What to do for a Baptism

Hi guys!

So I'm not religious at all and wasn't raised in a Christian/Catholic environment and I am painting at a baptism on Saturday. Aside from someone being submerged in water I have no idea what happens at a baptism. I am going to talk to the client to get more ideas and stuff, but I figured the more information I had on all sides the better.

My experience painting in most situations is that regardless of theme or event, children want the same designs (Elsa/princesses, mermaids, butterflies, dragons, animals, superheroes).

But - Are there certain designs you think I should stay away from? Additionally, are there certain designs I should incorporate? I would assume like a cross, the fish, WWJD...?

Is it much different from a birthday party?

Anyway, thanks anyone who can help enlighten me. I really appreciate it. I always feel silly for not knowing a lot about stuff like this which everyone else just kind of intrinsically knows about.

I think you are good---maybe skip pentagrams, zombies and upside-down crosses...

Well, I was raised Catholic but don't really practice.  Actually, I am kinda on the other end of the spectrum now, lol    

I would incorporate anything 'heavenly' such as angels, clouds, crosses, doves.  I think you could come up with a lot of ideas for angels and doves.  

There isn't anything too different from a normal party.  There will be the church service, which would be the actual baptism, and then the after party which is just a time for people to socialize. It kind of reminds me of a child's first birthday...the guest of honor is too young to know what's going on so you are just entertaining the kiddies while the parents oogle over the baby, lol

I'm a Christian who has painted at church events (never a baptism party though), and I've never made up special religious designs for them. The kids just loved the usual designs, the girls went mainly for butterflies and the boys for spiderman. I would say just check with the person who hired you to see if they might prefer that you not feature certain designs.

Never heard of face painting at a baptism before, lol... do you know what denomination the baptism is for?  For instance, there's a difference in how it looks between a Catholic and Baptist.  But that's not really what's important - but it would give you a better idea of what you could focus on in your paintings if the host wants them to be focused on the baptism and their faith.  But that's also the big question - does the host want a focus on your face painting or is it just for fun!?

But a couple more simple eye designs you could do are angel wings around the outside of the eyes and halo in the middle and clouds with a rainbow between them (God's promise after the flood),

Meh, I paint at church all the time. The usual designs are fine.

1- I agree w/Little Monsters: ask your customer. It's their party. Working here in FL, a local Baptist church asked me not to display or paint "...skulls, snakes, witches or zombies" at their "October celebration". The kids all arrived in (Halloween) costumes. On the other hand, my church has no problem. One granddaughter's school asked that I not paint snakes on the children, per parent requests in the past. My other granddaughter's school had no issues. I comply with all reasonable requests.
  2- IMHO, you are SO right about kids wanting the usual faces. To make everyone happy, I usually have a few "themed" faces on display, as requested. They could be a few religious symbols. The suggested winged halo & a pretty cross that you'd see on a card for a Baptism. Go to the card section, look at Baptism cards for ideas & take a picture. That always works for me when I'm looking for new ideas. You can just look up Baptism symbols on the net. Is the guest of honor a baby or older child? Good luck!

Thanks guys! Lots of useful and helpful ideas.

I just spoke with the client and she said the normal stuff is fine. I checked and it is a Catholic baptism. She said she has never heard of a face painter at a baptism before either, but there are enough children going that she wanted stuff to entertain them after brunch.

Going to the card section is a great idea! She does want just a couple of religious designs as options. I'm guessing angel stuff will be the best liked.

The guest of honor isn't quite a year old yet, so it's more for his guests than for him.

Perfect!  You're pretty much good to go!  Happy Painting!