How much do I charge for PPF?

Glad to hear you have "real" face paint now. $25 is pretty low but should cover your costs for cheek art. You may find that mask and half or full face designs are actually faster and easier than detailed cheek art. You could view this as an opportunity to build your portfolio and get some good photos of your work. I hope it goes well for you.

Careful with those rainbow cakes... they get addicting...

So I finished my first event ever yesterday. It was sooo much fun and I was paid for it? I charged $5 for cheek art, $7 for half face and $10 for full face. I also did some small designs by the eye/eyebrow for $1 - $2. So I made back what I paid for my supplies and vendor spot and a profit ontop of that. I was very pleased to find that parents didn't mind the prices. I did have one tell her son that she would paint his face at home with makeup later. Oh well... but had a great time all together. I am now looking for new upcoming events. I am using snazaroo only and love the paint very much. I also passed out little flyers to parents interested in hiring me for birthday parties or family functions. I just dont know how much to charge. I was thinking $35-$40 an hour for locals and $5-$10 extra for farther areas. Not really sure yet..

ChristmasMarie - I love your avatar. The advice I've read over and over on the forum about what to charge is to check out what other painters in your area are charging. I did some pretty extensive research of what painters in my area were charging. Since I'm new and probably not as fast/skilled, I knocked a bit off my price. I didn't want to "undercut" the more established painters in my area and upset people who could potentially be a wonderful resource. It also seems to be a trend to charge a travel fee per mile after a certain number of miles. ($1 per mile after 30 miles for example).

Thank you Miss Heidi. I have checked a few peoples prices in the area. I am in southern Ca near palm springs. I have found that some charge around $85 an hour and some who charge up to $120 for birthday parties. I don't know how they do it. I don't think that I could charge that much just because I don't think most moms would pay that much on top of food cake and presents. I did find a few that charge around $40 an hour. I just want to be fair. I will have to do more research.

Depends on who your target market is. If you are going for lower middle class families then maybe those prices are too much. But if you are targeting companies and families with a good amount of disposable income, then it's prob not too much.

The issue is, if you charge too low, some really good opportunities could pass you by. Higher end event planners and such are looking to please their clients so they go after the best.. the best is sometimes determined by the costs difference. too low and it looks cheap

I charge $5 per face, no matter the type of design; half face or full face. i also gave a fp package for $10 ea, it includes the face painting, real fairy wings, and a hair clip. For the boys I include the fp design plus a plastic sword.

I always ask for money up front, it's easier for me to get that part out of the way,
but I also think it works both ways. Depends on what business style you feel comfortable with, the event itself and in the moment variables. every event is slightly different. Yet best to stick to one or the other as much as you can, as being flexible just complicates things for you and your business. Remember we're in the 'business of art' so treat it like a business, so uncomfortable or not, before or after, never be afraid to ask for payment!

Hey KJ where are you from?

I think we should look at the painters in our area, the quality, artful, and speed, compared to our own and charge accordingly. If someone paints faster or better, they will command a higher price. at the same time, price should be set by your service and talent, not the buyers ability to pay, there will always be someone who says you cost too much, cest la vie

Also remember it isn't just the hour you spend at the job. For a 1 hour party, there is the packing up, checking kit, dressing up, doing your own face (if you do), driving there, setup, packdown , travel home and cleaning up your gear.

I reckon every one hour job is actually 3 hours work, which takes my $100ph down to $33ph before factoring in buying equipment, paint, tools, wipes, hair clips etc.

Sweet Loretta wrote:Hey KJ where are you from?  

Hi I am from Northern Ca, near Santa Rosa Ca. Since my last post, I have changed my ppf prices. I now have $3, $5 and $8 for full faces. My hourly rate is $85.00 an hour, pretty low compared to painters in the city; but I live in a very small town, and so far I am the most well know face painter in my town, and I have the highest rate lol

I'm new to this community, but wanted to put my 2 cents in here as well.  I've done pro-bono for various charity/community events to doing PPF out of a booth for profit to events (such as birthdays).

I think with all things, and especially after reading several of these posts, you need to assess your crowd.

Typically, I've don'e $3 designs and $5 full faces when doing PPF, and charging upfront works best for me and my crowd in my area.  Most of the people in my area are more comfortable with paying up front anyway as there tends to be some misconceptions as to fees that may due upon completion of a project.  (Also, some parents do sometimes have a tendency to wander off at the completion of a project).

