NEVER work for just tips!

Perhaps a romantic sock pairing website?
www.plentyofpairs.com
www.findyoursockmate.com
"Re-pair with a long lost love, eaten by the dryer. Your match is waiting for you, sign up now!"

Or perhaps something a little racier?
www.socks-without-frocks.com

Love those Melly. I think you've got yourself a new business. Now if you pair it (no pun intended, but what the heck!) with you face painting business, your tag line could be Busy Bee's Parties and Sock Rescue Service: "Head to toe, we've got you covered!"

At one point I thought it would be fun to open a store that just sold socks and call it "This place socks!" :p

Lisa Joy Young suggested volunteering to get the name out there so I that's where I got my idea to volunteer.

I haven't volunteered yet but I offered to volunteer for 1-2 hours at back to school events doing balloons instead of face painting. Have yet to hear back from them. I know there will be a ton of parents there so I thought that might be a good place to distribute my business cards if I volunteer.

I tried charging some other schools but they weren't having it. They also looked at me perplexed as to why their school would ever need face painting or balloons. It seemed like a foreign concept to entertain the kids with that or something.

Was it a bad idea that I offered to volunteer since this entire thread was dedicated to telling us not to volunteer/get tips only? =/

If you need the practice and exposure and are doing it for your child’s school - go for it. You will soon realize though that any event that offers FREE facepainting or balloons is hard work! you will get a line a mile long and people will act like you owe them something instead of being appreciative. A few bad experiences will turn you off to volunteering. BUT every person has different experiences - some people love it and book lots of gigs that way.

Volunteering gigs are the worst in my experience.

Like that Evie said you will get a line a mile long and people will act like you owe them something instead of being appreciative. Dead on from what I have experienced. Also once they (the event) have had it for free they come to expect it, then when it comes time to name a price they are more likely to want to go find another face painter who will volunteer, OR most get the feeling it's something 'any one can do' and will get their own volunteers who have no experience.

If you need practice, do it for friends and family, but not for big events, because they will really take advantage.

On the note about the schools looking at you like you were crazy, i had something similar if not worse happen years ago. I approached the school across the street and offered my service in exchange for being able to give out business cards, and the woman looked at me like I was the scum of the earth and called me a 'child solicitor'. WOW... I was totally shocked by that one. What a vile woman that was to see a children's entertainer is such a negative way.

Oh, although I could always use more practice, I'm more wanting to volunteer to hand out business cards.

I've done corporate gigs before (back in my hometown before I moved to Alabama) where it's "free" to the guests even though I got paid by the hour by the company. And people definitely were greedy, pushy, rude, and demanding, and even that is an understatement.

I asked if I could put out a tip jar (the last time I did that for a school event, I actually got nearly $100 in tips for 3 hours. I know, not as much as getting paid by the hour but better than the $20 I usually get at other places). The lady there I talked to said she'll have to get the tip jar approved because I'm a volunteer. I said that the money is simply to cover the expenses of my supplies that would be used, which is the truth, but again, I have to have it approved. Hopefully they'll let me.

I feel iffy on the volunteering due to what everyone here on this thread said. But if I don't volunteer, I won't get a chance. And I know the school won't go elsewhere--there's only one other face painter outside of me who currently has the monopoly in town and they charge more than me. The schools just don't want to pay me. It's really frustrating.

I also talked to a local big church, who wants me for two of their family fun nights, but I think I gotta put my foot down and say the first one will be volunteering and the second one I will have to charge once they call me back. But I'm hoping that one time, if they choose not to hire me for the second, is enough to hand out plenty of business cards

yikes. sorry for such a long post. I'll cut it off here. Thank yall for your responses

If you are going to volunteer, do tip jar or charge a kit fee (cost if gas and materials used etc) so at least YOU aren't the one paying for them to have face painting.

The other thing about volunteer events is thst because they are cheap, their event is cheap, cheap events attract cheap people. I track all my leads, and volunteer events always yield the fewest clients, if any...

Birthday parties always yeild the most clients.

