I Just Booked a HUGE Event. 1 problem, okay 2

It's charge by face and I've never done charge by face in Chicago. It's at a convention center with tons of kids. It's a 2 day event expecting around 50,000 people.

I don't know how to charge.

When I do these in MI, I normally charge $5 a face. This is not MI though. I know $5 isn't enough, but is $10 too high for full faces?

One other problem. I need another painter. Correction; I need an EXPERIENCED painter. I already have a painter that works with me, but this is a pretty big event and I'm now sure if I want her to do it with me because she is rather green, and this could REALLY help my business out if all goes well.

I feel bad saying this, but I was embarrassed by her work the last time we worked together. Problem is she is very reliable, and she is a very sweet young lady who I know needs the money. But at the same time, she knows she has not been practicing and putting the effort into it.

On the other hand, as she is less experienced and slow, I'll likely make more money that if i went with someone faster.

OMG.... too much, too early. My phone rang at 7 am to confirm this. I didn't fall asleep until after 3.

Where in Chicago? And what are the days?

I'm not sure if you'd want to charge that much more than $5.00. Maybe 6 or 7?? I haven't done pay per face, and my area is very cheap, so I'm not the best to judge on price.

right by the airport, and a saturday & sunday

I charge $5 for 1/4 face, $8 for half face, $10 for full face, and $12-$20 for custom stuff.

$8 to $10 for full faces is NORMAL pricing here and this is by no means a rich area. I charge $5 for cheek art.

There is huge potential to make a lot of money doing ppf if you charge enough and it's busy enough.

modernmagik wrote:I charge $5 for 1/4 face, $8 for half face, $10 for full face, and $12-$20 for custom stuff.

That's kind of what I had in mind too. Do you just put up the option for custom stuff? Or just tell them what it would be to do it?

Yes, and how does one define "custom stuff."

Hay... Indy's not far from Chi-town.... Is this the official Help Wanted sign? I know someone who paints full time.

And, $10 per face is acceptable sounding for Chicago, near the airport.

What if you got the 'green girl' to do glitter tattoos?

Hey Jbax, I offered it to Krystal S, but if she can't do it... it is a definite possibility. I have one other person I have to offer it to first, but it's short notice, so she probably isn't available. It costs $100 for the space, and it's for two days. And there will be no other face painters there; just henna and glitter tattoos.

There are already going to be glitter tattoo people... no other face painters though.

Road Trip.....my bags are packed. Can you pick me up at the airport?

Oh, sorry, It just sounded like fun, and I wanted to be part of it.

I lived many years on the South Side near 18th and Canalport, Later I had a house in Streamwood. I want to have a good hotdog, like you can only get on the streets of Chicago. So I would be there in a heart beat.

Jenny

Custom work would be when they want special designs that are not on your design board at an event, or when they want photo shoot quality designs, or when they want you to paint their back, chest, arm, leg, with something large or elaborate, etc.
I always offer an "artists choice" option. I think my sign says something along the lines of "Don't see a design you like??? You can get a custom design of your choice starting at $12, or you can ask for an "Artist's Choice" and let our artist create a design of her choice for you within your price range (Artist's Choice designs start at $5).

So, basically, if it isn't on the board, they have two options.....
1. They can get whatever THEY want and the price starts at $12 and goes up based on the design.
2. I can paint whatever I want on them, and they just choose the size of the design they want. This falls within the regular prices posted.

OK I can't help with pricing but I do a lot of 'big stuff' including the International Rugby 7s which is kind of like the superbowl I guess. HK shuts down for a week, whole families go to it, and even at the south stand (adults only, drinking allowed) we have constant quese for 16 hour painting days and need more painters. (But not up to me- we are hired via Youth Arts Foundation a charity, by the Rugby, so they pay us & for kit and all money taken on the day goes directly into rugby charity boxes. Good deal all round). We charge a LOT more than I would usually ask for a face but as its for charity and at this event, they pay. We actually have to close the line down several times a day just to stop the queue getting too long.

BUT the 7s have a history of everyone going in fancy dress so they want painted faces for that, as well as knowing we do GOOD team/ flag faces. And we have been doing it for 5 yrs, and before that were a bunch of bad expensive painters so its a known thing. I have done some shows with 100,000+ families (like air shows etc) and been twiddling my thumbs. You never know.

Tips I have (as my entire team basically only paint the week of the rugby each yr)
STENCILS - lame as it sounds especially got team events we have a lot of stencils to speed things up PLUS stops complaints of 'her welsh dragon is bigger than mine' etc. I expand the range we have every year, even simple things like the stars in the southern cross for NZ/ Ozzie fans. We don't/ can't use team logos etc as stencils unless I was given permission by the team or sponsor (a few did as I had to bodypaint teams in their strip once) so watch out for that. But even non-sports things, a few nice stencil motifs over a rainbow background, or a tribal stencil 'tatt' help.
1) have the designs you do 'normally' on posters and also on sheets your line managers show queues as well on each painters table.
2) This is the only time I offer different price ranges. E.g we have rugby ball stencils I made that can be done rainbow, team colours etc, cheapest(fastest). Then we have simple team-derived cheek art, half face or eye designs.
Most popular faces (butterfly, tiger) and full face flags etc next price up and then 'custom' stuff which is usually chest/ back/ full body painting (and mostly they find me on www to book times in advance).
3) We have a new girl this yr who also can't make any of the training sessions so I'm putting her on queue busting, going up & down 1 queue with a few colours/ rainbow and the ball stencils. She'll get more done that way then struggling with face designs.
4) Any custom/ body designs I do; I can bash out a full tiger body in under an hour whereas even the girls who do it every year still take about 3 with 2 of them doing it.
5) I would suggest you let your girl KNOW she is losing out on jobs by not practicing. It helps, we had lazy girls too - if they want the money, they put in the effort and learn the designs.

I'm also doing 4 hrs/ night in the main rugby after party , UV designs with a girl they supply who has never painted (eek). So I'm making her star, heart, tribal etc stencils and giving her a mini DFX neon kit & sponges.

Cat x