Birthday Parties & Other private events - what to charge?

I'm not super new to the face painting world..but still new enough to ask questions of what to charge for private parties and, more popular, birthday parties.

When I do big festivals, I either charge PPF, or the festival committee will pay me directly at $100/hr - or so that's what it has been in the past.

Now people are starting to come to me for birthday parties and corporate events. I'd like to hear from others who have been in the business for some time now, what OTHERS charge for birthday parties!

Need some help and advice - and fairly quick, I've got 10 people waiting for quotes, and I'm really unsure what to say. One only wants me there for an hour, but i have to travel an hour to their location. Just need some suggestions. Thanks!

I've been official for 2 months now. Regular rate is $70 per hour. I charge a $25 fee if travel time is hour or more in traffic. An hour party is not worth an hour trip unless the pay is beneficial enough where you are getting paid what you are worth and not losing money.

Charge what you are worth is what i read often in this forum and agree with it. Don't under sale yourself. If you go to my website and look under my rates and services page. It will explain better my charges and requirement for deposit and contact.

All the information to develope my business my business more professionally has been what i have read on here. Wish the best for you. Keep us posted!

Thanks so much!!! I'm finding that in this business, you gotta request dates (at festivals and what not) EARLY on. There's another face painter in my area, who knows of me, and has taken away 50% of my festivals that I did last year already!

i'd love to do a festival, how'd you get into that BEFORE parties??


I change my rate if I feel like it is more trouble than it's worth...

Then, if I get paid what I'm asking, great. If not, hey, not my problem-I'm not tearing up my car and wasting hours of my life traveling unless I'm being reimbursed.


I usually charge $60 an hour for a small home party, less than 8 guests. For anything larger, $80. But if it is a really large party with over 15 guests, I charge $140.


That is because I can paint up to 20 full elaborate faces in that time...but if you can't, DON'T say you can.I know my abilities. Charge what you are worth. If they will tip you $6 when you work for free, multiply that by the amount of faces you can paint an hour, and that's what you charge. If you only get tipped a dollar or two per face, then multiply by the amount of faces you can paint an hour, and charge that.

I always require a deposit of $40, just to cover sponges, supplies, fuel. Whether they are up the street or across the state, if I don't have the right tools before the party, I can't go! Plus, I have to pay the babysitter!

I hear I should charge more, but I do $50 as a base price and $30 for each additional hour. However I do plan to up the prices sooner or later.

Girlie, it's time. You are WAY better than that rate.

After looking at your avatar and website you are way under selling yourself!

Yeah, Katurah. Up up and awaaaaaaaaaaay!  

My rate is $75/hr. and I am still only in my first year. I charge more to go into Chicago because it is far and I hate the city lol. My rate is still to low for my area. Other artists are charging at least $100 per hour...

Hi, I've been painting almost 2 years now. FP'ers in this area charge $50 to $125/HR, w/most @ $75/HR.
My Corporate rate is $75/Hr...2 HR minimum. This is what I charge local agents who hire me for country clubs, Corp. Parties, Lg Bday Parties.
My "Business Plan" - $55/HR- is a special rate for repeat, local businesses, like restaurants & a local bounce house/bday party venue that hire me several times/month. I also get free meals & free visits for myself & family.
For  Birthday Parties, it's $75 for up to 15 children (1-1.5 HRs) Additional faces are $5 each.

O yeah Katurah....must increase!!  that is crazy!!

twobeesdesigns wrote:Thanks so much!!! :)I'm finding that in this business, you gotta request dates (at festivals and what not) EARLY on. There's another face painter in my area, who knows of me, and has taken away 50% of my festivals that I did last year already!

you have to be on top of the game when it comes to festivals...I start in January sending out emails to all my clients for their events...most of them get back to me right away with dates and conformations. I send out several emails during the first few months of the year...as some will not know until feb or march.

Katurah you should be charging more that you do...you work has improved so much since you first came on to this forum...I love talking to you on face book and watching you grow as a face painter and artist...your stuff rocks.

Pat I had a person book me for an event a few years ago  to do the college here...I charged her my rate and when she booked the college she added 25.00 more an hour to my price so she got 75.00 off of the 3 hours that I painted..I will never do that again..the school called me again the next year and book thru me..thats when I found out the lady had charged the school the extra 25.00 per hour.. I won't do that again...if she had told me she was charging a booking fee I may of been ok with it but she didn't..I felt it to be very unprofessional on her part.

