Paying a an assistant paitner

How do face painters handle inviting/hiring an otehr face painter to join them on a gig that seems too big to handle with just one painter and paint all kids (40) and in 2 hours?

If you decide to take on the task yourself you need to limit the designs you offer to quick 2/3 min ones. You can do it, stick to one stroke.

Thank you, the time reference helps. I did tell them that the designs would have to be simple quick ones in order to get everyone painted...I started to panic. My rate is only $50/hour but it is fair for our location and my skill level. What irritates me is that kids take so long to decide....there is just so much prompting and pushing you can do!
thanks again

If the child hasn't decided, have them step aside and take the next one who has made their decision. They will either step aside or decide very quickly. ;-)

I just did my neice's party a few weeks ago (first bday party and I donated my service to get practice being quick) I literally said, everyone who wants to be a butterfly or princess over HERE, and everyone who wants to be spiderman or batman over here..........EVERY single child got in one of the two lines lol! I did 50 kids in about an hour and a half! Batman was a yellow dauber spot on the forehead with a bat head on the center and bat wings that went up over the eyebrows and down onto the cheeks (like Lisa Joy Young's dragon wings), spiderman was a red mask with web designs (no white on eyes, just spidey eye shaped skin around their eyes left unpainted)...butterflies were super quick and I sent the girls over to a table when they were done with self adhesive gems and let them put them on themselves (they were aged 4 to 9) and they all LOVED it! I told them 2 gems on the antennas or one big gem in the center of the crown. The crowns were super fast one stroke with white swirls overtop. I painted the center of forehead and left a spot big enough for a gemstone!

when the girls sat I said "princess or butterfly?", PRINCESS! "pink or purple" PINK! 1 and a half minutes later..."go get your gem!"

It was so quick and efficient the parents sat their giggling at how nobody protested or had an opinion on anything...they had 2 choices, 2 color choices and tons of different gems to pick from...everyone was happy!

Tina, I love what you did...that's awesome!! If I know right off the bat that I won't be able to paint the requested amount of kids in the requested time, I simply tell my client that their request will require 2 artists for 1 hour, or 1 artist for 2 hours. That way their only option is to choose an option that is do-able for me. I then hire another artist as a contractor to paint with me and pay them. If they have a tight budget, then I'll try to tailor my design selection to allow for as many kids as possible in the allotted time. (Then make sure they aren't expecting elaborate, full faces and rhinestones when you have 20 kids to paint in an hour!)...it's all about managing clients' expectations!

As for the kids not being ready, when asked how many kids I paint per hour I always make it a point to tell my clients that I can paint a maximum of X number of kids IF they are all lined up and ready to go one after another. (so they don't get mad when the kids are off doing other things, then start a big line when I have 5 minutes left). Then we try to build in some extra time for the indecision. Another tip is to take whoever is ready next once you finish someone. You won't waste your time waiting for the child to choose, and you'd be surprised how fast the kids will pick when there is a threat that someone else will get in ahead of them!