Star Wars VII has arrived in all it’s glory, and I won’t give out any spoilers in case you haven’t seen it. But if you’re looking for a fun design inspired by one of the characters which boys are sure to love, I hope you enjoy learning this Poe Dameron inspired helmet design.
Materials
• Paradise red
• Paradise silver
• Paradise orange
• Paradise yellow
• Global red
• Diamond FX white
• Diamond FX black
• Paradise black
• TAG pearl black
• #1 round brush
• #2 round brush
• #5 round brush
• 1/2-inch flat brush
• Blending brush
• Sponge
Tutorial
This design is on the advanced side, primarily because of the shapes in the helmet and the shading, but give it a try even if you consider yourself a beginner. The best way to learn and become better is to keep trying and to never give up.
Begin by loading your 1/2-inch flat brush with a combination of Paradise black and TAG pearl black. I keep them in the same container with half on each side so I can mix them easily and take advantage of their combined characteristics. Just off center, make a line which goes from the brow bone between the eyes and goes up into the hair line.
Use the images to place your black first, and when you’re finished, load the 1/2-inch brush with red. I used a combination of Global red, which is a warmer red, and Paradise red, which is a deep red, but you could use either one of them alone instead. (If you had to choose one, I’d go with the Global red since the color is closer to the actual helmet red.)
Next, place the larger silver shapes with the 1/2-inch flat and finish up the small areas with a #5 round brush.
Once you’ve practiced this design several times, the shapes within the helmet and their locations will be committed to memory and it will become quicker to execute.
For the symbol on the helmet, use the #2 round brush to create a crescent shape at the bottom of the large silver U-shape on the front of the helmet.
In the center of it, paint a line straight up.
Place a diamond shape at the top, and round the points into three small leaf shapes.
For the visor, load your sponge with a combination of yellow and orange and sponge it under the brim of the helmet, over the eyes.
Along the top of the eye area, just under the helmet, sponge a little of your Paradise black, making sure the sponge isn’t overly wet, to create the helmet shadow. Load your #1 round brush with Diamond FX (or Wolfe) black and define the edge of the visor.
Load a sponge with Paradise silver. You’re going to sponge the silver in several places on the helmet to create the illusion of reflected light. Dab some over the center line as well as over the temples. As the paint underneath is dry, the silver should sit on top with no problem.
Also use the #2 round brush and silver to add some metallic edges and designs to portions of the helmet.
Load your #1 round brush with Diamond FX and use it to clean up the edges of the helmet as well as to define some of the shapes, such as the red emblem on the front side and the microphone.
Load your #2 brush with Paradise black, a soft black which is good for creating shadows. Add some extra water to the black, and check it on the back of your hand to make sure it’s thinned out. You’ll want your shadows to be light. Run a little of this black mixture along the bottom of the helmet and blend it with a small, dry blending brush.
Also run some of the same mixture along the bottom edge of the visor and the microphone and blend it as well with the dry blender. Your visor is finished.
Beth MacKinney is the owner of and primary face painter for Face Paint Pizzazz in the NW Chicago suburbs. She also writes for Examiner.com as the Chicago Face Painting Examiner.