The worst thing about face painting is...

I worked a long festival and got to see some of the designs I painted two or three hours later, yuck. Faces were smeared, faded or blotchy. Not good advertising.
I mean I know it's a temporary service but it still bothers me
Does this bother anyone else?

Unfortunately... that's the way it goes. Once they look in the mirror... I'm done and take no more responsibility or ownership of it. I can't... otherwise I'd kill them.

Waiting for the phone to ring.

D.

Doing a good face on a kid and halfway through the event the kiddo comes back through your line with paint remnants still on face wanting to be painted again.

I was going to say .... clients that don't pay on time .... closely followed with a sore back and the dreaded bait and switch.
But after reading your post easyjourney I would have to agree. Seeing my faces come back all smeared and scary looking is the worst.... I try not to look at them and silently hope to myself that 1. the parents see how happy their kid was when they got it - 2. they can see it obviously comes off easily... and 3. they have the type of child who turns into a mess at the end of everyday anyway and put it down to the fact he/she couldn't look after it.
There is always that one kid who looks after it all day and looks perfect at the end of the party..... I love that kid.... pity mine is of the disaster variety.

Lol yep, it's pretty gross, but you know that everyone would have seen half a dozen or so faces and know that they looked awesome, but they are kids and smudge them. So most people will just see it as well used face paint

They boys who act out their characters are the worst- all sweaty ewww.

I don't retouch unless I am at a party and there is time. Although at my local market I did fix one boys spider design because he was devastated that it smudged and he was on his way to grandma's. Plus mum offered to pay- but I didn't take it. It was nice she offered though.

For most of my families I hear straight after I have finished "Let me get a photo before you ruin it" so at least the expectation is that it won't remain pristine.

@Tash- what the heck is bait and switch?

Bait and switch is when they hire you for two hours and twenty kids, but when you arrive and start painting you realise half way through there is closer to Forty.
This is exactly what happened to me last weekend... and to make it worse the party was only scheduled for two hours. I painted like crazy - but ended up having a few choice words with a few of the mums who realized I probably wasn't going to be able to paint their child.

I ended up painting 38 in 2.5 hours.... the last few were rainbow/swirls and snakes just to give them something as I had to get out of there!

Ohhhhh yeah that is pish. And really bloody cheeky.

the smeared ones don't really bother me... I know what my own kids are like. I can't stand when the kid starts whining about something and the parents side with the kid instead of reinforcing what I have just said (sorry you stomped on your balloon kid, but you only get ONE).

Oh Tash, that one happens to me too, I dislike that one! They are like beehive parties, you can't ever really tell how many kids are there, they are all over the place, so a real count is impossible, and you don't really have any time to stop and count. Someone suggested once tossing a sponge in the tub each time you paint a kid, even if you did not use one, so you have a count. or a tick on your arm. I have to sart doing this so that I know for sure in these cases. I hate it when I have another gig, and the kids are disapointed, but it is really the host's fault, not mine...but we are the ones who get to be the bad guy.

That is why I stick with 10 kids x hour and charge per face after that, I give the mom 10 numbers and she will decide who gets or not the face painted or pay extra, my last party I got 8 extra faces she was wiling to pay for.

But worse to see the paint smear the same day, is to see you work fade the next day, that happen to me today, I saw 2 girls across the food court with a fade of what I did yesterday, I don't know if they wanted to keep it, or they stained.

everyone thinks I work for free.

I grow paint in my fairy dust garden in my back yard. As well as Paint Brush bushes and my business cards and signage guy begs me to let him pay me to work on my advertising.

I love my job & love face painting. However, I hate running the business side of it...

It doesn't bother me to see my art smeared 'cause I know it's a temporary art form.

And Tash, Next time... leave on time... LOL! It's not your fault if the client lied. My contract says my start time & end time & has how many children were quoted to be there. If there's more kids the client can pay to have me longer (if I don't have another gig to get to). I understand being fed up w/ the bait & switch & had to put a stop to it...

I love the job, and the kids, and the business side of things doesnt bother me.... its losing every single weekend to work. I study 5 days a week and work the other 2 (plus nights). I just need a break haha

Put it on your schedule, Amy! I have a trip later this month, and have turned down a pretty good booking, because I choose to do this for me.

Plus, I get to help out a family member, who is moving back home from college.

I just had this happen to me reciently. I have never booked two gigs in one day before so I havent minded so much in the past, but this time I really needed to go. It all worked out in the end though.
I am not bothered by the children with smudged faces normaly unless they happen to get upset about it.
I love face painting!!

Amy