How to Do the Double Dip Flower in Face Painting: Technique, Brushes and Designs
The double dip flower is one of the most useful techniques in face painting — it appears in butterfly designs, princess crowns, rainbow cheek art, Easter designs, and as a standalone cheek art piece in its own right. It requires no drawing ability, produces consistent results quickly once practised, and creates the kind of professional-looking floral detail that makes a simple sponge base design look finished and polished. This guide covers how to do the double dip flower correctly, which brush produces the best results, how to build from single flowers to clusters and full designs, and how to add leaves using the same technique.
What Is the Double Dip Flower?
The double dip flower is a face painting technique where a brush is loaded with white paint, the tip is dipped into a second colour, and five-petal flowers are stamped using a press-and-lift motion. The white base and the coloured tip blend at the point of contact, producing a two-toned petal — lighter on the outer edge where the white dominates, darker at the centre where the colour tip touched. The name comes from the two dips: first into white, then into colour.
It is one of the fastest ways to add organic, professional-looking floral detail to any face painting design. Because the petals are stamped rather than drawn, the technique does not require confident brushwork — the shape is produced by the brush tip, not by hand control. This makes it accessible from an early stage of learning and fast enough to include in high-volume event work.
The Flower Brush vs The Round Brush
Two brushes work well for double dip flowers — the choice depends on the size of flower needed and where it is being placed in the design.
The flower brush (petal or filbert) — Leanne's preferred tool
The flower brush — sometimes called a petal brush or filbert brush — has a flat body that narrows to a rounded point at the tip. This shape naturally produces a petal when the brush is pressed flat and lifted: the wide body creates the outer petal edge, and the pointed tip returns to the centre when lifted. Leanne Courtney designed her flower brush for this technique specifically — the sharp point and the slight flex of the bristles allow the brush to lay flat on the skin and spring back cleanly when lifted, producing consistent petal shapes without needing to reshape the stroke.
The No. 4 round brush — best for smaller flowers and dots
A round brush loaded with the double dip technique produces a slightly different petal shape — rounder and less elongated than the flower brush. For smaller flowers, detail flowers within a design, and for the centre dot that finishes a flower cluster, the No. 4 round is Leanne's tool of choice. It also handles teardrops — the downward pull-and-lift motion that creates teardrop shapes around the outside of a flower cluster.
| Brush | Petal Shape | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Flower / petal / filbert brush | Elongated, natural petal — wider body, pointed centre return | Main flowers in a design, larger petals, flower clusters, leaf shapes |
| No. 4 round brush | Rounder, more compact petal — consistent circular press | Smaller flowers, detail flowers within a larger cluster, dots in the flower centre |
| No. 3 round brush | Fine, small petal — precise placement | Tiny accent flowers, miniature flower clusters on small cheek designs |
| 3/4 inch angle brush | Curved stroke — not a traditional petal but creates arched accents | Leaf shapes, curved accent strokes alongside flower clusters |
Why White Is the Base Colour
Almost every double dip flower tutorial — including Leanne's — starts with white as the brush base. This is not arbitrary. There are three specific reasons white is the correct base colour:
- White mixed with any colour creates a lighter, more dimensional version of that colour. When white meets the coloured tip at the petal centre, the blend produces a gradient from the full colour at the tip to a soft pastel at the outer edge. This gradient is what makes double dip petals look three-dimensional rather than flat.
- White is the most forgiving base colour to correct. If a petal goes wrong — wrong placement, wrong angle, too much pressure — white lifts off skin more cleanly than dark colours. Working in white means mistakes can be blotted and restarted. A dark base colour leaves a stain that is much harder to correct.
- White works with every colour combination. White plus blue gives cornflower petal edges. White plus pink gives soft rose petals. White plus purple gives lavender. You never need to change the brush base — only the tip colour changes between designs and between children.
Fusion Prime Paraffin White is the recommended white for double dip flowers — it is a high-pigment white that mixes to a smooth, creamy consistency and covers well in a single pass. Leanne works the Paraffin White thoroughly on the back of her hand or a palette before loading the brush, building the paint to a consistent creamy paste before applying.
