointed top, blue inside.
  • Pen flourish in a figure eight under the cheekbone Black. One pen line under the cheekbone that loops into a level figure eight and ends in a small curl at each end.
  • Quill pen trailing a looping ink line Black, white. A feather pen slanted on the cheek, nib toward the jaw, one looping ink line running from the nib.
  • Rose window in fine black line on the cheek Black, deep red. A circle on the cheek cut by eight spokes, a petal arc between each pair, a red dot at the hub.
  • Scrollwork corners framing the whole face Black. A small double curl at each temple and at each corner of the jaw, like the corners of a picture frame.

Bats and moons 14

  • Bat carrying a rosebud in its feet Black, deep red, green. A small bat flying across the cheek toward the ear, a red bud on a short stem in its feet.
  • Bat perched on the upper horn of a crescent Black, pale yellow. A crescent on the cheek, open side to the nose; a small bat sits on its top horn, wings half open.
  • Bat seen from below, finger lines in each wing Black, gray. One bat spread over the cheek, gray wings, four fine black finger lines fanning out in each wing.
  • Bat seen side on, one wing up and one down Black, purple. One small bat on the cheekbone seen from the side, near wing raised, far wing lowered, a purple dot eye.
  • Crescent hung like a swing on two threads Silver gray, white. A crescent lying on its back under the cheekbone, a thread from each horn running up to the temple.
  • Dusk patch with three bats crossing it Purple, orange, black. A soft sponge patch of purple over orange on one cheek, three small bats crossing it in a slant.
  • Eclipsed moon: a dark disc inside a bright ring Black, white. A coin-size black disc at the temple with a thin white ring around it, thickest on one side.
  • Filigree crescent filled with curls Silver gray, black. A crescent outline on the cheek, curved back to the ear, its inside filled with curls and dots.
  • Moon above its own rippled reflection Pale yellow, deep blue. A full moon on the cheekbone; under it four short wavy blue dashes, each one narrower.
  • One bat at each temple, wings toward the hairline Black. A small bat at each temple with its wings spread, the outer wing tip reaching up along the hairline.
  • Rose resting in the curve of a crescent Silver gray, deep red, green. A crescent on the cheek, open side to the nose, one small red rose inside its curve.
  • Thin moon hooked on the tip of a spire Pale yellow, black. One thin black spire rising on the cheek, a thin crescent caught on its tip at the cheekbone.
  • Tiny bats in a wallpaper repeat on one cheek Black. Nine thumbnail-size bats in three staggered rows on one cheek, every one facing the same way.
  • Two bats face to face, wing tips touching Black, purple. Two small bats on the cheek facing each other, inner wing tips touching, a purple dot eye on each.

Roses and thorns 14

  • Black rosebud on the cheekbone, stem curving to the jaw Black, dark green. A closed bud on the cheekbone, its stem curving down to the jaw with four thorns and one leaf.
  • Blue-black rose with pale petal edges Deep blue, black, silver gray. A rose of five curled strokes on the cheek, each petal edged with one thin pale line.
  • Briar crescent with one bud at its tip Dark green, deep red. A thorned stem bent into a crescent around the outside of the cheek, a red bud at its top end.
  • Dried rose hanging head down from a black bow Dusty pink, brown, black. A black bow on the cheekbone, a brown stem below it, the dried rose head lowest, by the jaw.
  • Red rose with a gray shadow twin Deep red, gray, green. One red rose on the cheek and the same rose in flat gray set a little behind it, to one side.
  • Red rose with a single black petal Red, black, green. One open red rose on the cheek with a single outer petal painted black, a green leaf on either side.
  • Rose growing through an iron ring Black, deep red, green. A black ring on the cheek; a green stem passes through it and opens into a red rose above.
  • Rose hips on a thorned twig Red, orange, brown. A short brown twig along the cheekbone with hooked thorns and three oval hips, a dark tip on each.
  • Rose in the middle of a thorn spiral Deep red, black. A thorned stem coils twice around a small red rose at the temple, every thorn pointing outward.
  • Rose under a pointed arch of thorns Black, deep red. Two thorned stems rise on the cheek and lean together into a point; a red rose sits under the arch.
  • Three roses along the cheekbone, bud to full bloom Deep red, green. Three roses from the nose side to the temple: a closed bud, a half-open rose, then a full one.
  • Two thorned stems twisted together along the jaw Dark green, black. Two stems cross over and under each other four times along one jawline, thorns on the outside.
  • White rose with black-tipped petals White, black, gray. A white rose on the cheek, gray shadow between the petals, the tip of each outer petal black.
  • Wilted rose dropping two petals Deep red, dark green, brown. A rose with its head bowed on a bent stem on the cheek, two loose petals by the jaw.

