Oh Goodness Festivals!

Hey there, I have never done any festivals but wanted to say YAY!!! Congratulations! You will do amazing girl

I'm lovin this thread. The sheet thing is an amazing idea, did Tash say that? I'll have to go back and check. LOL . I have an extra table cloth I will take to cover my table. It is lightweight and would work too. It is so nice to have other face painters who have done this so much share their wisdom!

Have fun Mizzard, you will do great, just relax and enjoy yourself and make lots of money!!! LOL

OK so i actually did this list up as a table so you can check off things on one side but I'm not tech savy enough to get it on here so here is just the list and if you'd like it in the word doc form send me a PM with your email and I'll be more than happy to send it to you lol
So from the collective minds at the Face Paint Forum:
Canopy/Umbrella
Sun block
Bug Spray
Your Kit! (Jeez don’t forget that!)
Chairs
Step Stool (if you have a tall director’s chair)
Table(s)
Signage
Money box and change
Tip Jar
Lighting (if working into the night)
Water
Trash Bags
Scissors
Tape
String
Extra Mirror (in case of breakage or “sticky fingers”)
Paper Towels
Baby Wipes
Bobby Pins
Breath Mints/Gum
Business Cards
Dirty Water Bucket
Model Release Form
Camera
Pens/Markers
Jacket/Sweatshirt (it might be hot when you leave but temps drop and freak storms roll in)
Bed Sheet (to cover your setup)
White Board (to write down break times)
Marker (for the white board…it has to be said)
Toilet Paper
Hand Sanitizer
Cooler w/ snack and drinks
Thick Skin and a Smile

Did I miss anything

great list!!!!!! THANKS EVERYONE

You won't believe what I did forget! I got the tent all set up, table set up, chairs out, mirror hung and went to set our paints out on the table....arrrgh!

Luckily we only live a couple of miles away. Hubby went and got them for us.

He laughed and laughed over that one.

D.

LOL!!!

Oh nooo! I have nightmares about forgetting my paint! Literally.. I do!

Oh my goodness, he'll never let you live that one down!

Thank you Mizzard and everyone who contributed for this AWESOME and very appreciated list!

Mizzzard wrote:OK so i actually did this list up as a table so you can check off things on one side but I'm not tech savy enough to get it on here so here is just the list and if you'd like it in the word doc form send me a PM with your email and I'll be more than happy to send it to you lol
So from the collective minds at the Face Paint Forum:
Canopy/Umbrella
Sun block
Bug Spray
Your Kit! (Jeez don’t forget that!)
Chairs
Step Stool (if you have a tall director’s chair)
Table(s)
Signage
Money box and change
Tip Jar
Lighting (if working into the night)
Water
Trash Bags
Scissors
Tape
String
Extra Mirror (in case of breakage or “sticky fingers”)
Paper Towels
Baby Wipes
Bobby Pins
Breath Mints/Gum
Business Cards
Dirty Water Bucket
Model Release Form
Camera
Pens/Markers
Jacket/Sweatshirt (it might be hot when you leave but temps drop and freak storms roll in)
Bed Sheet (to cover your setup)
White Board (to write down break times)
Marker (for the white board…it has to be said)
Toilet Paper
Hand Sanitizer
Cooler w/ snack and drinks
Thick Skin and a Smile

Did I miss anything

How was it. Were there other painters? Did you meet them? Were you busy? Please tell. hope it was fun.


Laurie

Hasn't happened yet. I've still got plenty of time to freak myself out lol

Mizzzard wrote:OK so i actually did this list up as a table so you can check off things on one side but I'm not tech savy enough to get it on here so here is just the list and if you'd like it in the word doc form send me a PM with your email and I'll be more than happy to send it to you lol
So from the collective minds at the Face Paint Forum:
Canopy/Umbrella
Sun block
Bug Spray
Your Kit! (Jeez don’t forget that!)
Chairs
Step Stool (if you have a tall director’s chair)
Table(s)
Signage
Money box and change
Tip Jar
Lighting (if working into the night)
Water
Trash Bags
Scissors
Tape
String
Extra Mirror (in case of breakage or “sticky fingers”)
Paper Towels
Baby Wipes
Bobby Pins
Breath Mints/Gum
Business Cards
Dirty Water Bucket
Model Release Form
Camera
Pens/Markers
Jacket/Sweatshirt (it might be hot when you leave but temps drop and freak storms roll in)
Bed Sheet (to cover your setup)
White Board (to write down break times)
Marker (for the white board…it has to be said)
Toilet Paper
Hand Sanitizer
Cooler w/ snack and drinks
Thick Skin and a Smile

Did I miss anything

I too have a list, but I've learned the hard way not to just specify "Your Kit". Why? Because I take things out of my kit to clean or sort and I WILL grab my kit and leave my cleaned and sorted brushes and sponges on the kitchen counter where they do the least amount of good! It may be a bit anal, but it gets me into the habit of checking over my kit and not just assuming that all of my mental pistons were firing that day. I list paints (sometimes i even break the colors down into specifics), brushes, sponges, heck...even q-tips! I'm obsessive sometimes about keeping my kit clean so it's always in a state of disassembly...one day I'm going to get bitten for that!

