The most distinctive feature of many cat face paint designs is the mouth. It begins with two connecting C-shapes that completely cover the top lip, turning a human lip into a cat's split one. Whiskers protrude from the split lip, and black or pink lipstick finish off the mouth. From here, the possibilities are endless. The rest of the paint might show a Maine Coon's stripes, brindled calico fur or something totally different. Perhaps the cat is a special cat with protruding fangs and markings that look like whirling spirals of color. Simple green paint could turn a child into a witchy cat complete with a spider web on one check and a little drop of blood or saliva under one of the fangs. Purple paint and similar swirls could create a fairy cat.
Big and wild cat designs are among the most popular. Tigers start with a split-lip design on the upper lip and fangs protruding from the corner of the mouth. Whiskers sometimes come from the upper split lip, and an orange base shows off black and white stripes. However, some people prefer colored stripes, asking for purple, red, green or blue bases, with stripes and markings in different shades of the same hue. The same holds true for leopards and cheetahs. They begin with the curving split lip and fangs, a yellow or orange base and brown or dark yellow spots or rosettes. Sometimes painters modify the designs to include colors of cats not found in nature--for instance, green fur with blue spots.
Cats have very distinctive eyes. A very simple cat face paint design includes surrounding the eyes with colored paint to create an almond shape. From there, the artist can add swirls, stripes or any other design that surrounds the nose and stops at the edges of the cheekbones, creating a cat mask. Long lines could extend from the corners of the eyes, creating an Egyptian look that's furthered by a black nose and lips with a gold paint background. An Asian cat could have the same almond eyes and a mostly white base to create a Siamese look, with a Japanese cherry tree on the cheek.