Cracked porcelain 13

  • Blue china pattern on a pale temple patch White, blue, gray. A pale patch at the temple with three small blue flowers and a leaf scroll, one gray crack over it.
  • Chipped corner at the jaw White, black, gray. A pale edge along the corner of the jaw with one bite-shaped chip painted black, a gray rim in it.
  • Crack falling from the cheekbone like a tear track Black, gray. One fine line from the top of the cheekbone down to the jaw, two short branches, gray along one side.
  • Crack with a night sky showing through Deep blue, white, black. A leaf-shaped gap on the cheek outlined in black, deep blue inside, three white star dots.
  • Doll's rosebud mouth, smaller than the lips Deep red, white. A small heart-shaped mouth in deep red in the middle of the lips, the outer lip corners paled out.
  • Flower growing out of a crack Black, green, pink. A black crack runs up the cheek; a thin green stem leaves it halfway and ends in one pink flower.
  • Gilt rim along the hairline with one chip Gold, black. A thin gold line following the hairline from temple to temple like the rim of a cup; one black notch.
  • Gold-mended crack from the cheekbone to the jaw corner Gold, black. One forked gold line from the cheekbone to the corner of the jaw, a hair-thin black line along one side.
  • Missing piece at the temple, found on the cheek White, black. A black-edged shape at the temple left bare; the same shape painted white lower down on the cheek.
  • Net of fine crackle lines at one temple Gray, black. Hair-thin lines at one temple that meet in small uneven cells, as in an old glaze.
  • Painted doll hair in three waves at one temple Black, white. Three flat black waves at one temple below the hairline, a thin white shine line on each.
  • Shards drifting apart on the cheekbone White, black. Five pale shards outlined in black along the cheekbone, bare skin between them, the last one by the ear.
  • Wind-up key at the corner of the jaw Gold, black. A short gold stem at the jaw corner below the ear, two round gold loops on its end, a thin black edge.

How it works

These gothic face paint ideas are 54 designs, dark without being horror: 13 of lace and filigree, 14 of bats and moons, 14 of roses and thorns, 13 of cracked porcelain. None is a monster's face or has a wound.

Read the full guide

Lace and filigree with a fine brush

Filigree is metalwork of twisted threads and tiny beads, usually gold or silver, and it often looks like lace, so the two paint the same way: a fine brush, thin paint, one curl at a time. Lace rosette of eight loops on one cheek is a ring, eight loops and eight dots.

Cracked porcelain without a white face

The usual china doll's head is glazed porcelain, its molded hair painted: Painted doll hair in three waves at one temple copies it. A fine pattern of dense cracks in a glaze is called crackle, so keep each crack hair-thin and let it fork. None of the 13 paints the whole face white.

Questions and answers

Which gothic face painting ideas are easiest?

Pen flourish in a figure eight under the cheekbone is one line, and Wind-up key at the corner of the jaw is a stem and two loops. A disc and a ring make Eclipsed moon: a dark disc inside a bright ring.

What colors are used for gothic face paint?

Black first: it is in 44 of the 54 designs here. White and deep red come next with 12 each, then gray and green shades with 11 each and gold with 7. Eight designs need one color, Scrollwork corners framing the whole face among them.

What is a rose window?

A round window, found especially in Gothic cathedrals and churches, that stone bars divide into segments. Rose window in fine black line on the cheek draws one with eight spokes. Pair of pointed-arch windows at the temple takes the pointed arch of the same buildings.

Can I use a black marker for gothic face paint?

No. Paint the fine lines with black face paint sold for use on skin and a thin brush. The US FDA says not to decorate your face with things that are not intended for your skin, and to follow all directions.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Painting Ideas