my gig! lessons learned and some pics...

It was my first "gig" - it was at my church's VBS (not paid, of course). It was the first I painted under pressure. Boy is it intense! It was very different than I thought it would be, and I learned a TON! Here are my notes and the lessons I learned:

Things I learned with my first (volunteer) "gig" (VBS):

I can do 10 kids/hour!!!! (but sloppily and I feel very rushed)
I will not be ready for paid gigs for a while!
I sweat a lot when rushed and the kids were looking at the sweat on my face
I need to pack breath mints/gum (my daughter said my breath was not fresh!)
It is *really* hard to stay neat - I need a better system for holding my brushes when not in use
I need a backdrop to take photos (simple black or white sheet for informal events?)
Over time my brushes became "wider" and it became hard to do fine lines (why is that?)
Kids are much, much squirmy when they are not your own (or at home)
I am a perfectionist. Most kids are not, most are easy to please.
Then again, a few kids *were* perfectionists!
I felt like I had "cheated" the kids whose faces were not as good as others (I feel awful!)
I canNOT fly by the seat of my pants - I can only paint my "repertoire" at this point
I *totally* see where a line manager is useful... esp. for those that do not multitask well
It was a little warm, but VERY humid and my TAG and DFX were getting a little gloppy
I need to be more careful not to smear the face when glittering
I am learning I *love* the Spidey and crowns at the moment - easy!
I need to learn more about one-stroke painting
Some of my pretty splits do not have enough *contrast* to really pop
I need to practise, practise, practise: loading the brush properly, swirls/dots/teardrops
I need to find a way to keep my reference pics propped up right next to the child when painting
I love powder bases much more than wet (esp BN Lumieres), but I will not give up my splits, either
Snaz red *is* the only Spidey red
I love doing this. But I am SO scared that some of the kids are not over-the-moon with their designs! The happy faces are SO rewarding. The fear/guilt of not being perfect is something I really, really need to work on if I am to last at this!

If you have any insight into the above (especially why my great brushes were getting thicker and thicker and the tiny lines were getting harder and harder to paint) I would really welcome it.

Here are 2 pics (permission granted). I am not totally proud (especially with some of my thick lines) but a little bit I am - for doing 10 kids/hour this early on I hope I did pretty well and might be on my way?





Please let me know what you notice about the pics, where I can improve. Definitely the big fat black lines!

Regards, Barbie

I need to pack breath mints/gum (my daughter said my breath was not fresh!)

I always have chew Excel on my way to a gig and have mints in my pocket and in my kit.

It is *really* hard to stay neat - I need a better system for holding my brushes when not in use

Get a holder or container and PUT THEM IN IT!! Do not lay or throw your brushes and sponges down, put them in a container or back in the same spot every time. Use a palette instead of individual cakes - or some sort of tray to hold them, and put them back in the same spot EVERY time. Don't toss wipes or tissues on the table, have a trash can under it and toss them in there.

Over time my brushes became "wider" and it became hard to do fine lines (why is that?)

Are you cleaning your brushes between people or using one brush per colour? I am guessing that you aren't cleaning them and that the paint is building up in the loofe (hairs) and they as it dries up a bit the hairs get thicker and thicker, and harder to work with. If you don't intent to clean between people, then rinse the brush out or wipe it off to get rid of the excess paint.

I need to find a way to keep my reference pics propped up right next to the child when painting

Rather, try to not use reference pictures. Practise the designs you have on display and learn them well enough not to look at the photos.

Snaz red *is* the only Spidey red

Amen and hallelujah

The fear/guilt of not being perfect is something I really, really need to work on if I am to last at this!

Don't feel guilty!! Generally people are quite happy.

If you have any insight into the above (especially why my great brushes were getting thicker and thicker and the tiny lines were getting harder and harder to paint) I would really welcome it.

See above!

The only thing I'd like to add is VBS is usually a very large, uncontroled group of kids & will be a trial by fire. I say this from experience because I paint lots of large church events(VBS included). It looks to me like you did very well. With time your designs will become faster & smoother. It sounds like you actually had a win! YEAH!

BTW, I'm a VBS Nut & always run the Wacky Craft & Mission Station!

No idea what VBS is... but I'll take a guess...

Volunteers Better Serve?

Vacation Bible School

I ditto everything Shannon said. And what you said... it takes time and practice.

With the line work... you may be watching videos and hearing from the superstars who can do everything with a #4 round, big drops and tiny outlines. That takes lots of time. Get a good small brush for outlining. And then let go of the nerves. Better lines come out of confidence in the line.

If your DFX was melting... no wonder you were melting too!

There is a thread around here for tips on keeping kids still, although I might caution against the duct taping them to the chair.

10 kids per hour is pretty awesome for your first gig! I still have no real idea how fast I am, but I don't worry about that too much. I do some PPF, but trust the process. Speed comes with practice.

Let go of the guilt. You do the best you can and let some art happen. It's going to be washed/played off. And if a kid happens to be a perfectionist... "Hey kid... ever hear the phrase, 'You get what you pay for?'"

VBS Vacation Bible School.................ours is coming up in August...bring on the insanity...last year we had almost 200 kids

whooo hooooo

well done! i have my first paid painting session on thursday - a photo shoot no less, and my first party on saturday.

if i do anywhere near as well as you, i'll be well pleased

Oh you all are the BEST! Thank you thank you THANK YOU for the advice (and the encouragement).

