Struggling with pricing

I have read and re-read every single post I can on this topic and have decided I cannot be like Denise. Sigh I just can't. I cannot have 1 tier pricing. I don't think I can charge $5 for a face and get away with it. AND I don't think I can charge $10 for an eye design and pull that off either. So that being said I think I have to have two tier pricing. One for the smaller designs and one for the larger. I'm going to match my glitter tat pricing with my smaller designs and see how that goes.

I was picking out my designs and realized I've focused so much on boy designs, because we don't have so many choices for boys ya know, that I don't have a lot of choices for girls to pick from. SO tonight will be a mad dash to paint my daughter 7 times take her picture and get them printed tomorrow before the festival starts on Wednesday.

Argh!

We all can't be like Denise! But that doesn't mean we don't have to keep trying!!
It's worth it!

Don't panic Angela, you'll do great!

I am doing something that I haven't seen (doesn't mean it isn't done). I am offering the "same' Face at different prices.

For example--if some one wants a tiger they can have a tiger based on what they can afford.

Since I live in a low income area I charge $3 for an eye or cheek area, $5 for a mask and $7 for a full face. I am hoping one day to be so good I can charge more. (Also when I go to a bigger town--I do charge more. $5 for eye or cheek, $7 for mask and $10 for full.)

Eye/cheek design only covers one eye, or part of the cheek

the Mask-doesn't fall below the eye area (except for a few teardrop embellishments) and can go on the nose

Full face, goes from forehead to eye area and down the cheeks.

Some faces are ONLY full faces--see picture below.

So far it has worked good.

I am trying to get my portoflio together, but this is kind of what I am talking about

This is the full faces only page

Oh and the cherry was we used my tent for a party at our house and the wind destroyed it....so we had to get a new tent too. It was so not fun this weekend trying to figure out what I still need and what I have.

Hey now, Miss Angela! If you remember I did do two different prices...I just sold A LOT MORE $5.00. I've read that other members sell a lot of $10 faces, like Dawnie. So, for me, it's more about what my area will handle, wanting the wow factor at birthday parties and not having to do cheek art (which I kind of stink at...I'm a big girl, I can admit it. )

I was reminded AGAIN why I don't like detailed cheek art this weekend. I did custom designs for a book signing. One of the creatures from the book is a gecko looking monster with pink stripes. OMG! Why did I do that to myself! That stupid little thing took forever (even had one little boy tell me so! LOL I got it down to three minutes by avoiding outlines) and still looked pretty bad...yet, when I did rainbow batwings (my adaptation of butterfly so I could stay on theme) they only took 2 minutes and everyone was gasping! The more real estate that I can cover with the least amount of sponge/brush/color changes the better.

That sucks about your tent. I would die if I had to buy another. Please let us know how it goes. I want to know what you experienced if you can figure out a way to keep track.

Amy, I did something similar but I will show you what DIDN'T work (and I thought it was so clever) I made a word list with tons of keywords and then showed them the difference between the different priced designs for a butterfly and dragon and then thought...how fabulous this will be and guess what...they all wanted a butterfly and dragon. (Hand smacks forehead) It was my first fair and I ended up getting caught with my pants down and making up a book with inspiration pictures and it S*cked eggs. I shall attach my wonderful poster to show you my beautiful disaster.

Right click and select "View Image" to see the whole thing:

Glitterfly and I do two prices and there are a few of the higher priced ones that we can do a simplified version for the lower price if they REALLY want something but mom doesn't want to pay that much. Here are my two levels:

I know that the Central New York area is no more or no less impoverished than the rest of the country... yet I've had no trouble sticking to the same prices at ppf events for quite awhile now; $6, $8 & $10...

Someone hit it home on here when they said something about how one parent complained about their prices but was holding her $5+ cup of specialty coffee as she complained. I don't think we should keep worrying ourselves sick over whether or not we charge too much. I have not had to reel in my prices to catch more customers. Either the parent is willing to treat their child(ren) to a quality face paint or they're not... I saw some examples recently at an event where the parent paid high end prices for quite inferior work.

I wish I could be Denise in so many ways myself... all the time!

And Perry, I decided that I absolutely love your elephant so I'd like to beg, steal and borrow it.... got a bigger photo?

you can do it, I don't mind if people use my designs as long as you paint your own for sample pictures because we all paint differently.

