This Make-Up Artist Transforms Into Nostalgic Cartoons Using Face Paint

At some point during childhood we've all proudly shown off face paint creations to our friends … but this Instagram make-up artist takes it to the next level.

Annie Thomas, a 28-year-old make-up artist from Pennsylvania, creates incredibly accurate paintings of famous cartoon characters on her face under the name Creative Cliche.

She has enjoyed drawing cartoons since she was a child and has been creating cartoon characters out of face paint for a year.

She said:

“After getting really into a special effects make-up show (Face Off) I thought that I wanted to be a special effects make-up artist.

"I started an Instagram page of me practicing different looks, but then one day just for fun I did a recreation of the character Cynthia from Rugrats and people loved it!

“It tripled my following at the time and it really caused me to change my direction and focus on cartoons.

"It's so crazy how things come full circle like that, maybe we all had it right when we were kids."

The make-up artist has created characters from the Simpsons, Futurama, Rugrats and more, and takes up to eight hours to perfect a look.

She said:

“I create every single look on the spot, so everything that you see is a first attempt. I'm not much of a planner!

"Depending on the look, it can take anywhere from two hours to eight hours."

Annie's Instagram page now has more than 68,000 followers, with the number climbing every day.

She said:

“I would have to say that my all-time favorite looks would have to be my updated version of Krusty the Clown, and Squidward …

"I just have so much passion for breathing life into these characters and fully embodying them, to me, is the highest form of tribute."

Annie added:

“What I do is very strange and unusual, so to see the amount of love and support for my work, especially in such a short amount of time has been overwhelming!

“I love seeing the impression that my art has made on so many people, there isn't a cooler thing in this world than to see someone try to recreate your work.

Annie concludes:

"I think that people click on my page out of curiosity, but stay for the nostalgia.

"It almost transports you back to a simpler time and makes you realize that life is only what you make of it.

"It's not that serious."

A version of this article originally appeared on Press Association.