First body painting this summer!

So I got an email from a local well-known photographer who is planning a project this summer... and asked if I could do the body painting for it!

I'm super excited. He asked what I would charge for it, and I said I'd get back to him on it... so I'm wondering if you guys could give me some advice!

I'm going to be painting something similar to this:



It'll just be the purple bodysuit, I believe he's looking for some kind of 'headgear' for the model...

So how do you guys usually charge for body painting? Do you just stick to your hourly rate, or give them a flat rate?

I have no idea how long it'll take, since it will be my first body painting. I'm a quick face painter, and did my first belly in 40 minutes... and there's not a lot of detail in the costume, just some folders, zipper, maybe a belt. So I'm thinking no more than 2-3 hours?

Also... how much paint do you think I should buy for it?

Thanks everybody!

Awesome concept! I am dying to do a full body...I'll be watching this topic...can't wait to see how this turns out!

Britty wrote:Awesome concept! I am dying to do a full body...I'll be watching this topic...can't wait to see how this turns out!

It is really awesome, I'm a big Catwoman fan! Not only that... he's going to be doing the shoot in a clock tower. How cool is that!?

You'd be surprised how long a body painting takes. It might be a bit longer.

I've not been paid for anything yet & I'm doing a lot of trade to build my portfolio. My plan is to go for my hourly rate, but I'll also have it broken into packages depending on the complexity of the design. I'll have a price for accenting, a price for just torso size design, a price for torso & "shorts" size design & a price for head to to paint. There's not a lot of body painting in my area, so it's hard to find a price I'm comfortable with & clients are willing to pay.