Step by Step: The Double Dip Flower
Load Fusion Prime Paraffin White onto the brush and work it on the back of your hand or a palette. Add a small amount of water and mix back and forth until the paint reaches a smooth, creamy consistency with no dry lumps. The paint should feel slightly sticky and hold its shape on the bristle face. Too watery and the petals will bleed; too dry and the petals will be pale and thin. Wipe off any excess from the side of the bristles on a paper towel.
This is the double dip — with the brush loaded with white, dip just the tip into the second colour. The colour should cover only the last 3–5mm of the brush tip. Do not dip too deep or the colour will overtake the white base and the gradient will be lost. The tip colour can come from any split cake, one stroke, or solid colour in your palette. Leanne typically dips into a split cake end colour — picking up the edge of a blue, purple, or pink from the Princess Palette or Rainbow Bliss.
Place the brush flat on the skin at the position of the first petal — tip pointing toward the flower centre. Press the full flat face of the brush down gently and lift cleanly. Do not drag. The press-and-lift motion is what creates the clean petal edge. The tip colour appears at the centre, blending outward into the white.
Stamp four more petals in a circle around the same centre point — the tip of the brush always points back toward the same centre position before pressing. This is the most common mistake in double dip flowers: each petal needs to point toward the same focal centre. If the petals point in different directions, the flower looks scattered. Three petals angling down and outward, two petals angling up — or five petals evenly spaced in a clock arrangement. Between petals, do not reload the brush — the white and colour blend will last through the full flower.
After the five petals, rotate the brush sideways to its flat edge and pull a small upward curved stroke from the centre of the flower. This is the growth accent — it gives the flower a natural upward direction and prevents the design from looking flat. Leanne uses this stroke on every flower. It takes one second and makes the flower look significantly more finished.
Switch to the No. 4 round brush loaded with white or a bright contrasting colour. Press straight down at the flower centre and lift cleanly — this is the centre dot. On larger flowers, two or three small dots placed close together fill the centre more naturally. The centre dot defines the flower's focal point and covers any messiness where the petal tips converged.
Leaves with the Double Dip Method
Leaves are painted using the same double dip principle as flowers — and Leanne uses them in almost every design because they add instant colour depth and natural contrast.
- Load the flower brush or angle brush with white or a light green.
- Dip the tip into a deeper green from your palette.
- Rotate the brush sideways to its flat edge — not the tip-pointing-forward position used for petals.
- Press the flat edge onto the skin in a single confident curved stroke, lifting at the end to taper the leaf tip.
- Fan multiple leaves outward from a central stem line or flower cluster centre.
Triple Dip Flowers
A triple dip flower adds a third colour to the brush — typically a darker or contrasting tone dipped onto the very tip of the brush after the first two colours are loaded. The result is a three-toned petal with the lightest colour at the outer edge, a mid-tone in the body, and the darkest tone at the centre tip.
How to load a triple dip:
- Load the brush with white as usual.
- Dip the tip into the first colour — a mid-tone. Cover approximately 5mm of the tip.
- Dip just the very end — 2–3mm — into the second, darker colour.
- Stamp petals the same way as a double dip, returning the tip to the same centre point each time.
Triple dip flowers produce more complex, showcase-level results but require a slower loading process and are better suited to designs where you have more than 2 minutes per face. For high-volume event work, the double dip is the practical choice.
Where to Place Flowers in a Design
Knowing where to place double dip flowers is as important as knowing how to paint them. Leanne places flowers instinctively in three types of positions:
| Position | Why It Works | Design Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Where two elements meet | Covers the awkward join and creates a focal point | Where a rainbow arc meets the cheek, where butterfly wings meet at the nose bridge, where a bunny body meets the rainbow |
| At the end of a design arc | Terminates the design naturally without needing a hard edge | End of a rainbow sweep, tip of a stem line, corner of a cheek design |
| Scattered for embellishment | Fills white space and adds richness without additional line work | Across butterfly wings, around a crown, on Easter egg designs |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Petals look pale and thin | Under-loaded brush — not enough white paint on the bristle face | Work more white paint to a creamier consistency before the double dip. The white should look fully opaque on the bristle face before you dip the tip |
| Colour takes over — no white visible in petal | Dipped the tip too deep into the colour, or the colour is very saturated and bleeds into the white | Dip only 2–3mm of the tip. Wipe the very edge of the tip on a paper towel after dipping to reduce excess colour before stamping |
| Petals look scattered — no clear flower centre | The brush tip is not returning to the same centre point between petals | Before each press, pause and check the brush tip is oriented toward the same fixed centre point. Slow down — speed is built after the placement is consistent |
| Petals bleed into each other | Too much water in the white base, or painting over an area that has not dried | Reduce water in the white mix. Allow the sponge base underneath to dry fully before placing flowers on top — in hot conditions this takes 10–20 seconds |
| Flower looks flat — no dimension | Missing the upward accent stroke, or centre dot not added | Add the sideways accent stroke from the flower centre after the five petals. Add a centre dot with the round brush. These two steps add most of the visual depth |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the double dip flower technique in face painting?
