Got chewed out for having too long of lines!

Wow! 90 kids in 3 hours? I'm more than impressed. I'd love to see your board and how many designs you put on it! Were you able to stick to the board or did you do request too?
I did make up a board and I think I had about 10 designs but I only did about 60 % from the board. The rest asked for very specific things ( but my lines weren't too bad so I gladly did it).
I'm actually glad the whole thing came up because now I feel more prepared for it(after all the super awesome advice I got here at the FPF). It really made me think and I've felt more confident in negotiating future gigs. I was asked to do an event at the YMCA for about 500 people and I explained to the director about long lines and the different options I could do to help. He was so gracious in his response and told me to use my best judgement regarding the quick designs or fuller face designs. He offered to have a few staff help me with the lines or anything else I needed to maintain order. Super nice guy...can't wait to do the event next month.

We did a school carnival gig last week which a clown friend of ours booked and asked us to help. They paid us for 3 hours and sold punch tickets 2 punches cheek, 4 punches half face, 8 punches full face. We had 3 painters and had very long lines. They provided a line manager but the girl couldn't or wouldn't cut the line off when we needed she probably did not want to be the bad guy. After we cut the line a lady came up complaining and I told her that we were only paid for 3 hours and it was a 2 hour drive home from the event and I looked at the line. I notice 2 of the kids that were in line when we cut it off had left so I told the lady since they left we would do her kids but they would be the last. Her sister kept complaining the whole time we painted her nieces and nephew. We still had to wait an hour for the balloon twisters to finish and get paid before we left. Got home at 12:30 that night. Everyone else commented on not having such great face painters before at this event and have done other gigs with this group and gotten the same comments but no extra business from these gigs. At least the Boys and Girls club that hires us for their Oct. party are paying us more because of us but don't think this parents association will but if they don't put in extra for gas next year we aren't going 2 hours out of our way for it.

Lori, my board is in the garage, but I will get it later and snap a pic for you! I stuck to the board, and only deviated on color, once or twice, if it was easy. The first gig I did was all girls, so I did a girls only board, then on Saturday, I did another Carnival that was both boys and girls, so I added a boy board (but there were many fewer boys!) For the second carnival, I had a whole classroom, which was nice, so I took the chairs, and lined them up for the line. I had my daughter doing glitter tats, so we had two lines of chairs, red for paint, blue for tats. I had the helper stand and take tickets, and the boards were up close to the first in line, and she would take their ticket, and ask them what they wanted, and when she sat them down, she would tell me what they wanted, as she got the last kid out of the chair to go look, as she kept the miror, so they had to get up to see themselves. It went really fast, and no crowding!

I would love to be able to care that many chairs to a PPF!

The best is getting a half butterfly down to a minute or less, if you can crank that one out, then you have your line really humming. I have three combos of that butterfly on the board, so most girls pick it, and that is very helpful!

Do you paint directly onto a board or do you use photos on your board? I'd really love to see some design board ideas.

On the board like Denise, very Densie inspired, but I suck at cheek art, so they are more face inspired. They are still in the garage, I am on my way to the eye doc, I will bring it in on the way back and snap you a pic!

Great idea about having the mirror away so the kids can pose when I have my next client sat in chair! excellent!! x