How many samples....

How many sample images do you have for people to pick from at a party or small event. I'm doing a small grocery store opening this weekend and it is going to be pretty packed. When I do craft shows, i have just a book of about 20 pictures to choose from, but I'm wanting to set up a board with pictures on it so more than one person at a time can look. How many pictures should i put up?

At parties, I print out the kinds of faces my clients want, for example, for a princess party I put only princess faces on both sides of an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of cardstock then print out several copies, then laminate them. They can pass them around and choose the face they want. I also use an 8" x 10" standing plastic flyer holder which is transparent on both sides that will stand on my table and not take up much room. I usually use that for the glitter tattoo stencils but it can be used for faces as well. I usually have around 12 faces for them to choose from. Any more than that, and it takes them forever to choose!

For larger events where I will use my canopy and castle setup, I have made "tapestries" out of black vinyl that hang on rods attached to my turrets. I've velcroed larger laminated pics and I attach them to the tapestries so I can change out the pictures to be more consistent with the type of event I'm at. I have about 35 for them to choose from then.

I'm saving up to buy a nice retractable banner stand for vertical banners that will stand on the floor in front of my table for larger parties and events and I will velcro the laminated pictures to that vinyl banner.

For large events I use my table top display. It is bascially all the pages from my book, but mounted on the display unit.

I have another table top display that is "Fast Faces" only that I made from one of those science project display boards you can buy at Staples (I covered it in fabric so that velcro sticks to it!)

For small groups and private events I use my binder instead of putting up the display unit.

How MANY images to use is up to you. Put up what you want to paint, what you know will sell and what you can paint the fastest if you are going to be busy.

My book has about 180 designs, my large board about 130, the Fast Face display is only about 80.

I string up my photos along the line between my stanchions.... kids look at the pictures while they are in line. How many depends on how much room I have for my line, but not generally more than 10 or 20 I don't think. They are just for some ideas as I will paint pretty much whatever anyway.

Bec,
It doesn't matter how many you have as long as you can do them fast and you have the usual selection of Tiger, Spiderman, Batman, Skull, Butterfly, fairy, princess etc.
I have a board with approx 15 - 20 faces on it, but I'm reworking it so I have all kids designs or all adults, cause as nice as my husband was to model for me I cannot do the same design on a five year old kid.
I laminated the pictures and put velcro sticky dots on the back. I covered a big board in Black material and stick them straight onto it. That way if I need to move them around I can. The board is heavy to stop it flying away or blowing over, and I just got an easle to get it off the ground and make it look more professional.
There's a oic in my gallery, but it looks a bit messy as the kids kept removing the pictures - go figure!
God luck with your job!

That's something you really need to consider when making a display board, if the kids can remove the pictures, they will. When they are asked to pick from somewhere, they feel they should TAKE their selection and bring it to you. Make sure that they cannot remove the pictures AND put a clearly marked title on each design so that they can tell you easily which one it is that they want.

I usually don't bring any...they can tell me what they'd like and if I can do it, I will...I don't want to make the exact same designs....so I'm learning at the same time to improve myself...

Shannon, I love your "science project" board! Awesome, thanks for sharing!

i went out and got a sience project board today. actually cheaper than 3 foam boards! I'll post pics of my set up after the event today.

cool...can't wait to see it!

I'm considering going boardless. Challenge my creativity and all.

NONE.
HATE the kids/ parents saying they want 'exactly that' and 'you missed out 1 dot there' etc. Totally kills any creativity/ new designs plus in many cases your designs date/ change fast AND if in a book/ sign get 'borrowed' and don't come back or they won't let the rest of the queue etc see it....

Cat x

Hey Wildcatfin!
Haven't seen you around here in ages!
been busy busy?

Cat... better update your profile!!

I don't have a board. It does kill the creativity & you do get the kids who say that you missed a dot or the tear drop doesn't look right, etc. If I am working from a picture(off my phone or from say a Wolfe book) I always explain I'm using different paints & brushes, so it may not be exact, but it's my new & improved version(not that I can improve a Wolfe designs). This works w/ all but the super particular kids.

I always have a display and/or my design book out and in a whole decade I have NEVER had anyone say "you missed a spot" or "that's not like the photo"... Ever.

Once I had a kid say "I want the blue dragon, but paint it just like the photo, not the way you've been painting it" As I'd modified the design for speed ... Charming child. So I painted it like the photo for him.