Barb, that was very sneaky of that person! My "Agents" are up front about it. They charge $100-$125/HR. One, a traveling pony ride/petting zoo/reptile show has been supplying FP'ers for the past 15 years around here to the large country clubs. Often they book 2 FP'ers @ that rate. They keep $25/HR. & I get the rest. Others are Really good balloon artists & a bounce house company that call me & I charge them the same rate. On those gigs, I'm not using my business name or giving out my cards. They're not my main source of income but I've been grateful for the work. As I get busier, I have less time for them. Some w/e's I'm quiet, but this one coming up, I have a Friday Superhero Family Night @ the Science Museum, & a 4 hour event @ a local "BIG BOX" store Saturday followed by a private Birthday party. I like to say, where else could I be creative, make people smile AND get paid for it?

BTW, Katurah...YOU.ARE.WORTH.IT!!!!!!!!!

Katurah, you're like me when I first joined the forum lol.

I started at $25/hr thinking I was making the big bucks, and 2 years later I now charge $100/hr and only have to work a couple days a month to make a decent wage (hubby makes the big bucks as a forklift technician monday-friday, so by me only working weekends we save thousands on daycare and I only have to make an extra $500/month for us to be comfortable).

We are lucky enough with money that I can turn away far jobs. I live 1 hr from Toronto and I NEVER take jobs in Toronto. I even passed a sweet gig to Fesspenter not long ago... It was for Mars Canada, they wanted me to paint in their box at the Blue Jays game. Ticket paid, free food and drink... I hate sports and I hate logos... They wanted me to be able to paint a Blue Jays logo..

Fesspenter had a blast though!

I had to come back to this topic....after reading all the different replies - does anyone charge differently for festivals vs. birthday parties?? I've seen a couple different fp's charging different prices, for different events...just curious if anyone else does that??

Thanks!

I would definitely charge different rates...but unlike most other painters, I also adjust the size of my kit, and charge extra for fuel and wear and tear....and a different price for weekday jobs vs weekend, and day jobs vs night jobs, and small parties and large parties, painting only kids, or all guests.  I have a flat rate also, just depends on my client.


The way I work is first I ask what they need and their budget. Then I offer my quotes.

Okay, i'm coming back to this topic again...

There's another face painter in the area...aka the competition, who is seriously taking ALL my past festivals, and work! yeah, it's getting to me, but i'm finding new areas that DON'T have face painters within a 50 mile radius..so that equals a hidden treasure for me!

So here's a question = is $75 for a birthday party too much of a lowball figure? Or...here's what I was thinking for a birthday party event (I also do portrait photography)....

$125 Face Painting Birthday party includes the following:
- an Hour 1/2 of face painting (can get up to 15 faces painted)
- a private 30 minute photo shoot (a month before the party) for the birthday boy/girl
- 10 custom designed birthday invitations, made from the photos taken at the shoot = or 10 custom designed birthday thank you notes.

Is this a good cost, or??? I really need some help! Thanks guys!

I think it is a decent fair price.

HI everyone! I am Lenore, 38, living in Queens NYC.

I am very new to face painting, like... as new as one can get. I've painted for free before at parties for my son and for friends and family, and now that my son has finally started Pre-k, I finally want to start up a business doing this and actually get paid. (Paid?!?! Imagine that!)

How do you know what you are worth? I keep reading "Charge what you are worth". How do I know? I am a very artistic person, and paint well enough on a solid steady piece of canvas or wood or furniture, or whatever else have you. I still need a LOT of practice painting squirmy children, however. As you all already know, that's a totally different ball game. ;)lol!

I am fully aware that as much as I enjoy this, I still am a total newb, am no where near the level of expertise of the artists here in this forum,  and I have a LOT to learn. (That's why I joined the forum today!).

As such a newbie, what should I charge? I don't want parents to think "She was OK... but not as good as other face painters I have seen... and she charged me just as much! I won't recommend HER again". I also don't want to sell myself TOO short, because I need to raise money to buy better quality face painting supplies. And I'm not going to accomplish that if I charge next to nothing.

What did you all charge when you first started out? Sorry this was so long. Thank you!

Lenore

Hi, I am just starting out too...
And don't feel quite sure what to charge too...
So far I did 3 paid gigs.

First one was at a fancyfair (of 2 days) where I charged about $ 3,- PF. The first day was slow, I just painted 4 kids.. That day I had competition that painted for free.... The second day went well, the competition wasn't there.

My second gig was a birthday party where I charged about $ 4,- a child. And a fee for travel.
(there were 6 kids... and they gave me a tip of 5 dollars)

The 3rd one was an event of my former employer.
I charged about $ 30,- for 1,5 hours. And a fee for travel.

Just to give you some idea... I am still working on marketingstuff....
So not too busy with gigs now, helas....

I don't do pay per face, only accept jobs that pay me by the hour...
I hate the insecurity that comes with ppf gigs, and tthey're often a waste of time money-wise.