Pricing for Your First Gig.

I'm no where NEAR enough a good painter to charge what the professionals in my area do, but my family members say I should charge around 50 dollars for the first hour and 25 each extra hour. I personally think that this is too high a price for just a beginner in their first gig. However, my family was arguing about the fact that when you do one party, the word might get around, and people will expect you to price their parties the same as they did for the original party.

So what would you say is an appropriate fee for a painter who's not horrible, but not good either, for their first gig?

It is best to start out doing a lot of free/volunteer parties & events. This would be for friends, neighbors, family, schools, etc. This will bring your skill level & speed up(you may have done this already?). Then you can charge for your services & feel good about giving a great product. You don't want to so undercut your market that it devalues the other painters & the craft. Also, remember, your paints, supplies, training, gas, etc. cost you money. You are going to need to budget for these things & at a lower price it will be hard to do this. I know of a local painter working for $25/hr. This wouldn't be worth my gas, prep time, etc. It's a great pay for my teen daughters because they don't have real expenses.
Enjoy starting off! It's fun a wonderful ride!

I don't think the rates you mentioned are too high at all. Based on your registration date here, you've already been working on this for almost a year now! The kids at McDonald's get paid on their first day the same rate as the rest of the employees. We have a lot of expenses to cover and we cannot do this for nothing. See what the other painters in your area are charging. What I did when I was first starting out as a clown was to go a LITTLE lower than the going rate and clearly mark it an "Introductory Rate" stating that it was because I was relatively new and learning. That way people knew that it wasn't going to be that price forever and I could change it to match everyone else when I felt I was getting enough business to warrant it.

Psalmbook: Yes, I have already done volunteer work, and LOTS of it. That's where I got this job inquiry from, in fact.

Perry: Thank you! That helps A LOT.


Thank you both so much!

Great info Perry!

Hello, I just thought I would comment as I am much in the same boat - I have done lots of volunteer work and having been asked for business cards so much have decided to start doing paid work but it's really daunting and deciding how much to charge is hard - the only other face painter I have found out rates for in my area is charging $175 /hr!!!!!! I was thinking around £75/hr and then drop down for further hours but my family think I shouldn't go any lower than $100!! I guess more research is required. I definetely wouldn't have thought what you are sugesting is too high...
Anyway, it's good to hear others going through the same motions.....I'm just hoping the pressure won't get to me too much during my first paid gig...if and when it happens....Good luck!!!

I originally worked for an agency and they had no problem asking $100 an hour for me so after I felt I was good enough I went out on my own and charged the same thing. I am workng on increasing my rate but I need to tighten up a little more. I remember Pashur saying - you know how to make $150 an hour - you ask for it. Some work will fall away but you will start to earn your rate. I know it's really hard in the begining - have you thought about working for an agency - you just show up and paint and don't have to negotiate with the customer.

Always remember you are worth what you think you are worth. If you think you are only a 25.00 an hour painter then that is what you will be, but if you think you are a 75.00 an hour that is what you will be. I have seen your work and its great. I do not think that rate is too high at all. You are the only one that can tell your self that you are the best painter that you can be and mean it.

SillyIzzy, now that you've told us your age, there are a couple of other considerations as well. Margie's suggestion of working for an agency would be really good under normal circumstances, but I don't know if you would be able to, because you are underage.

The implications of this is that you might not be able to sign or be held to a contract - but I'm not sure of US laws governing this situation, and also the Liability Insurance issue. I'm not sure if you could be covered or not. It might be best to check out these things.

Kat

I started out at $50 an hour, and I was 19 when I started working for money.. did it for years... now I charge $80...

there is nothing wrong with charging $50 an hour.. if they have already seen your work, then it means that they want you. You just treat it like anything else, don't be nervous, they like you, they want you there.. and most people are still amazed(no matter what) by what we do as face painters..

So chin up and happy trails!

btw, where in VA do you live? I'm in Hampton Roads!

koolkatkiwi wrote:SillyIzzy, now that you've told us your age, there are a couple of other considerations as well. Margie's suggestion of working for an agency would be really good under normal circumstances, but I don't know if you would be able to, because you are underage.

The implications of this is that you might not be able to sign or be held to a contract - but I'm not sure of US laws governing this situation, and also the Liability Insurance issue. I'm not sure if you could be covered or not. It might be best to check out these things.

Kat

Eh, true, thanks for pointing that out.