Or... you get into the habit of repacking your kit IMMEDIATELY upon return home with clean sponges and brushes, so that it is ready for the next job.

I can barely FUNCTIOIN when I get home... let alone think about repacking! I can't imagine what I'd put in my kit if I did that (golly gee...why is there a spoon in my sponge bucket?).

Realistically, I am in instant demand when I walk in the door so typically, the sponges get wrung out (I keep 'em soaked in water during the event after I use them) and tossed in the "Needs washin'" basket, the brushes go into the "Wash Me" tray and I go in the "Needs Calgon" shower. I do have a back up bucket of sponges and duplicate brushes for times when I have gigs 2 days in a row.

Oh right... you have kids and hubby meeting you at the door. Forgot.

Well... would thrusting the dirty sponges and brushes AT THEM have any effect... like, maybe they would clean them for you?

Before she had her stroke mom would wash the sponges for me - she'd pretty much have them done by the time I finished unloading the RAV.

I wish... My daughter will help... my husband and son...forget it...they'd destroy my brushes and they'd be chucking sponges in the trash can everytime I turned my back!

My kids would be throwing the sponges at each other!

Mizz- Can I ask what you wrote to the festivals around you? I am trying to phrase things the right way or at least better than what I am coming up with.

This is basically what I have so far...

Hello,
I am a face painter in Herndon and would like to paint at the South Riding Farmers Market. If you have a space or information on how I could go about signing up that would be wonderful. Attached is a copy of my work and below is my website.

Thank you,

Kristin Lee
Kristinleepaintings.com
Kristinleepaintings.blogspot.com

Hello! I just found your post. I started in the face painting world with a big fesitval that we have in our town. There was a "turf war" issue with another face painter which she followed with a (not so nice) blog about me and the person who runs the fesitval. The issue was totally within herself and I just kept cool and classy so she was the one who looked like a total naughty word. I do not spare my bling (glitter, liquid bling and jewels) we live in a community that has three seperate towns very close together. One of these towns is very poor and I wanted EVERY child to be able to get a great facepainting. Anyway I think I ended up with the most business and this put a bee in her bonnet. I didn't do this intentionally, I didn't even know there was another face painter there.
So this is my advice:
1. Don't worry about a "turf war." Do your thing, keep your cool and you will come out ahead. I have found that most people in the face painting community are super cool, unfortunatly my first experience was with a really negative person.
2. Have someone to relieve you for a break that can watch your stand.
3. Bring lots of water for painting and for yourself. At our festival I go for over 10 hours without having to go to the bathroom because my body is using any spare water I have in me. The break is for your back! LOL
4. Bring lots of begining change. I usually start with 100 dollars in small bills.
5. I laminate pictures for the kids to pick from and put them through a key ring. They have a $ amount of what that face paint would cost on the picture . This seems to solve the question "what can I get?" from the kids. I will still do a request if I have one but my line is always long so I like to keep things moving. Some painters don't like to work with pictures. I am comfortable with them and find them helpful. If the work is not mine (like a Marcela or Mark Ried) I give props to them on the picture. I learned this from my first festival.
Take into consideration what every one has advised. You will learn from each time you do it! I still am changing things up as I go along and am learning from being on this forum. Best of Luck to you!!!!

Oh, I forgot something... This last festival I bought a cheap acrylic door mirror from Target. I think it was $5.00. I hung it on the side of my tent. It worked GREAT! It got the child moving out of my chair and to my new mirror (that is placed strategically out of my way). I don't have to worry about them breaking it and getting a boo boo, and the kiddos got to spend as much time as they want in front of it while I moved on to my next child.

I have something to add to the list.... OFF mosquito coils! My last outdoor event was swarming with gnats and bity flies- yuck! The funny thing is, they were nowhere to be seen when the tent was empty, but the minute a customer sat down they were everywhere.

Shannon Fennell wrote:

Mizzzard wrote:(which one of us was a Marine..oh yeah i was not him lol) It's sweet.

Boo-Yah~!

I was in the Army (Canadian of course) and Lady Jayde was in the Navy (yours)... how may other vets are on here??

Does Navy Wife of 20 years count(I held down the for w/ 5 kids)!

BTW thi is a great thread on Festivals:
http://www.facepaintforum.com/t5635-setting-up-for-a-festival?highlight=festival

KristinLeePaint wrote:Mizz- Can I ask what you wrote to the festivals around you? I am trying to phrase things the right way or at least better than what I am coming up with.

This is basically what I have so far...

Hello,
I am a face painter in Herndon and would like to paint at the South Riding Farmers Market. If you have a space or information on how I could go about signing up that would be wonderful. Attached is a copy of my work and below is my website.

Thank you,

Kristin Lee
Kristinleepaintings.com
Kristinleepaintings.blogspot.com

Hey Darlin'
Sorry I've been away for a bit and been swamped...totally missed your post! I just fill out a vendor form and pay my money. I put down I'm a face painter under the list your craft/product/business section. I don't do anything fancy

Had my first fair yesterday! went sooooooo well! I do believe i'm in love with fairs

Linda! Military Spouses ROCK!

You were a Marine? and now a face painter, what an experience in life!

Betcha' you'll be gret with "Moms with issues" hehe...