If there is any dispute as to whether the artwork was worth the fees paid up front, I am more that happy to reimburse them and clean the artwork off their face with a wet wipe if I can't fix it to their satisfaction... I've yet had to do that though.

Other communities might work better taking the cash after the fact... it really depends on the general social expectation of the people in your region.

That being said... I think the $3 / $5 / $8 is a good guide line, but keep in mind the type of event, the density of the crowd of patrons, and the amount of competition you may have with other face painters in the same venue.

You want to be low enough to reasonably priced with your competition, but high enough that you don't develop a lengthy line.  For PPF, I've done as little as $1 / $3 faces (for elementary school events) and have seen up to $12 for a full face (at major holiday events and fairs with high foot traffic).

Most of the 'events' I've done have been pro-bono, and largely community/charity events or birthday parties for friends of family.  Although, due to the time cost of setup and take-down, I would consider incorporating a fee to cover that for hourly rates, something along the lines of $100 for the first hour + $25 per half hour increment there after (1 hour min).  That allows $50 for setup/take down.  If I can offer additional painters, I might include an additional charge of + $30-$40/hr for each additional face painter for larger events.

Just make sure the terms are clear, understood, and agreed upon up front, you don't want to worry about dealing with disputes over cost after the event.

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One thing I would add though... always ask the recipient of the artwork if they are happy with the work when you hand them a mirror at the end... not their parents, friends, etc. outside sources tend to be much more critical because they are 'looking out' for the subject of the artwork. Usually, the recipient is much more open and if they are happy, everyone else around them warms right up to it...even if there are little flaws here and there.

Melody FPL
I charge the same way!
Boom! Done!

This was an interesting thread to read through.
Seems most FPers work off menu boards and have their prices set either by design or by size... keeps things running smoothly and the line moving.

I do things quite a bit differently. When I paint it's almost always PPF. However, I do not use any kind of menu board or pricing guideline. I have idea books that people can look at while in line, otherwise I do all custom work (I take photos of finished work and put in the idea books with consent).

Most of the time my client's requests are custom; for this reason I do not do set pricing. My minimum pricing starts at $10, period - the only exception is that I do offer a family discount. I clearly list my minimum starting price at my table and on a sandwich board at my booth.

If a client picks something straight from the idea book, I know the pricing and I quote consistently and fairly per piece. But custom work depends on what they are asking for, and I quote it based on size and complexity.

Since I specialize in custom work, and I don't limit design options, I sometimes take a little longer to complete the work (a detailed face/arm/leg wrap dragon, for example, is not a 5-minute process).

Most people understand that my booth is a bit different, and are patient and appreciative. For doing primarily custom work, I still am able to work pretty fast, so the wait is reasonable. I work a variety of events, including downtown festivals and small fairs, and am able to keep the line running smoothly and do very well.

I do not do callbacks at PPF events (ie number on hand, stickers) - I only do callbacks at private parties (I paint a number on a hand and call the numbers, if they don't hear me I go to the next - this works great).

I quote my pricing before starting (for families I quote them individually with discount, and give total price for all before starting anyone in their group). I take payments after I am finished - I keep better track of payments this way, and I generally get a great tip after based on how the work came out and how happy the client is

For PPF I take cash and credit card payments. I really like someone's earlier suggestion to post a "small bills only, please" sign, because when people hand me a $100 I make them break it elsewhere then come back to pay... again, have never had one walk away without paying, but the sign would eliminate this risk. I don't like dealing with 100s - too many counterfeits and it takes all my small bills away.

I've worked with a line manager before, but find that I still have to quote pricing because it's custom work, and they end up just keeping the line in order (which I can handle) so mainly I just work solo.

I realize that my system might not be feasible for a lot of painters, but it's what my setup has evolved into over time, and it keeps me happy doing what I do

Smaller Events:
$5 Cheek Art (which is only offered as a last resort if parents are unwilling to pay $8 for half face designs.)
$8 half-face
$10 full face

Larger Events:
$8 Cheek Art
$10-12 Half-Face
$15-17 Full-Face

Our artists are required typically to do full faces in 3 Minutes or less.