One way to get them to upgrade from having you volunteer to hiring you is the kit & travel expense, like FF suggested--but then ask them if they will be covering your face-painting insurance for the event. A quick trip to the internet will help them see what they are actually getting. One time event insurance is outrageous, although I did have an event who insured each of my artists at $150 a pop. The next year, the fee I gave them went up appropriately & we insured ourselves. (covered a big chunk of the annual insurance) Educating your client can be a real help, even if it's not for this year's event.

true story anniel! That is one thing I forgot, is insurance.

See! so under the rug even i forgot about it! lol

Yes mentioning that you are insured is a really good one, ask if you will be covered under they events insurance or if they will be covering you individually. I have had some people even ask why i face painter would need insurance (again not many take it seriously), so bring up that much like having insurance to operate a food truck where what they sell goes 'into' peoples bodies, you are similarly providing something that goes ON peoples bodies. Not to mention the basic liability for other things that could happen that we all work hard to make sure they don't. Accidents happen.

Really some people just don't know how valuable a REAL professional face painter is because they are blinded by the colorful paint screaming at them that is 'just kid stuff' and therefore not serious.

If they think the high price is for your artwork and expensive paint, they are only half right.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one experiencing this. This weekend was HORRIBLE. I tell people that for fundraisers I "donate" my time and then work off a tip jar... well I had this woman ask me to go to a alex's lemonade stand fundraiser and she said it was ok to put a tip jar out. What she failed to tell me was that it was a Carnivals theme with carnival games and such so parents had to buy TICKETS to even get in and they used tickets to do everything (exactly like a real carnival). They wouldn't allow me to charge per face, and only would let me take tickets. Parents were technically already "paying" in tickets for their face paintings so no one was tipping me. I drove a hour from my house for that and I was there all day and made $20.00. I was so disappointed. The fundraiser I went to last week was just as bad. I made $23.00 and was there for 8 hours. No one showed up and there was only about 10 kids there. Parents were allowing their kids to wash off my work and continue up to let them get more. I would literally do a great face on them, they would keep it on for about 20 minutes, go wipe it off and then want something else. I was furious. I can no longer do these fundraisers for free. I'm taking huge losses on these events. How do you guys charge for fundraisers?? Your regular prices or do you discount??

Quick question since I seen you ladies mention insurance. I'm not sure what type of company is the right one to go with. Who are your insurance companies? I seen Bodyworks only charges $100/year, seems to good to be true? Sorry it's a little off topic but figured I would ask since insurance was mentioned and it's something I'm currently looking to get right now.

Thanks!

JBax wrote:(RE: Canadian laws) no brush that touches the skin goes back into the paint.

Huh? There must be a catch to this. Do you mean, without being rinsed? No one has close to enough brushes to discard one each time they need to 'load up,' change colors, etc, and be done with them for the remainder of the event. I think I missed something here.

Ok, an inquiry I got last month took the cake. It was the kid zone at the event, they would not pay, I could not charge, and all tips would have to be relinquished. I educated them on labor laws requiring them to provide signage to that effect, which surprised them. I also explained reimbursement for travel, insurance & supplies. They said they would get back to me...hehe. I didn't even have to look like the big bad meanie who said no to the salaried co-ordinators...

I am strictly amateur; I have no formal training, no certifications, no insurance. I generally only paint my close friends, family and their kids. I ask that they cover the cost of supplies (i like to use brand new sponges/applicators for hygienic reasons), but this still leaves me to cover the cost of paint. Can I, or *should* I, charge them in this circumstance? Although I'd like to do it as a part-time side job, this is not yet a business for me.

I would, paint quickly gets pricey, and you will feel stressed/frustrated as you run low.

I realized last night that one of my most loyal clients (a hospital group that hires several artists multiple times a year) resulted from a gig
I had volunteered for when I first began painting. I think they paid nominally for supplies. Never underestimate the power of giving--as you feel led (not as you will be pressured to!)

are they paying for brand new supplies each time you paint them? if so, that's quite an ongoing expense.

i think most face painters use washable sponges and applicators, or just purchase cheap disposable applicators for powders and lips. (i'm strictly a brush person).

you might turn it around and have them share the cost of paint instead and modify your cleaning routine to suit you.