Pilferage proof setup?

Yes. You should complain. For good reasons:

1. There are people out there who think your "stuff" is just cool enough to warrant a little petty theft.

2. Crowding leads to accidents. I cracked heads with a little girl during my 1st gig. why? Because she was behind me, leaning towards the person I was painting. I sat up (fast) to take a look at the work I was doing and put her on her butt with the back of my head. I'm glad I had my brush in the other hand and down, otherwise, she'd be wearing a patch at this moment.

The bottom line is that you need space. Humans need space. I understand the need to see what's being done, but once your space is violated and once your stuff becomes vulnerable, you are setting yourself up to be victimized or even sued if some hot pocket's kid get hurt. Imagine what would happen if someone were to bump your hand while you're painting? BTDT.

What I finally started doing at my last gig was putting my brush down whenever someone got too close. Even one person could stay my brush. It got to the point that the kids in the line started playing line leader and yelling at people who would get too close to me or my stuff. If parent's complain, I just explain that I can't keep fingers out of my paints while I'm painting and it's just too dangerous to have a pointy brush full of paint near a child's 'delicate' face while people are bumbling around me.

It works... believe me.... it works.

That is a wonderful idea! I am going to try it this Saturday. I have a kids fair thing. They like to crowd. Thanks.

I am trying this this Saturday TOO.

I've found that it's not as bad now that I work standing with the tall director chair facing the "audience"... they can see better and the kids at least can't get "over my shoulder." They don't crowd so much.

This is an older post, but I've had sticky finger problems(I lost a favorite brush to I'm pretty sure an adult). I always try & set up along a wall inside. This way you have to get through me to get to my kit. In open air venues, like parks, if I have grass & line my roadside signs like a wall barrier on the outer edge of the fatmax. This is great for advertising & keeps the kids at a distance. The roadsides are tall enough that they'd have to reach over it & lean pretty far. I also use one as the head of the line marker & tell kids to stay behind it(that works.... sometimes....).

I got this from Heff (aka Michelle Heffner): She has a clear rectangular container (the kind that slides under the bed) with a snap on top. She puts all her set up in there and b/c it has sides, it prevents hands from going over it to get at the good stuff. Its awesome b/c when its time to go, you can just put the top back on and leave.

Still working on trying to get the PARENTS from taking baby wipes with out asking! Thinking about putting a "Please ask before taking" sign!

This sounds intriguing but isn't it cumbersome to carry?? Is it a plastic under the bed type plastic box pretty big?

I just use my two hands to carry it. It also fits my bag of balloons and glitter set. I used to use my carry on luggage, but though it was easy to drag around, it took forever to pack up and go. I like things spread before me, so the fatmax wont work for me. Carol Turman has the table that opens up with the set up, but thats too big for me, plus i dont like the wood color.

I got this off Heff's site for reference, I will try to take a pic of mine at this Saturday's Festival (im getting paid to be there )

Very cool. I have one somewhere!! I am going to try it.

THANKS!!

I still one to see yours! We all do!

I was just about to suggest the plastic container idea. I was at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure the other day and got stuck in line for a ride right next to a face painting station. Needless to say, my sister had to prod me forward a few times because I was too busy studying their set up. They used a plastic container just like that to store all of their paints and keep sticky fingers away. It seemed to work pretty well.

Maybe they have really got something there!! My problem is that I am V E R Y short at 5' nuthin' and wonder about wielding the box around; a box nearly (!) as big as me!

Eve

If you get one of the smaller boxes, it is only about two feet wide and several inches deep. My sister is 4'11" and she has no problem carrying those around. I've even seen some where the lid snaps on and there is a handle on the side for you to carry it like a suitcase, so I don't think you have to worry about that.

most kits I see open flat, my kit has a panel that stand up on one side... think cigar box.
But this blocks people from one side, then to the right I have my dirty sponge bucket and a gallon of water blocking hands, and to the left I have My brushes... now kids do grab at my brushes every now and then, but I'm faces the brushes so I just tell them no or do a "karate chop motion" to block their hands.

I have never had anything stolen... my mirror is one of the unbreakable mirrors and I wedge the bottom part under the gallon of water and that seems to be enough to discourage them from grabbing at it.

Yeah - I dont show them their face at my chair... they have to get up and go to the mirror. this is because ALOT of kids just want to sit and stair at their faces and they can do that all they want... but not sitting in my chair.

hope that helps... I would position things around your kit to block sticky fingers and only leave the section you can watch open

You can set up 3 chairs side by side for kids that are next. Enlist their help in watching your kit.. they love to feel important and that they are your assistant by helping you. You usually only have to tell the first kid their job as they LOVE telling the other kids what they have to watch for. If you set the chairs behind and off to the side of you, they get to watch you, there's not enough room for parents, so they are out of your way and you can use the chairs to block. You may have to carry the extra chairs, but ask the organizer to provide the chairs.... they should be able to do that.

