I think I may be insane for doing this but...

We have opened a new kids party venue and also kids party supply store. We have been open since August but things are really slow. So we spoke to our council and they offered a face painting stall at the Waterfront Festival. There are no other face painters there, we are next to an airbrush tattoo stall. So off we all traipse to face painting training, all 4 of us. We learnt some technique and some simple faces. Some of which I am not too keen on, but they were a step.

Now this festival is a major event, they expect 17000 people, there are fireworks, bands, carnival etc etc. We have two options, a stall for 2 days at no charge if we don't charge or $150 if we charge. I am so nervous about us not being quick or good enough. I am practicing and think I am ok, but one of my staff insists she is hopeless and that is getting me stressed!

I also am not sure how many designs we should offer or prices....Do we have a board? (I am worried that each one wont be exactly the same and someone will complaint!) I think I am ok for a kit, we have a TAG kit, some tag split cake, bling and glitter (to cover our mistakes!!) Need more brushes and sponges I think though.

As for hygiene issues, I am not certain I have read through about 16 of these pages now....seems people do different things. Has anyone been at a gig that big? How many painters did they have?

Can anyone share quick sea themes? The boys ones we were taught were spider or bat based, I think we need something else as well.
I really need this to go well, we need to drum up some business. We do do simple swirl painting for our parties, but nothing bigger, though probably will now!

Please help with any advice. I have loved reading your posts!


Jazzah

Yes, have a board, but make sure you use only designs that YOU have painted. Just stick to 10 designs you feel comfortable with - and that's all that you do - no special requests. And make sure they are quick, or can be simplified to make them quick if necessary. Some of my post popular quickies include the one stroke shark (Lisa Joy Young), dolphin, spider, peace sign, jolly roger, turtle, hibiscus & little butterflies. You can turn these into a 'design' if you have time, or just keep them really simple if you don't. Either way, most people seem to be impressed. Of course, butterfly masks, batman, spiderman, tiger are all crowd pleasers - but will take that bit longer. If it's free, it's up to you how far you take these designs and they can be harder to pull off - but not impossible

You've got yourself quality paint, so that's a great start. And you've had some training, which is also fantastic. Do you have sponges, split and onestroke cakes? Good quality brushes will also make everything much easier and faster.

IMO, if it were me in your position... I would not charge for it. That may take the pressure of you a bit. Of course, that may also make your line longer, but if you remember that you need only focus on the child in your chair, then the line won't bother you so much. Really! And remember, face painting isn't compulsory. All those people are waiting because they choose to wait. And as soon as they get to the hot seat and feel welcomed and special, they will forget about all that waiting.

Now, if your staff aren't feeling confident, put them to use as a line manager. They should not only be organising the line but more importantly for you also chatting up that captive audience of yours: Making sure everyone has your information and contact details - afterall, that's why you're planning on doing this? To get the word out. Hopefully you are planning on having a special promotion 'just for people who wait in line'

Or better still, signing people up for some sort of loyalty program? If I were you I'd be wanting to get some info from those potential customers, like: postcode, how many kids, ages, birthdays and email. In return for that info, your members get a discount or a small birthday gift for every child ... and you can email them their gift certificate to be collected when they place an order? Just thinking on the fly...

Ok, it's late and i need to get some sleep. I'll be looking forward to hear how it goes! One last thing... if it's at night, you will definitely want to consider getting some good lighting!

Good luck

As for hygiene... here's what I do: I have a sign to tell people I won't paint anyone who is, or appears to be sick, eg. runny nose, coughing, etc, etc. If I see a suspect, I'll politely apologise that I can't paint them on the face, and if I think it's appropriate, I may offer to paint on their arm instead. I use one sponge per kid. I change my water frequently - usually between each child. I clean my hands with an alcohol wash between each child. If I paint on the nose or lips I use a 'new' brush that I place in my used sponge bin and then don't reuse that day. I disinfect my used brushes after every event. I wash my sponges in the machine and then air dry them in the sun.

