Bought a new FatMax... love it, but....

... I tried to work out of it (only) at a very small birthday party today, and boy was that hard. I found it is SO difficult to switch your set up and organization when you are already used to a particular way! But I have a semi-paid gig tomorrow and I will try to continue working out of it - just for the discipline of it!

Does anyone else work out of their FatMax? It might not be ideal, but I am thinking it is good for me to learn for those times I need to be mobile or have a very small space....

Regards,
Barbie

I don't work out of one - but most people I know with that set up get two laptop ( pallet) cases and place them open on top (held together with a bulldog clip or two) so that they form a table top for easy access to their kit....
are you doing this?

This is how I set mine up and it works out great. Everything is readily available and when I timed it, I found that my set-up time only takes two min. You have to play with the compartments and learn what works best for you. Me and Linda both use a Fatmax and both of us set them up differently. It's all about the set-up that is most comfortable and convenient to you. I bought mine because I wanted to spend less time setting up and breaking down. Without a doubt, the extra space it takes up is well worth the extra time that I save on each gig that I do.

wow wm - you have a lot of color variations there! Looks like you have the whole range from Paradise and DFX! - yes yes I'm jealous...lol
Can I ask you - do you need all of those?
I have a double professional Paradise pallet, plus a metallic (small) pallet, plus some rainbows and splits... that's it.
Do you regularly use all those shades of browns and greens (for example)?
Just wondering if maybe I should be extending my range of paints....

I have recently forced myself to widen my range in using different colors. It was really easy for me to find a few combinations that worked and stick with them, but I have found that walking into a gig and forcing myself to use three to five of my less used colors has really expanded my range of creativity.

I will say as far as necessity goes, no they are not completely necessary for face painting, but because I am am expanding to bodies, the range has become extremely helpful. Covering the larger areas starts to look very boring if the colors look too primary.

Having all the colors is a preference for me. I never want to feel limited when I am creating something new. I remember the days of coming up with designs and seeing the perfect color online that I didn't have and being so jealous. Now I have everything I want when I want it and have found that it makes all my paints last longer. And when I need to replace something or run out of something, there is usually something that will fill it's spot until I get around to it.

Hope this helps.

I have a different variation but I guess it all works the same. Here is mine.......
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OOOOHHHH, those pictures are so helpful, thank you! I did not know that the tray could go on the *bottom* - that is great news, it covers the only area I want covered (my purse and extra junk are in the bottom!). And I do not have as nice a setup with the palette (or scrapbook paper holders) - I use large fishing tackle boxes. But I am considering switching away from those - while they look nice, they are a little too deep.

And OMG about the "cheat sheet" inside the lid of the tackle box - perfection!

Thanks for the input, greatly appreciated!
Barbie

Here is another FatMax setup that someone posted a link to: Colorful Face Art setup I've studied it a dozen times!! My daughter uses a different one, it's more like Suzy's only not as pretty. I am considering getting myself a FatMax so am very interested/nosy about everyone's setup!

WMEvents and Suzy - where do you keep your water container? I see an empty spot on WM's setup where it might go, but Suzy I don't see anywhere on yours. Just curious!

And WM, does the FatMax come with the lift-out tray on the bottom piece? The product pics on the Stanley website don't show that, they just show it being a big open bin. I think I really need to get out and look at one of these in person!!

Barbie,
At 1st, when I got the Fatmax, the new set up took some time getting used too. Now, it's like a well oiled machine & easy to work out of. You'll tweek it here & there till you find the right "MoJo."

The lift out piece on the bottom fits in the lid. You move it down to the bottom as part of your set up. I love that it hides my purse, etc.

I'll try to remember to get pics of my set up today(I have a big gig at the zoo).

I also have a tackle box & it fits on top fine, but I plan on switching to the scrapbook boxes or getting another Paradise laptop(the laptop seems a little sturdier).

I will get pics of my final setup after my gig tonight... I think I need to keep the movable tray inside the flip-out top lid - that is the only way I can get it to work. I need to keep my "little" crucial things (DFX white and black, ir. white glitter, business cards) in the tray and I find if it is covering the bottom tier, I have to bend too far to reach it. Since it is my most-oftened used tier (along with the inside of the "top" - where I keep my brushes, wipes, dry napkins, and 2 water containers for washing brushes - somebody asked about that) I need it to be as high up as possible, to avoid bending over constantly.

I will see how it goes tonight. I have to find another way to hide my purse
Regards,
Barbie

Good luck... it takes a while to rewire your muscle memory. I love my fatmax, but have a hard time working out of it, but I used to when I had a smaller kit (pics are in my gallery). Be careful of the bull clip. One curious child wondered what would happen if they grabbed the clip and my brushes went everywhere! Oh well, live and learn.

I love to use my fat max when I am taking paint, glitter and henna out all at once. Sometimes I take a smaller kit and throw it in a shoulder bag.

Here's my set-up.

I love seeing people's set-ups! *happy sigh*

What do you mostly use the red/yellow and green/pink splits for? Do you find you use your mini purple/yellow split often?

Red/Yellow, butterflies, habiscus, red dragon
Green/pink butterlies, princesses, flowers, tigers, kitties,puppies
I don't think I have a mini purple/yellow split, but if I did... princess/butterfly/flower:-)

It looks like a purple/yellow split in your wolfe container

SuzySparkles wrote:It looks like a purple/yellow split in your wolfe container

Totally missed it

It's Purple/pink/light purple/white/yellow.
I copied these off of a familiar site that sells splits...

ahhh wish i could get a fatmax here

I just bought a Fatmax and it is super heavy when full with my supplies. I do love it. Just wish I had a second set of muscles when lifting it into my truck.

It IS heavy when filled. In fact, last night I finished so late that the dew was starting (I did not realize) and I was pulling my FatMax down the grassy hill behind me, and it pushed me downhill so fast with its weight, that I lost my footing (the dew!) and fell down plop. FatMax was fine though
Barbie

As promised, a pic of my setup in my FatMax last night. I am not happy with how I arranged it. And instead of doing 5 minute faces, I was doing 10 minute faces... ugh. FatMax setup is only partially responsible, though... I was trying out lots of new designs and chatting a lot with the kids



Barbie

Chatting with the kids is half the fun! Oh the look on little boy's faces when I finish a snake and tell them it is time for us to do the snake dance! I hold their hands and sit and do a crazy dance with them - they love it. Sometimes it is the process as much as the product that is important

Am really trying to decide rahter to buy a FatMax. It looks like it would be perfect, but I am a little afraid of using the top as a table......it looks like if a child bumped it, things would go everywhere.....is it really stable? I was wondering if a table like attachment could be made.....hmmm, might have to think about that one, without actually seeing one yet....I am so undecided!

Go to home depot & play w/ one. Before I got it I opened it & looked at it. So far I've not had any incidents except my paint brushes getting knocked over & if I'm not careful, the tray can fall into the bottom level(look at my set-up & this will make sense). I keep myself between my kit & the kids. It's the best I can do till force fields are invented

rosie, you are sooo right. My favorite thing to do is get a boy in my chair and stat naming off what I can do... princess, butterfly, tinkerbell.... & watch their faces go all screwy

Psalmbook,
Before 9/11, I had a Pringles can painted red with the letters TNT and a fake fuse on my table. When I finished with older kids I would point to the can and tell them that was how the face paint came off… or they could use something more frightening - soap and water! Sadly, I haven’t used that bit for many years.