GOODBYE Kitty! Popular designs OFF the menu?

I recently added 'hello kitty' to my menu list because I thought it might be popular. The good new is, it IS popular...the bad news is, it IS popular!...so popular that two out of every three girls choose it. So of course, now I groan inwardly every time it's chosen & am thinking I'll take it back OFF the menu just so I never have to paint it again.

So my question to you all is this: Have you ever taken a design OFF the menu because it was 'too popular', and if so, what design was it?

I'm guessing Spidey has been removed from a few menus in his time...?

I don't use menus.

I paint by request.

I like when kids copy each other-since I don't have a menu, the final look is my discretion...

I love being creative.

no two butterflies look the same.

no two hello kitties look the same.some have bows, some are gothic, some are princess hello kitties....I match the outfits the girls are wearing, as well as adjusting my design to the hyperness of the child. hyper kids get the standard white mask, yellow nose, red bow. calm kids get whatever version I can dream up.



my spiderman changes too.sometimes I do it traditional, sometimes I do it like corey morgan or katurah with the oval eye instead of tear drops...sometimes it gets highlights, some times it is half venom, sometimes it is ripped and ragged.sometimes I make it with ONE STROKE style, other times I go for bold vibrant thick "miss yoko" style.

My menu is a word list.  No pictures.  So I am free to change designs as I see fit.  I like having a list there so that if they ask for something I've never even heard of, or I really don't want to paint or don't have time to paint, I can just smile sweetly and say "I'm just painting the ones on the list today".

But Hello Kitty, is still hello kitty, no matter what colour bow you give her.  I find her a bit 'bleh'.  I can't help but wish they'd choose generic cats, (for me) they're so much more interesting.

i have to disagree....I've seen hello kitty painted differently by nearly everyone. i almost feel temped to gather up a collage for you, but i'm not sure how that would go over. sounds like your mind is made up.

No need.  I get it, I assure you.  I still don't like painting HK in any form. If you do: that's great!  My point/question was that I'm sure many people have something or other they just don't enjoy painting, or are sick of painting because it's so often requested.  Some people don't like painting zombies...and yes, there are a thousand ways to paint a zombie (and then some).  Some don't like dogs, even though there are countless ways to paint a dog.  

Please don't assume that my dislike of painting Hello Kitty is purely because I lack imagination.

I love Hello Kitty some days and I detest her other days. We have a fickle relationship.
Who I REALLY despise is that cursed Captain America, with his brazen letter A! I hate him. Even now, when I have finally found the perfect blue for his mask. I seriously, totally, VEHEMENTLY hate. him.

Funny I should read this today - yesterday I was so so tired of painting HK I resolved to take it off my menu for next time and give it a rest!

Hey Erica, I see you are a fellow Australian, so Hi!    

Hi  
So what's your thoughts on Hello Kitty? I can't work out why its so popular. It's crazy how often it is chosen - I did one butterfly yesterday - ONE! And no tigers or kittens! So sad.

I'm with rthling - I HATE Captain America - I wish I could make a sponge A that came out with a crisp clean 'A' if i stamped it on someone's forehead - I don't paint as a business anymore (longstory) but when I used to - I took of Captain America from my picture menu but I still had little boys ask me for it - esp. when the Avengers came out....

erica21 wrote:Hi  
So what's your thoughts on Hello Kitty?  I can't work out why its so popular. It's crazy how often it is chosen - I did one butterfly yesterday - ONE! And no tigers or kittens! So sad.

I don't know, Erica...I wonder the same.  It's not a TV show here that I'm not aware of is it?  I don't get the reason for it's sudden popularity either.  

And that's EXACTLY what I'm getting too - this weekend I can almost count on my fingers the number of girls I painted that weren't HK...I painted only two 'proper' kitties, ZERO tigers, only TWO butterflies at a 5 hour gig on Saturday.  We all know that's not normal! LOL.  And yes, it is sad  ...so many other great things I could be painting, but no - yet another Hello Kitty it is! *sigh*

You know I'm yet to be asked for Cpt America, sounds like I should count myself lucky then?

Maybe because you are from Australia? Maybe it is less popular there?

Here in Holland, we have the same with Mega Mindy & Mega Toby.

I just think the hello kitty is soooo cute. and she's always doing something different...just love how it looks
plus pink and purple are my fav colors, and she's usually on something in those colors.and I love anything with a bow.

take the kitty off then, sounds like you are going through white paint like crazy!

Hello Kitty has been so popular with me also. Even the teen-age girls are getting it. I won't be taking it off the board, though because it is so easy and fast. I have taken designs off that were too popular and took me to long to paint it.

rthling wrote:I love Hello Kitty some days and I detest her other days. We have a fickle relationship.
Who I REALLY despise is that cursed Captain America, with his brazen letter A! I hate him. Even now, when I have finally found the perfect blue for his mask. I seriously, totally, VEHEMENTLY hate. him.

Speak please of this perfect blue. Captain America and I don't have a love/hate relationship, it's all hate b/c I cannot find the color I like to do the shading!

When I get bored or aggravated with a design that is popular I change it up with HK I use a BAM to add a swirly metallic to the white I play with one strokes on the bow ect ect.

a new face, she already stated she gets creative with variations. she just doesn't like the logo. I totally understand, as I feel that way about skulls, but for me, changing them works.

I get it lol just giving my 2 cents. I personally cringe at Hello Kitty and Spider man

omg, nikki, just checked out your page!wow! i've only ever seen your facebook!i love all your designs!

Thanks. I am now glad to say I am in Year 2 loving it.... it is such a double edge sword dealing with logo/character fatigue. I painted about 10 Hello Kitties today and accepted the money gratefully and made those hello Kitty faces shine. In the end I have bills to pay and mouths to feed so I try to make each face shine even though I WOULD LOVE TO PAINT ........

tamarielpaints wrote:
Speak please of this perfect blue.  Captain America and I don't have a love/hate relationship, it's all hate b/c I cannot find the color I like to do the shading!

It's DXF metallix baby blue. Here is the link. http://www.facepaintforumshop.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MM+1900
I didn't purchase it from here, though. Hopefully this is the same color. The place I bought it from calls it Metallic blue, but it looks the same.

Hello
Kitty
has
no
soul.

I still paint Hello Kitty.
That must mean I have no soul.

This summer, we would go hours without HK, then we get a run of them, 2-15 of them in a row. I learned to embrace my StarBlend white HK. I learned to happily smile at the child's choice.

Don't get me started on Arachnid Person.

Happy, Happy Painting!
xoxo

nikkili26 wrote:I don't use menus.

I paint by request.

I've tried to do this so I don't always have to update my menu, but none of the kids have any clue what to get painted as. Often I get requests for characters I've never seen, I have to look them up on my phone which takes more time.

I find a menu saves time or at least gives suggestions. I also like to suggest designs but only if there is time. How do you save time without a menu?

There are several popular designs, but I keep them on my menu. I have removed a certain unicorn design I had because I was sick of unicorns. After a while I added back a cheek art unicorn.

Unicorns and kitties... unicorns and kitties. I sometimes try to persuade new colors for the same designs, but they just want pink or purple or rainbow. It's my fault I made them pink on the menu But, in the end of the day it is my job to paint what they want.