Ever heard of these people????

About Faces Entertainment out of MD? I called them after receiving a reply email to one I sent. They were requesting a lot of personal information so I wanted to see if there was a live human on the other end.
I did get a human, albeit not one that knew anything as the 'owner' is out of town on vacation for two weeks. I then asked if there was a way to contact some of the face painters in my area and see how they like the service, if it works, ect. The guy said only the owner could answer this.
I asked how they make a living: he said they tack on a fee that the customer pays when they pay for the face painting service. He said that the customer pays them directly, then they pay us.
Sounded absolutely shady to me, but maybe I'm jaded in my old age. LOL.
So. Anybody ever heard of them? I looked on web site for contact information for individual painters in my area, there were only 3 listed an hour away from me, and none in my local area. The ones that were listed didn't have any contact information.
PS. The other thing that bothered me was that the reviews were all over 3 years old. I asked him why. He did a lot of stammering, and then said....I'd have to ask the owner, who is convieniently out on vacation....

I am listed with them as are a lot of other painters. They are legit, and pay you your rate, and tack their fee on top of it.

Friends get regular work through them and they pay promptly.

They do not list painters contact info as the customer is supposed to book through them - they are an agency.

http://www.aboutfacesentertainment.com/entertainers/face-painters/l/canada/alberta/

Glad to know I'm just a jaded old lady, and nice to know there are legitimate agencies out there.
So next question, as you know being listed with them, any pointers for painting your own face? I gotta be honest, I suck at painting my own face. It's a disaster area. As I'm still newish to face painting I don't have 6 full face shots. Any advice or tips on painting yourself so I can send them the requested photos?
I'm happy they will list me, now that I know they are legitimate.

Paint your own face? As far as I know, they want an artist photo and then a selection of your work for the listing. I have lots of photos of me painted so that is what I sent. I don't think it HAS to be painted as there are lots of artists' photo that are not painted if you look through the listings.

And rope in a couple of kids (yours, neighbours, co-workers) and paint them specifically for photos. Most are willing and it is summer vacation so they will be looking for something to do.

Not sure why you would think that it sounded absolutely shady that they tack on a fee to your rate, get paid by the client, then pay you your rate. Every party planner that uses vendors does the same thing. They need to make an income. It is my understanding that they are actually a very good company and probably have not updated the reviews on their website which is pretty common - many people don't update their websites as often as they should.

It is also my understanding that they will only represent artists that they feel do good work (after all, it is their reputation on the line), so If you feel your work is not up to par, I would say you should practice before sending them photos of your work. If you don't have access to kids on a regular basis, maybe you should buy a practice head or laminate a face blank found on line and practice on that.

Worse case scenario set up at a park and offer free face painting as long as you can take a picture for your portfolio.
I always found painting my own face easier than painting someone else, so I don't have any tips to offer, the only challenge there is I'm pretty blind, so I must use brushes with short handles so I can get close enough to the mirror.

Thanks for this thread actually! After reading Shannon's post I checked them out and now I'm signing up with them I'm so excited!

In my field there are similar agencies that do similar work, and they are shady which is why I said I'm likely jaded.
I got my profile done, and it turned out great. Just took forever to do myself.
Checked profiles of "locals" (closest an hour away) for pricing...is 150 an hour normal? I'm assuming part of that is the companies fee I'm seeing? I was thinking 75.00 an hour? Maybe 60.00?
Ability wise, I don't have to worry, God blessed me six ways to Sunday in the drawing department. Speed I will get better, right now it takes me on average 4 minutes depending on how difficult a picture they pic. The most difficult (full back tribal butterfl) takes me 11 minutes. So was wondering what to put on the charge line.

I've heard good things about this agency, but I'm not signed up with them.
Painting yourself is just a matter of practice.
Finding kids to practice on is easy. Just contact a daycare and offer free painting in exchange for pictures. Send them a parental consent form to send home with the kids and don't paint or take pics of any child without a signed consent form. (I think Shannon has one in her resources, if you don't feel comfortable making one up.)
As for hourly rate, it really depends on where you are located.
Don't go by just what you see on About Faces. Google face painting in your area and do some research. Compare their skill with your own, and price accordingly. If they are $100 and you feel like they are better than you, price lower. But not a lot. No one likes an undercutter.
As for being artistic, that's great, but it only goes so far. Skin is a different canvas altogether, and face paints are unique. Practicepracticepractice.

Thank the good Lord, my skills transferred over onto skin without much ta do. Took me a couple days to get hang of it, but I now find it easier to paint skin then canvas or paper, by far.

eviedejesus wrote: If you don't have access to kids on a regular basis, maybe you should buy a practice head or laminate a face blank found on line and practice on that.

I just printed out a bunch of practice faces onto cardstock and slipped them into heavy duty sheet protectors (5 mil thick plastic). It works great! I also put some blank card stock into a few sheet protectors too and use it to practice line work, tear drops and those double-dip flowers.

Still, nothing beats skin.

Hoo

Yes, the $150. Includes their fee. I would start at $100. Per hour if I were you.

Hoodat - yes, for linework, etc....thighs work great.

My legs and thigh have been colored for weeks on end. Lol. I snagged the neighbors daughter and did 5 different designs, just sent all my info to them.