Ashley Pickin wrote:btw, where in VA do you live? I'm in Hampton Roads!

Hampton Roads! Va Beach (:

My kids work w/ me & I charge 1/2 my rate for them... so they make $50/hr to $30/hr depending on if it's a not for profit or not. But, these prices are in addition to having me there. I've also told them that once they get their drivers licences, they can make the same amount I make(of course they will need insurance then).

Another way is like what I do, I offer an introductory rate and say they can tip me if they like my work. Many people tip me really well. That makes me happier than simply asking for a higher rate. )

I really appreciate this great feedback as I am in a similar situation except quite the opposite. When I started in this business I was shocked to find that painters in my area (salt lake city, ut) were charging between $25-$40 per hour!! Not everyone, but quite a few, and they (if they are using their own work to advertise) are pretty good painters!! This coming from training with a painter that charges $150 per hour (which advised me, just like was quoted on here sorry I don't remember who, that you just have to ask for it)! She works in another part of the country.
But how can people work for so little!? Seriously, I just feel it does a disservice to us all, trying to make money on that much.

i only charge $25, but im not that good, and im young, lol

SillyIzzy, you ARE that good! Now, lets hear you say it....

You are young, so your rates are pretty good. You don't yet have the same overhead us adults do(bills). But, in a few years you can start charging more.

I don't think you should charge less because of your age at all! You have the same expenses of painting that anyone else has ... paints, brushes, transportation (whether that be auto, bus, or taxi cab), and practice/training. If you have no bills to pay out of your profits, that doesn't mean that your talent and time are worth less money, any more than a person who pays cash for everything is worth less money than someone who pays for things they need with a credit card.

The only reason to charge less is because you either don't have the talent of a more experienced painter, or because you choose to charge less to create a larger demand for your services by marketing to a larger target audience, i.e. people who perhaps cannot afford the price your competition is charging.

izzy,
i know what you are going through...I started charging $25/hr b/c I had no clue whatsoever. I could only do about 8 full faces an hour and I still hadn't learned all those "tricks" yet. Once I felt comfy with my speed and learning new things, I started uping the prices. I am now charging around $100/hr or more and I feel comfy doing so b/c i know what I can do. At first I was put down by some painters b/c i guess they felt I was taking away some of their business being less expensive and doing lowering the cost of what a face painter should get in the area. Frankly some people where rude. It kind of put me off to other painters. I tried explaining to them my reasoning, but oh well. When I quote the customers, I let them know what I can do with the price I quote them. Someone once asked why another painter was charging twice the amount I was and I simply said
Because they have been doing this for much longer than i have and can probably paint 15 faces in hour what would take me 2 hours to do, so you see, it's somewhat the same.
As my expenses grew so did my rates as well, lol. THIS IS ADDICTING BTW i just placed another order on FPFS. Oh well... Maybe you can be Ashleys Apprentice, you lucky dog you! She's gonna be a teacher at FABAIC and she lives down the road from you!

Oh yeah, so i met a whole bunch of cool peeps at the Kaptial Kidvention and that helped me reach out to other painters. Thanks: Jenny, Michelle, Lynn, Erica, Maggie, Sharon, and the rest you know who you are!

Psalmbook wrote:SillyIzzy, you ARE that good! Now, lets hear you say it....

You are young, so your rates are pretty good. You don't yet have the same overhead us adults do(bills). But, in a few years you can start charging more.

-chanting-
i am that good, i am that good, i am that good

There's a lady in my hometown that only charges $30 per hour. She's been doing it a while and has a website with pictures of her work. Not to sound vain, but I'm better and I've never done a paying gig, just volunteer stuff. My husband keeps bugging me to start charging...but it's not really worth my time or paint to work for so little. Hard to justify working for that when I can work a few more hours at my day job and make it without the hassle of lugging my equipment around and sitting outdoors. LOL

don't do it for $30... no one should charge so little. You should be charging at LEAST $50 an hour... for just face painting (no clown show) I charge $75 per hour. It does depend on your area, but I can't think of anywhere that should go THAT low.

If you have Excel I have a spreadsheet that you can use to figure out what you should charge as a bare minimum to cover your costs and pay yourself minimum wage on top.

Click on the word "here" in my signature and you can download the spreadsheet.

You're a great painter! I think your family is right about the rates!!! You have a talent and you should be compensated.