Please help me make my first order

Hi all! I've been madly exploring this forum over the last few days and I'm hooked! I'm going to place an order to get me started but need a bit of help.

I'm thinking of getting
* 2x Tag one-strokes (maybe leaf white and then a purple-y one)
* 1 black cake
* 1 white cake
* 3 brushes (a thick one to fit the one-strokes, a medium one for small flowers and a tiny one for linework)
* 1 practice head

What are your thoughts? I just want to get a couple in case I try it and don't want to keep going. I love the look of the one strokes - I can see myself using them a lot more than just using solid colours. If I really get into this I will probably look at making my own one-strokes, but while I'm still just fiddling around I think I should just buy a couple of pre-made ones.
So which brand of black and white should I get? And can anyone tell me which exact brushes I should get?

Thanks so much!

edit: and can anyone tell me the actual dimensions of the split cakes? Ta!

If you ask 10 different painters what their favorite items are, you're going to get 10 different answers. With that said, here's my advice list for those starting out and a little of my philosophy:

Brushes: #2 round, #4 round, 3/4in flat
Liners are nice, but you should be able to make as thin lines using a light touch with the #2. If you can't, then you know you need more practice. A good starting brush is a Loew Cornell 7000 series or any white/gold taklon brush. From there, you can experiment which brands last longer for you or feel better in your hand.

Wolfe or DiamondFx Black and White
These are your workhorse essentials for linework

5 tack sponges (round, high-density sponges)
Split these in half, you have 10 - a very respectable number to start. You could probably even get fewer, but you probably won't have any jobs with fewer than 8-10 kids.

1 Wolfe appetizer palette OR 1 TAG or DFX Essentials Palette
With this, you've got every color you need and can make a small one-stroke cake for no additional money. I know you said you wanted to wait, but I think this is a much better investment in the short-term AND long-term than a one-stroke cake. Then again, you're asking our opinions and you'll get several. With this one palette and good technique (practice!), you can earn enough to buy a couple of one-strokes or rainbow cakes to try out.

Splurge items:
White iridescent glitter

1 rainbow or neon rainbow cake
Kids *LOVE* this more than one-stroke and you can use just parts of it for one-stroke (yellow+green = snake), (red+orange = flames), (blue+green=mermaid etc)

I know some people love them, but I say forget the practice head. Beginners need help on linework and sponging and your arms/thigh are a better consistency to this. Painting on wax paper or one of those flexible cutting boards is far superior for developing skills.

Totally agree on the practice head if money is an issue. Much better to buy a small palette. IMO

I LOVE one-strokes but that's because I love them for gigs. I think for a starter kit you should get a pallet that has a lot of different colors and then a black and white. I love pearls since most of my little clients are girls but even the green and blue pearl are cool for boys masks.

Another alternative is to buy a rainbow cake and then use stripes to load your brush like a one-stroke...that way you have the rainbow to do full face butterflies and kitties and tigers and can still do a one stroke effect for flowers. I love the DFX tropical rainbow I just got. It's bright but opaque so you don't need as much paint as a neon rainbow.

D.

One economical way to get a palett is to get a coupon (tomorrow would be great...Micheal's has a 50% off coupon!) go to the book section, and get the Kluts face painting book, it is about $25, and it comes with a Wolfe pallet that has both white and black and all the primary colors, and a decent #2 or #4 round (I am pretty sure that it is #2.) For $12.50, you cannot beat it with a stick. Then, I would skip the practice head too, and follow Julie's advice. You could splurge on a split if you get a really good deal on your pallet. The Original Horse Company has tack sponges incredibly cheap (on line) I got a dozen for less than 6 bucks last time I ordered. You can also print a few coupons, and take some people with you tomorrow to get your brushes...just let them get you your 3/4 flat, and your other round brushes. A filbert of any size is nice too.

Gliltter is a must have. Get white. You will make every little girl happy!

Thanks so much for all your advice! I'm in Australia though so no coupons for me! I ended up finding a store that was open today and bought some Montmarte body paints. I made some of my own split cakes following the tutorials on here and I think I'm hooked!
Thanks for the advice on the mannequin - I'll give it a miss.
I'm thinking of getting a Wolfe appetiser palette too.

Where do you all get your inspiration from?