Half-@$$ face painting

I'm sorry. I know that isn't very gracious, but that's what I saw at a company event yesterday.
We had a family campout this weekend with our church, and I took my paints. I knew there would be plenty of kids there, so I would get some practice. I didn't charge, because I was really just taking my new paints out for a test-drive, so to speak. I am really new, and just learning, so I need lots of practice. I had PLENTY of willing subjects. The parents were completely wowed. I was slightly less than so. Why are we always our worst critics?

Then I went to family day at my company. I work for the largest shipping company in the world. You know they put out big bucks to provide fun and entertainment for us. But the face painters were TERRIBLE! The designs offered were awful, and even then, they couldn't even DO them. I watched in horror. My daughter picked out a flower design that wasn't gross, and the painter proceeded to make a mockery of it. She loaded her brush and poked different colored dots on the forehead, then a few "teardrops." That was it!
OH. MY. GOSH!
I left shaking my head and thinking how much better I was, than that. (and I'm not generally a proud person.)

There are starting to be a lot of face painters out there....

I think until people have really seen 'professional' painting, they think that anyone can pick up a brush and their expectations of what comes from it are very low.
I remember years ago as a parent (and probably painting at school fairs as a teenger) seeing the most basic face paintings and thinking they were awesome. Less than 2 years ago my daughter was painted as a tiger and I honestly thought it was the most amazing thing ever! It wasn't until I was recently browsing through my photos that I came across the millions I had taken and realised it was less than average. I even remember painting some kids once and thinking they were so well done... I am pretty sure they would have been terrible.
I have realised that after painting for a few months I appreciate the art on a whole new level, I know what can be done with a bit of skill and everything else just seems awful.
Hey, one day that painter might be still painting and will look back at her first paintings and only then realise how 'average' they were.
It also goes to show how much of a talented painter you really are. I love looking at crappy paintings when I am having a bad day and realising that I am really not that bad

I will tell you what, though. Hanging out on this forum gives me a whole new appreciation for the art! I look at some of these pictures, and think I'll NEVER be anywhere close to being as talented as you all!

Yeah you will just give it time. We all grow as we learn more.

make sure you contact the event organizer and let them see your work compared to others and then hopefully you'll get hired for next year!

OK, I wrote this whole thing & all that came out was my coment above

There are a lot of new painters out there...
But we all started there(or at least most of us

We all start with little to no knowledge of what we are doing, but anyone learning something new will do a little studying on it first. With this age of technology, there's no shortage of information out there on any given thing.
I'm sure they didn't just show up for work on Saturday, get tossed a brush and a few paints and told, today you are a face painter, ready, set, go!
I just wish I had painted my daughter's face before we went, so they could see the difference. And I'm not even that good, yet!

While we are all on the same river, only different parts... it is frustrating to see folks who may have no desire to grow as an artist

I totally agree with you JBax.

I'm agreeing with you there. I painted alongside a face painter a while back who'd been doing it for 15 yrs(the company hired multiple painters). I was a little intimidated when I found out how long she'd painted for. Then she pulls out the $16 snaz kit & a few round face paint kits that were segmented & about the size of a blush case. Very unimpressive. Her work was sloppy, & she didn't socialize with the kids or parents(her company has the top listing on google). My line got a lot longer & the only things the kids wanted from her side of the tent was her hubbies balloons. How can you paint 15 yrs & not have some improvement?!

The whole reason I joined the forum was to get better i can do a heck of a watercolor and give me some glass and some solder and i an whip you up a stained glass piece in no time. But Face painting is a different medium and in some ways I feel like im relearning how to paint all over again. Somethings are the same but something arent Like painting a moving canvas well that changes my playing level right there.

I think you should get a portfolio together of some designs and give it to your events director at work. Tell them that you will give them a great rate and book yourself for next year! You will have plenty of time to practice.

Sounds like a great plan, Terina and Blu.
I have so much to learn and am glad I found this forum. I have literally spent hours here, just scouring and soaking up info. You guys are such an inspiration! Just looking at all the websites and photo galleries gives me ideas and a longing to be better than I am today.

I would say that everybody normally goes through similar stages.

Stage 1 - You get asked to help/volunteer at a community event of some type

Stage 2 - You start practising and "everybody" tells you "that the best painting I have ever seen, you should do this as a business"

Stage 3 - If you are lucky you find a forum or a local face painter who shows you how little you know, before you have started charging.

Stage 4 - You attend a jam of some type which introduces you to the face painting community and helps you pick up some techniques and business etiquette.

Most parts of the world seems to be overrun with stage 2 painters, all you can do is hold out until Xmas. In the new year its likely that a lot of them will disappear or upgrade

I agree. I've seen my painting evolve over the last 2 years. I try not to pay attention to the other painters work, simply because I don't know there experience. I think we all started somewhere. With the saturation of Youtubes, blogs, etc. I'm seeing a lot of people paint now. But time will tell the pro's vs. hobbyist.

Amanda,
You have hit the nail on the head. I don't want to be stuck at stage 2. I'm learning just how little I know, and hopefully improving. I'll be on the lookout for a jam near me, and I'll also be looking for some classes to take. I think I could make something of it, but I want it to be really good. Not just okay.

I think that you have to remember that face painting isn't accepted as a craft.. it's seen as a hobby, or a party trick. Face painting is a doodle on a cheek or a tattoo on an arm, it's not a transformation using makeup like we typically paint.

So, when it comes to being a "good" face painter or not, you have to really look at the fact that they were providing the service that they were hired for. They were there to face paint[doodle] on the kids, and that's what they did. It wasn't so long ago that people started the whole 'face paint as art' trend... The world doesn't think that the simple doodle is bad because they've never seen anything better.