Kids WITH imaginations still ask for things that are not on the display, the rest who have no imaginations ask for something they see... and really, I am perfectly happy to paint that.

The display is advertising and marketing - it is showing anyone walking by what I can do, not just the people getting painted. I post contact information, my disclaimer, cleaning instructions etc. on the display as well.

I have about 12 pictures on my board for festivals. I tried doing it without pictures, but people had a hard time visualizing what particular designs would look like.

I have anywhere between 16-30 designs on my boards, depending on the event. Multiple reasons: people here have such low expectations of face painting, that having display photos up already wows them. Time. Not having to answer "what can you doooooo?" 3 billion times.

I tried the lists a couple of times: once when I was working for another painter, and there were 3 of us - all with different styles - so our versions of "snow princess" could be different and that was okay. It worked for that. The last time I tried, people kept requesting full-face designs as cheek art - not necessarily a bad thing, but I was trying to get photos of full/half face designs, so not very helpful

A lot of the photos are 'old' (like, last summer), and I've learned so much since then, that every so often I get comments like, "this is WAY better than the picture!" when they'd just told me that the picture (pre-painting) was the "best I've seen!", haha.

On the job I try to stick with what I'm comfortable with, and good at - within reason. If I've seen photos, I can cobble together something pretty decent. But if someone requests a full face ferret or something - then we're doing just what's on the board

when Glitterfly and I did a fair together a little while ago, we tried doing it without pictures since we wouldn't be painting the same... kids never knew what to ask for, we ended up constantly having to list options, painted almost nothing but butterflies and tigers... the last day of the fair, we put out a few pictures that we could both do (sort of the same) and kids and parents seemed much happier.

I've done parties without taking out my pictures, that's fun, but at a festival it definitely speeds things along and gives more variety to selections when they can see some options.

squiggle wrote:

I'm saving up to buy a nice retractable banner stand for vertical banners that will stand on the floor in front of my table for larger parties and events and I will velcro the laminated pictures to that vinyl banner.

Hi Squiggle, did you have a chance to do this project? I am trying to figure out how to do mine and was wondering if you had and would you post a picture?
 
Does anybody know if it is possible to substitute Vinyl with a velcro material?

For small events I have 10 pictures at all. 5 whole faces and 5 cheek art designs. If I have more the people just stand in front of the board and can't decide. It usually ends with
"I want that! NO Wait, I mean this one!, Or, no I want that..."
Really bad days they just decided what to choose, and then come their parents/ friends and:
"Oh have you seen THAT picture. You like that animal (or whatever) so much, are you sure you don't want this one?"
Then it begins again.

10-15 pictures is good for small events for me.

I keep two "idea books" on my table (one with past work for girls, one for boys, with neutral designs in both). People flip through the books while in line, and generally come up with an idea on their own that was inspired by something they saw (like "I want a butterfly, over one eye, but can I have daisies on my cheek and sparkles too?") The answer is almost always yes, and I quote per-request (and give a small discount when it's a family of requesters) I like having the freedom of no design board. People mainly look at my book and see what I have done to see if I'm "any good." Once that's confirmed, they realize the can ask for just about anything, and they are happy.

FacepaintingByTanya wrote:I keep two "idea books" on my table (one with past work for girls, one for boys, with neutral designs in both). People flip through the books while in line, and generally come up with an idea on their own that was inspired by something they saw (like "I want a butterfly, over one eye, but can I have daisies on my cheek and sparkles too?") The answer is almost always yes, and I quote per-request (and give a small discount when it's a family of requesters) :)I like having the freedom of no design board. People mainly look at my book and see what I have done to see if I'm "any good." Once that's confirmed, they realize the can ask for just about anything, and they are happy.

I wish people here were as creative. I detest painting the same thing over and over again. Most people look at my boards and books and think that's all i can do or that i never deviate from those designs. But i love making stuff up on the spot, and a challenge. Not to mention getting new photos for my books! Little girl on Canada day asked to be a 'mummy'. YES! something not a maple leaf finally!

But i like how you phrase it 'idea books'. So so doing that from now on! Maybe it will help people know they can be more creative, and that i really can do monsters and princess's in ANY color they like!

My most used board has about 60 faces on it, but I have some specialty boards for certain holidays, then I put out a second board (those boards have at least 12).  For a long line, client paid event (like painting 100 kids in 4 hrs), I put about 8 choices of fast faces

At the small parties I have with me an album for girls and one for boys about 200 designs. For big events I have maybe 10 designs.