I solved my sticky fingers issue by outfitting latching jewelry display cases with metal and attaching neodymium magnets to the bottoms of my cakes. The cakes hold pretty firm (throws off the overly entitle parent when they can't pick up anything without effort, thwarts the significantly weaker hands of little touchers). I like it because at the end of the gig, I just stick the foam insert in and close the case. The foam fills the space just incase I drop the case and the paints jar loose, though to date, nothing has broken the magnetic connection yet. You can see my set up on page 4 of our groups blog.

J's setup

I have not experienced a problem with anyone trying to take or move something. My biggest problem was the curiosity of kids wanting to see what the person before them was getting. When using my tent I had my mom out in front of my table and the chair set up behind the table, so that worked out really well. If I was not fortunate to have my mom with me I had my line starts here sign set up right at the opening of the tent and a chair for the next person waiting to sit in. So unless you were in the waiting chair you could not even come into the tent.

Now that I have my Fat Max...(thanks to Psalm for hipping me to this.... and thanks to Mom for getting it for me) things are just alot easier as far as containing my supplies is concerned. It's great if I use my tent and table or just my umbrella table chair set up.

Lady Jayde, I love your magnetic setup! I have looked for jewelry display cases like yours but have not been able to find any. Do you mind sharing where you got them?

I bought plastic tubs at the dollar store, they are about 10" by 14" and hmm maybe 3" deep. I put rubbery shelf liner stuff in the bottom of each one so my paints wouldn't slide around. Right now I am using just two of them but I bought a third for when I get more paints. I love them because there is just one big lid to take off, and also they stack perfectly in the bottom of my FatMax. And, while they are not as deep as the ones in the picture above, I think that having them lined up in a container like that deters touching and also makes it obvious when something is missing or out of place.

I got mine on the E-auction site (ends with Bay) They were relatively inexpensive, the sheet metal was pretty cheap too...as were the magnets...definitely get the bigger (at least 1/2" in in diameter 1/8"+ thick) magnets. I love that I can close my paints and that's it...no more painting. If people see your paints out, they seem more likely to ask for 'just one more" ...when the lid slams shut and the paints go right in the bottom of my bag...they are gone.

I was having a conversation about this topic with my fellow facepainter and neighbour. Yes, you Gisrus!! Anyway, she mentioned another facepainter caught a lass trying to nick a neon rainbow cake on her in a night club gig (it's dark and noisey in there) so Gisrus concluded that all your little fancy/expensive/small bits could be in a bumbag around your waist (do Americans say 'fanny pack'??

Also she liked the idea of one's brushes being in one of those brush arm bands you wear on your forearm.

I must add, both of us have always worked on having a lean set-up so three or four small things like a favourite poof glitter and three small arty cakes is not too much in a bumbag

Yes, we do say fanny pack.

maurs wrote:I was having a conversation about this topic with my fellow facepainter and neighbour. Yes, you Gisrus!! Anyway, she mentioned another facepainter caught a lass trying to nick a neon rainbow cake on her in a night club gig (it's dark and noisey in there)

Wow! Did she give him an earful for trying to steal it? For me... the fannypack bumbag wouldn't work and for many who have a shelf growing from their chest regions, it could be problematic I don't know that I'd like to have my brushes strapped on my arm...I could see so many things going wrong with that. I'm dangerous enough with my stuff on my table

I did a party this past Saturday and I had a very determined 20 month old boy who was mezmerized by the buggle gun I took to the party. I love this bubble gun I found it creates loads of bubbles lights up and flashes and I control when and where I want them.

My daughter had it first and those kids followed her around like the pied piper. Angel is great with keeping kids entertained whilst I am painting. Well she came back to me with the gun because she was doing her little comedy joke telling routine with the kids. Well the little boy was obsessed with getttin the bubble gun. No matter where I tried to stash it he crawled under tables and chairs, climbed on top of furniture trying to get at that gun repeatedly saying bubbles bubbles bubbles.

One very determined little boy.

Hmm.... I just replied to this thread and I don't know what happened to it.

Anyway, I was going to say that in some cases it might be worth it just to buy a cardboard presentation board (like for science fairs) and cut it in half so it's not so tall. You could but it around your stuff and just tell anyone who asks that it's to keep out little curious fingers.