The double dip flower is a technique where a brush is loaded with white paint, the tip is dipped into a second colour, and five-petal flowers are stamped with a press-and-lift motion. The white and colour blend at the petal centre, creating a two-toned flower in a single application. It is called double dip because the brush is dipped twice — into white, then into colour.
What brush do you use for double dip flowers in face painting?
A petal or filbert brush — a flat brush with a rounded, pointed tip — produces the most natural petal shape. The rounded tip returns to the flower centre as the brush is lifted, giving consistent results without needing to reshape the stroke. A No. 4 round brush works well for smaller flowers and the centre dot. Browse the full range of Fusion Body Art face painting brushes for both options.
Why do you use white as the base colour for double dip flowers?
White mixed with any colour at the brush tip creates a lighter, more dimensional version of that colour — producing the gradient from centre to petal edge that makes double dip flowers look three-dimensional. White is also more forgiving if a petal goes wrong, and it works with every colour combination so you never need to change the brush base between designs.
Can you do a triple dip flower in face painting?
Yes — load white, dip the tip into a mid-tone, then dip just the very end into a darker tone. The result is a three-toned petal with white at the outer edge, the mid-tone in the petal body, and the darker colour at the centre tip. Triple dip flowers produce more complex results but take longer to load — better for showcase designs than high-volume event work.
Where do you place double dip flowers on a face painting design?
Most effectively where two elements meet — where a rainbow meets the cheek, where butterfly wings join at the nose, or where a bunny body meets a rainbow arc. This placement covers the awkward join and creates a natural focal point. Flowers can also terminate a design arc cleanly or scatter across a wing or cheek design as embellishment.
How do you make double dip flowers look neat?
Load the brush fully with white before dipping the tip. Bring the brush tip back to the same centre point between every petal — scattered petals are the most common mistake. Press flat and lift cleanly rather than dragging. After five petals, add a sideways accent stroke from the centre and a centre dot with the round brush. These two finishing steps add most of the visual depth.
How do you paint leaves with the double dip technique?
Load the brush with white or light green, dip the tip into a deeper green, rotate the brush sideways to its flat edge, and press in a single curved stroke lifting at the end to taper the leaf tip. Fan multiple leaves outward from a central point. Green leaves instantly lift any design — they add colour depth and natural contrast without requiring line work.
Can beginners do the double dip flower technique?
Yes. The double dip flower is one of the most beginner-accessible techniques in face painting — it requires pressing and lifting rather than drawing, which is easier to control than fine brush lines. Practise on the arm to build muscle memory for consistent petal size and placement. Most beginners can produce recognisable double dip flowers within one practice session.
Shop the Products for Double Dip Flowers
All products used in the double dip flower technique are available from Fusion Body Art:
→ Fusion Prime Paraffin White — high-pigment white for the double dip flower base. Mixes to a smooth creamy paste for consistent petal coverage.
→ Fusion Body Art Face Painting Brushes — flower brush, No. 3 and No. 4 round brushes, and angle brushes for every element of the double dip flower and leaf technique
→ Leanne's Princess Petal Palette — split cakes with edge colours perfect for double dip flower tips — blue, pink, purple, and magenta
→ Leanne's Rainbow Bliss 50g — the end colours of Rainbow Bliss — blue and yellow — work directly as double dip tip colours for spring and rainbow designs
→ Fusion Petal Sponges 6 Pack — for the sponge base that goes underneath the double dip flowers
Browse the full range at fusionbodyart.com — worldwide shipping.
See the double dip flower in action: How to Face Paint a Butterfly · Simple Butterfly Tutorial for Beginners · How to Use Split Cakes for Face Painting
