Help! Painting multiple children at the same time!

I'm in discussions about a big event coming up where they'd like me to paint the children in groups. So all the same design, sit 3 or 4 down and then go along the line laying all the base of one colour, then the next and then going along with the line work. Sort of like a face painting factory line!

I've done this before when I've needed to really speed things up and I remember there's a great blog post somewhere about it (but I can't find it)! But you can feel like a headless chicken...

Has anyone done this before? Any tips or ideas to keep the quality high but really keep that speed up? Or to stop me going crazy?

Thanks!

I think I would have them stand in a row, getting that many in and out of chairs at the same time sounds like it could be asking for an accident
(were it me anyways ).

And I wouldn't want to speed through regular height chairs... (my back paing just thinking of it!)

I saw a festival painter who did this at amazing speed (she was definitely raking in the $$). She had them stand on platforms so they were up a bit higher & all in a line --no wandering/stepping back.

Line management would be super important--like someone familiar with kids who can take charge that can line up kids of similar height, and do the herding in and out for you. (That person I would build one into your contract!! Maybe someone that you KNOW would work for you. No "volunteers" that bail after the third set of kids, or switch out so you have to retrain someone over and over while painting.)

If they are just trying to save money, by wringing it out of you instead of letting it be a memory for the kiddos--well, let them jump through a couple of hoops with providing the platform area & paying for your line management.

Thank you, there's some great ideas there, hadn't even thought about my back! I can just picture me running back and forth hunched over!

Thankfully I'm in business with my other half who does all of the queue management side of things and is on my PLI so I may delegate putting the glitter on to him as well! At least I hope he won't run off .

That's my big concern, getting the finished product is only part of the experience for the little ones. I'll have to be extra charming as I zip past!

Maybe make sure there is a big mirror stabilized on the side they can dash off to en masse to see the results--that will get them moving on & not having the needier kiddies asking "if?/can yous?".

You should stand them in a row,and put a bigger mirror in front of them so that you can easily see your painting process.

www.soperfectpaint.com

not sure that is the best goal of face painting. i think the kids should have a more personal experience of getting their face painted with a design they choose.

maybe they should have more face painters working.

or else offer temp tattoos or transfers that can be slapped on quickly.

Amen!

I have to agree, I don't work in a factory... quality over quantity is my game... I'm also about the experience and even when I spend 6-10 minutes with each person I feel it's been a rushed meeting.

That being said... it could be interesting to try but I think standing would be the fastest way to do this - perhaps you might need a step stool (1-2 steps) so that the height of little people matches yourself.

Thank you all for your thoughts, I'm already taking along someone to do glitter tattoos so that's covered already but they would like every child to have both.

As for taking someone else there aren't many people in my area (in fact any that I know of) to take along.

I'm aware it won't be the experience we'd all like the children to have (and it certainly isn't my preferred method) but when 1 booking can pay for the whole of christmas, it's not a booking I can afford to turn down! Just trying to make it the best situation possible .

Well said!
(If you put in your location, chances are you might find someone to network with!)

Thank you, I'm in Sittingbourne in Kent (England) covering down to the South Coast (Folkestone, Ramsgate etc.) I'd love to find someone but I think there are far more painters State side (as most people are on here!)! But on the bright side it does mean more work

LJ Face Painting wrote:I'm aware it won't be the experience we'd all like the children to have (and it certainly isn't my preferred method) but when 1 booking can pay for the whole of christmas, it's not a booking I can afford to turn down! Just trying to make it the best situation possible .

For the right price, I'd consider painting each person 1 tear drop at a time

LM--I got a tip over Halloween for painting OUT Daddy's teardrop before I painted his little one...(it was a tattoo. This is the other use of lighter complected face paint... )

Dad was sooo ashamed of it...

I would spend all day painting those out for free...

Aww... I was at an event this summer where a lady who had a stroke came up and asked me to paint on a new smile for her (since one half of her face was frozen/a little droopy) - it was mostly a joke but it was kind'a sad.... so I gave her some nice red lips and tried to make both sides even... was different...

Don;t you love people who touch our hearts so specially??

lj - in that case, go for it. you can make it fun for the kids, maybe pretend you're a face painting elf making sure everyone gets something for the holidays

you might even be able to customize the same design a bit by tweaking the details / colors between kids. if you have time.

littlemonsters - that was a nice gesture for the woman with the stroke. sounds like she was taking the situation pretty well if she could joke about it.

jlirie wrote:littlemonsters - that was a nice gesture for the woman with the stroke.  sounds like she was taking the situation pretty well if she could joke about it.

Absolutely! But I was pretty thrown off guard when she initially asked if I could paint a new smile on her... because sometimes people will ask, "can you paint me to look like supermodel, etc" so... I didn't know if she was kidding or not... she wasn't... hah ^_^

I've done this before. Usually with a group of girls who all want the same thing, but I've also done it for sports teams and dance troops.

Stand them all in a line, or line them up on tall stools if you got them. Then go down the line and apply the base, then the detail etc. Each time you have to switch colors OR tools would be a new 'pass' down the line. Doing one color per pass. Works GREAT and it does cut down on time.

Thanks for all the advice from everyone, they decided last minute not to go with that plan anyway so I needn't have worried! At least I'll know in case it ever comes up again !

solved your problem! are you still hired to face paint in a regular manner, or did they give up the whole idea?

Back to just regular face painting! The event was yesterday and in the end I only had about 20 kids interested so there wasn't a huge volume anyway, but the person who does glitter tattoos for me was swamped! I guess we should have been thinking more about those !

glad it worked out. yeah, you never know what's going to be popular.