Wow, that's a lot to cover...

$150 fr 2 days isn't bad. When I have me & my daughter face painting at an event that size(we also offer glitter tattoos & henna tattoos) we make about $800 - $1500 a day. It's just dependant on the demographics of the crowd(is it a higher class area or a poorer area). If you get a free booth & charge nothing you will be working super hard, have huge lines & make nothing. The cost of your face painting will keep your lines manageable.

Have a board w/ the designs you can do well & quickly. Don't try to theme designs to the event. It's generally a waste of time except for certain holidays like Halloween & Christmas. The rest of the year they just want butterflies, spidey dudes, princesses, tigers, etc...

Pricing depends on your area & the size of the event. I tend to price a little high if I don't know the event. It's easier to lower your prices if your not getting customers than it is to raise them when you realize your line is to long.
I price:
$3-5 for small designs
$5-7 for medium designs
$7-10 for large designs
I upsell designs for $5-$10 with liquid bling & gem clusters(this is an optional add on & I ask every time I paint someone. It's a numbers game & 1 out of 5 people will say yes(grandparents are an exception to this rule as they almost always upsell ).

I'd do the charging option.
Ditto everything Linda said.

I'm always agreeing with Linda!

You have to charge. Who cares if they are offering a free booth. If they want to PAY you an hourly rate to give out free face painting then that is a different matter. Only pay a booth fee when YOU are getting paid. In fact, maybe you could talk them into a percentage since you have no idea how busy the venue is going to be or if people will pay....just a thought.

I know you want to boost your business but the quality of your work will sell your business...not that you gave it away for free. In fact the opposite may happen. They may see you as a free "corporate" company or expect that the face painting is free if they rent something else or book a party.

Don't let your desperation show. Just practice like crazy. If your other painter doesn't feel confident enough to start then have them base in designs and you can finish them...I'm able to get 20 full faces done in an hour when my daughter does that with me. They can certainly sponge in a butterfly or a tiger face...right?

If they can't do that...then they have to be the line manager and bring people in and make them choose a design, upsell the larger designs and take the money. If they can't do that, then they shouldn't be your employee! They need to be a help, not a hindrance.

Good luck,

D.

Thankyou so much for your replies, we are practicing like mad, here is tonight's attempt.

Sorry I am not allowed to upload for 7 days

I like the suggestion of using my not so confident staff to do the base, I think they can manage that!

To make you laugh, my 9 year old twins have been excellent models, well bribed ones anyway and each design my son scores us! He hates face painting, always has. Tonight I got a 9 out of 10 for the devils mask (wont tell you what he gave my shark though

How many painters do you have in your booth? Having a staff can be great, but you have to pay them & you may work your butt off for nothing. I run a booth for large festivals w/ just me & my daughter & have a very manageable line. My 1st festival I had a face painter work w/ me & both my daughters as well as a line manager. The line manager showed up & had a big hole in the back of his shorts He talked more people out of my tent till I let him go(rule #1: be very careful who you ask for help, even if it's someone from church...). After paying him for his time, splitting money w/ the other painter & paying my girls I only made about $300 the whole day The other painter was the awesome & amazing Whitney, so it was at least a fun & enjoyable experience

As we have a kids party venue, I had all the staff do the face painting training. I have one staff member who also works in our party supply shop, she is not so confident. I am paying her anyway, so I will see how she goes just doing the base for me. If that fails, she can manage the kids in line and get them coloring in a competition we have set up. Then I have a party host, who did well at the training, bought her own gear and is super keen. Plus husband who is practicing each night with me. So we can at least rotate a bit through the 2 days. (4 people for 2 days) I have a line manager for the first day and one of us will do the second day. So I am not splitting any money, just have to pay my normal staff member, which I would be doing anyway and then the additional one.
Hubby is free

Don't you love those free hubbies!!! I got one too and he's the best line manager ever because he sees the difference his salesmanship does.

Good luck!

D.