That is freakin' cute Perry. I like your monkey and rabbit too. Great alternatives for those faces that are really difficult to fit onto a human face.

Haha, thank you for the reminder Miss Ronnie, that was my snobby customer with the designer coffee. We kiwis are huge fans of the frothy coffee and yet think facepainting should be $2. I'm still considering a sign "For only the cost of a cup of coffee...your child can have one of these beautiful designs that will last for HOURS!"

I'd love to know how the three teirs goes with a sign for ALL your faces, Amy. Denise I had to chuckle at your experience. It's SO true. Have a picture and everyone will go for that design. I started wondering why little boys don't like batman anymore until I realised I'd swapped batman for a snowman pic and never put it back on my board.

Hey Angela...I do 5, 7 and 9 at festivals..it works well in our area....I do 5 dollar easy designs, 7 for half faces, and 9 for full faces...on the full faces i make sure that they look good. but leave off some of the small details if the line in very long...like when you do a full face butterfly... you can leave off a few dots... know one will know..and I know some of us do a dry brush technique to soften the black on the butterflies you can leave that off too...just a thought for our area...you will be fine...and for festivals i find that i may use 12 girl designs and 12 boys...and if you are not busy then you can add a little more to the design....

Thank you everyone! I'm just freaking out a little because, you know this is *my* festival. My fair where I grew up. LOL I've never been a vendor here before so I know no matter what I do in my eyes it won't be perfect....I'm kinda like that. LOL Plus for two days I will be by myself. I'm seriously thinking about pulling my 11yr old out of school to help me. I know...I'm a bad mom. But she has off one day already for fair so one more day won't kill her.

Oh and I saw the cutest elephant design...not that Erin's isn't cut**ER but this one had the head above the nose and the ears like butterfly wings. I <3 elephants.

We're all a bit like that, I think Angela. You're going to be just great! All the best.

Angela we don't think your a bad mom...I think your daughter would be a great help...also...with the kids in school you may not be busy during the day..but after school you may get swamped...take care...Im sure you will be just fine...just remember smile and talk to the kids your painting...Im sure you will do great..

Okay, so this fair has never ever ever had a face painter....I am no Suzy Sparkles by any means, but they were AMAZED by art work. I have to admit by the end of the twelve hour days my designs were not so hot but the kids didn't wash them off on the second or third day. LOL It was a good fair but a tiring one. I learned to do these events I need a different setup... Preferably two tables, placed in an L shape with me in the corner on a swivel chair so my glitter tats are on one and my fp on another. I found I can't work out of a fat max, but I need something to carry my stuff in, still working on that. Still working on the perfect setup for me. I like, really like Denise's setup but my days were too long to stand. My back to too bad to stand for twelve hours straight. It's just a good thing I can go without peeing for that long.

On the other side of the tables on this setup my daughter did balloon twisting, simple stuff to keep the line entertained. It was a free add on and it worked well. I paid her a little something and she was happy with it. I ended up charging $6 for glitter tats or 2 for $10 and $7 For my simpler designs and $10 for fuller ones. They seemed okay with it and I made a good profit. I am beat though. I offered 40 choices, 20 of each "boy" "girl" so it was good!

Sounds like you did wonderful! Way to go!

way to go on your first really big gig...sounds like you did well and learned from it...I think we are all still trying to find the perfect way to set up...I do like my fat max..most of the time i use it for storage lol..(its so heavy to get in and out of my suv)..i prefer my tables...and I use 3 half walls so no one can get in thats not suppose to be in the tent..Im glad you had a good weekend...I like doing festivals, but boy am I beat also afterwards....good job and well done...

If you were making that money on faces and glitter tats and keeping busy, then you should definitely be charging for balloons. $1 per balloon in the sculpture at least. I work out of my fatmax for balloons only, my face painting and glitter tattoos are on my camp kitchen for festivals. I paint standing, sit for glitter tats and balloons. Festivals ARE hard and will wear you out even if you aren't busy.. just being out there is exhausting.

I knew you were going to say that Erin! LOL There were a lot of free balloon artists there so I just didn't feel right charging.

this is my third festival, but it's the one I was dreading....LOL