Shannon (or anyone) I think you are right about the paint building up. I wash after each child though! I am wondering if it was because my TAG/DFX black was getting so gluey... it was so unusually humid and there was such a gloppy layer on top that maybe I picked up too much each time? I am sure with practice it will improve - once the paints and brushes and I become "one"

Well, more VBS practice tonight (and Friday). I am grateful for the new faces and the pressure; it is really a great trial by fire

Hugs all,
Barbie

SezNZ - best of luck to you! Please let me know how it went for you...
Barbie

I thnk you did a GREAT job your first time out! 10 per hour....golf clap everyone!
and you are being too hard on yourself...although that is going to make you a better painter.

Ditto what everyone else has said!!

Practice your teardrops, line work (thin to thick to thin) & swirls while you are watching TV at night an your arm or leg.....Over & over & over......that helped me TONS! (I use white because it comes off better with a baby wipe & I can start over again)
When you can do teardrops effortlessly, the the speed comes with it!
Speed is also going to come from not using reference pics.....memorize each face you paint...and paint it in the same order each time.

As for the squirmy kids, I place a death grip on top of their head with my left hand. That also helps steady me & helps with my linework. (I paint standing with a directors chair.) If they're squirmy (& its a boy,) I tell them keep moving around like that and your spidey will turn into a pretty butterfly....they usually freeze)

nd make them lift their chin UP! How do yo paint a child that's looking at their toes? I always tell them if you can't see my face, I can't see your... and I can't paint what I can't see.

Bravo! What a well done first gig.

I think you may be over-loading your brushes if they are losing their point, but before I comment, I wonder what type of brushes are you using?

Great job! I am wondering about not only your brush type but also the consistency of your paint. I'm only curious because I've not gotten my DFX togo gloppy yet...not that I'm trying...but my Snaz black almost always volunteers for the job. I've remedies the situation by thinning the glop and avoiding adding water. I believe, given the way DFX works, that you may need to just thin the paint a little and use a lighter touch when loading so that only the thinner consistency liquid saturates you brush.

It all comes with time...or so I've been told. It's been said before and it'll be said again...practice practice practice. Once you get your repitoire into your memory, it will become like muscle memory and you can then focus on the smiles you were no doubt getting (easy to miss when you're nervous and second guessing yourself...I should know...I'm good at doing it).

Hang in there...the ride has just begun!

How about this for spidey eye (one of my firsts so I know its easy to do):

Oh so cute, I will try it tonight at VBS - I am sure the boys will welcome a change!

I meant to ask... would using a sable #2 for a while help? I read somewhere where it was said that it was better to learn to use a #4 for most things... that it would take some practice, but that in the long run it would be better. But I really hate my thick black lines. In the interest of cuter faces tonight, should I switch to a #2? My feeling is that it might help a little, but that whatever I am doing wrong, I would still do it! (Whether it be overloading, not getting enough water in the paint, or letting the humidity get to my paints)... so maybe I should keep on keepin' on with the #4? I'd be interested to hear what you would do!
Thanks again,
Barbie

I had a kid I was painting the other day.... He kept turning his head to look what was going on over and over and would not sit still, finally I grabbed my mirror and showed him his half done face and said okay you are all done... He was like HEY!! I said sorry, if you won't sit still then I am not going to do anymore. He was like sorry... I promise I will!! So I finished

I just did a volunteer festival this past sunday, painted over 150 kids in three hrs. but......... I got all of them painted. When i do volunteer festivals i only offer my pink power stencils as options, I have like twenty boy and girl designs. They are easy for the kids to choose from and I dress them up really nice, and they are FAST to put on! If I had to freehand all of them I would have never gotten to all of them.
I think you did a good job for your first time!
Yes, i cant live without my line cordnator either, she finds out what they want, in what color, and gets everything ready for me, My LC is awsome.
Just start working on your list and you will be just fine my dear!!
Job Well Done!!

One suggestion for remembering faces, if I have a really big selection board posted I sometimes also have a few cheat sheets on regular size paper (about 40 faces per sheet)sitting right in front of me so I can glance at it if I need to. Another thing would be to just offer the ones you know really well say 7-10 boy and 7-10 girl faces and get really confident with those before offering more.

LOLOL at Linda and her death grip. I have not had the experience of my DFX getting mushy or spongy.

My snaz black...a sure fire guarantee to do so. I only carry carry snaz black for spidey and batman faces, and some linework/details on really young children and hospital children.

I have yet to use my 2 kryolan palettes(aqua color & interferenze). I have them out as part of my work set up and I have not found their consistency has not been altered, same goes for my lumieres, and it has been hotttttttttttt and humid here on the Jersey Shore.

changing faces: That super cute mask your daughter has at the top of your page, did you do that? I might have to try something like that...Reminds me of Ashley P's face on About Face Entertainment Love her stuff!

sounds like you did just fine.

for teh brushes... don't worry about using only one size. They make different size brushes for a reason, you don't need to use just one. Use a liner brush for little lines. Yes, you want to work up to doing a thin to thick to thin line for certain effects. But if all you are doing is lining, then use a liner!

Another thing that might help would be to experiment with pressure...brush pressure. The prolifics play with the amount of applied pressure to get the different line thicknesses. I struggled with this when I first started until I sat in front of the tv one night and just doodled up my arm. I was amazed at how easy it was to go from super thick to very thin with just a change in pressure on the brush. Even though I have the concept down, I still use different brushes...brushes to me are like Lay's potato chips...

If you are using a sable, and rinsing between uses, then it is most likely your pressure. Instead of sable, try using a synthetic with nice spring to it. A good golden taklon may do the trick for you.

I agree about the synthetic brush statement from Shannon. I will always recommend the #4 synthetic for ya know.. just about everything.

Practice makes perfect my dear! My faces looked just like that when I started!