Hmmmm....Really?

Anyone have a customer call and ask you if you painted all the pictures on your website? And then ask you to prove it?

Sounds like the competition is trying to get at you...?

I've had people in line ask if I painted all the faces in my photo display (YES!) But I've never have had anyone question it when booking me or inquiring.

How exactly do they want you to prove it? Tell them to book you. It sounds quite rude to me - Shannon is probably right.

Gosh, that is a new one. Prove it how?

Like Shannon, I've had people ask while waiting in line. But over the phone? Nope.

And how do you prove such a thing over email or phone?? Honestly, technically anyone can make a watermark...

I would say, "sure I will prove it if you pay my hourly rate"!

Is this person going to hire you?

Hmmm.. type the phone number she called you on, into Google, if she has a website it'll come up and you'll know!!!

It was a call for a birthday party. They wanted to come out to an event and see me paint. Unforunately I don't have any public events booked until the end of June at this moment. And I am not going to invite someone to my home for a demonstration.

I did meet them and they seemed to be just a small family and not another business. I was coming from an elementary school's theatre production at the time. I was painted up and wearing my business shirt and had the business magnets on my car so I was (hopefully) appearing as an honest business to them. They said they would send the contract out right away, but I am still waiting... I have to trust the customer will pay me their balance at the end of their party so customers will need to trust that I painted the pictures on my website.

Thinking on it...most of the pictures on my site are of the same girl, my daughter! With repeats of the neighbors thrown in...maybe they had a bad experience once???

Has anyone had a customer try to not pay their balance at the end of a party?

My contract states that the balance is due upon arrival. I always come early for setup and that gives them time to pay me before the party is in full swing (in most cases). One time I had a business claim they would send me a check after it went through the finance dept and after 6 months I never got paid! Come to find out the person who hired me never had authorization to due so but I did work something out with her boss, now it's pay up front.

Sounds to me like they've been burned and just wanted to know that you can paint what you promise. I'm glad to see the public fighting back a bit. If I was asked that question I would refer them to my customer reviews, videos and pictures on Facebook...plus, I've painted myself hundreds of times. You can fake a few of those (I've seen artists post pictures of themselves painted by Pashur or Mark Reid or others from conferences without credit. grrrr) but get into the dozens and they know it's you. I remember early on coming across Shannon's collage of her faces she wears to gigs and I was impressed.

I never thought of that aspect of using my own face on my board. I must be able to paint these faces, since obviously I did.

I have absolutely no clue how you would "prove" it, over the phone though.

I get it, There are some who post pics of elaborate work and provide work that seems sub par. They probably have been trappped in the bait and switch ie promised an hour face given a 3 min face.

Paint it on your own face with a picture of your face with and without paint But i find it a really rude question to be honest. Weird??? Keep trusting in your own talent!

I've never made a video before...I fear that most of it would be me telling my 4 year old to PLEASE SIT STILL! She will only let me paint her now if she can hold the mirror and watch everything I do. It leads to alot of squiggling. As to painting myself...I can only see at most 5 inches in front of me without my glasses. A video would involve alot of squinting and funny faces

But...I may ask my neighbors over for a face paint party and do before and after pictures.

LOL... yeah, I have myself on my boards so many times that the kids comment on it!

shadowdrawing - sounds like it’s time to pay per face (with your daughter). I started paying my daughter $1. per face and plan to write it off on taxes. Pretty sure she’s gonna up her rate soon, but since I pay, I make the rules (no looking in the mirr0r until I’m done!).

I can still get away with giving her a quarter
My son however....I can only face paint him if I let him have a friend over AND promise to not post any of the pictures on my website or facebook. I can only print them out and put them on my boards.

Still waiting for the contract....