Our April Artist Highlight Winner, LaQuitta Sharesse, owner of Dip and Dabble Face Painting and Body Art, has always been an artist. From a young age, she explored her artistic side through classes and creative opportunities, building a strong foundation in the arts, but as the years went on, she drifted away from creating. Eventually, she found her way back to her roots, rediscovered her passion, and made the decision to pursue face painting full time on the weekends—something she now can’t imagine her life without.
“I have been a face painter/smile creator since December 2019. I offer traditional face painting, airbrush body art, glitter tattoos and glitter bar services.”
Before becoming a face painter, LaQuitta spent a lot of time working on her art skills, and was even offered a scholarship to attend the Art Institute of Houston, but decided to attend a 4-year university instead. When she turned down the scholarship, she lost touch with her artistic side and only created when she was commissioned for an art piece. However, in 2019, that quickly changed.
“In 2019, my mom Cheryl gave my two sons' a birthday party. She hired Mrs. Vanessa to be the face painter. Mrs. Vanessa knew I was artistic and encouraged me to try face painting. I instantly fell in love with painting again.”
After that day at the birthday party, she spent countless hours researching how to become a face painter. Majority of what she learned was from watching YouTube tutorials.
She was so excited to start her business; however, in 2020, everything shut down due to the Coronavirus. Face painting was not allowed during this time because of social distancing.
“In 2021 things slowly began to open up and I was able to join the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans farmers market, do festivals, parties and more.”
LaQuitta also shared a little bit about her setup throughout her time as a face painter.
“I tried various face paint cases before purchasing a Craft-n-Go. I had a thrifted suitcases and a Coleman camp kitchen. I decided to buy a Craft-n-Go because the camp kitchen was very heavy and bulky. I was so ecstatic when my purple standard size Craft-n-Go arrived. It made me feel so organized and I loved how professional my set up looked.”
Flash forward to a few years later… her whole family got involved in the business!
“We have made my face paint business a family affair. I taught my husband, Dilandos, and son how to do airbrush face paint and body art. They each have a Craft-n-Go Case, an orange one for my husband and a yellow one for my son. Our airbrush face paint has been featured on Proaiir website.”
In recent days, LaQuitta has had many opportunities in the face painting industry.
“In Louisiana there is always something going on. I recently collaborated with Kew-Yon Crawfish Travels America - Lafayette, LA edition, a coloring book which highlights the culture of music, food, festivals Lafayette. I like to say weekends are for face painting. I love being a smile creator.”
Throughout her time as a face painter, LaQuitta gained so much knowledge and wisdom. When we asked her to share one piece of advice that she would share with a face painter who’s just starting out, here’s what she shared:
“The one piece of advice I would give to new artist is to invest in your business. If you have the talent, quality products, and a professional setup, you will definitely get your money back from purchasing a Craft-n-Go within a few gigs. I wish I would have purchased a standard Craft-n-Go from the start.”
LaQuitta’s journey is a beautiful reminder that once an artist, always an artist. Even after time away, her creativity never left—and now she’s thriving as a full-time face painter, doing what she loves every day.
