What every parent should know
Ok let's be honest most of you mama's have already done the bounce house, the clown and super heroes thing. While the bounce house is always a huge hit, sometimes the kids have nothing to do afterwards, or you may have older ones that are completely over the bouncy thing.
As a professional Face painter I have attended hundreds of parties, and I have found that just adding a little extra like face painting will go a long way in keeping everyone entertained. I know what you may be thinking, (well I have a budget I can't go crazy!)
Let's say your having a princess party. What are some of the boys gonna do? Or you're having a super hero party. Do you have something for the girls that aren't into super heroes? I have found that even the adults get in on the face painting. Especially after they've had a a drink or two.... Face painting can be a magical experience for children and adults alike. When I see the smiles on their faces as they look into the mirror and see that have just turned into their favorite character, it's the best feeling in the world.
But before you book a face painter, I'd like to share with you a few pointers and how to get your moneys worth. Remember that saying "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR"? Well this applies to all aspects of face painting.
This verses that
1: Work out your budget
You may have a rough idea of a budget in their mind, but what does a Face Painter cost and what are you getting for your money? For an experienced professional face painter using professional products, budget about $200-$250 for a 2hr minimum booking. The benefit of booking an experienced professional face painter is that the quality of their designs is excellent, they’re faster so they get through more faces in a shorter amount of time, they can handle almost any request, and they’ve been around the block a few hundred times so they know how to handle tricky situations and children on a sugar crash! We are also incredibly reliable and careful with hygiene. The cost may seem high initially, but you are certainly getting value for money and peace of mind.
2: Ask about safety and hygiene
Here are some phrases that you want to hear from a professional face painter:
- “We use only the best safety-tested cosmetic-grade professional products”
- “We use a clean sponge for every child”
- “We do not paint children with contagious conditions, broken skin, visible skin conditions or runny noses”
- “We change our water regularly”
- “We sanitise our hands frequently”
- “We use brush sanitiser between clients”
- “We clean our kits thoroughly after each day of painting”
If you are lucky enough to have the chance to watch a face painter at work before hiring them, take a look at their kit and observe their habits when painting a crowd. Yes face painting kits can get a little messy and dis-organised at times, especially at the end of a long shift, but their kit should not look like it hasn’t been cleaned for weeks. If there’s caked-on grime, the brush-cleaning water hasn’t been changed all day, or the painter is using craft glitter (not safe for use on skin), then perhaps you should look elsewhere.
3: Check their credentials
The truth is, anyone can pick up some face paints and start a business. There’s nothing legally stopping them from doing so. Check their websites and reviews. Check the painter’s website or Facebook page to see what they’re capable of, and to see if their style suits your needs. Every face painter has their own style and their own strengths, so choose one that’s the right fit for you. Remember there’s a big difference between a 2-hour “showcase” face and a three-minute queue-busting quickie, so keep this in mind when choosing a painter. Your face painter’s album should have plenty of photos of a variety of faces – not just their “best” work, but also their quick on-the-job faces too.
4: Clarify what equipment is included
Recently I've come across a few horror stories about amateur face painters who turn up to an event without organising chairs or tables, or even their own kit sometimes! It’s all a learning curve, but be sure you’re not in for nasty surprises by raising the question with them upon booking. All professional face painters have their own kits and will bring their own furniture, as well as a cloth to protect surfaces from spills. It’s always wise to double-check with your painter that they will bring their own furniture. If you have specific furniture that you would like the face painter to use, make sure you discuss this with your artist before booking to make sure that it’s suitable.
5: Ask how many kids they can paint per hour
How many kids are at your party? This will have a big effect on the face painter you choose. Most professional painters take 5-6 minutes on average to paint a full face design. That’s a rate of about 10-12 good quality faces per hour. If there’s a lot of kids to get through and a long line, professional painters are adaptable and can limit choices to smaller designs that only take a few minutes to complete, working at a rate of around 15 simple faces per hour without compromising hygiene or quality for quantity. These numbers are not hard and fast of course as some kids are more wriggly than others, the birthday child gets a fancier face, and at some point the kids might stop to sing happy birthday and eat cake, which can eat into painting time dramatically. If you have a large number of guests you may have to hire more artists. Be up-front with your face painter about the number of guests in attendance, and they will be able to give you a realistic estimate.
If you hire an inexperienced painter they will usually be slower to produce decent quality full faces, some taking up to 15-20mins per full face, so you might have to book them for longer to get everyone done. The opposite end of the scale is also something to look out for. Beware of face painters who promise to face paint a crazy high number of people per hour. This is because it takes time to sanitise equipment between each customer, change our water, and keep our work station (and ourselves) clean. If someone is painting at such high volumes, you can assume that something’s got to give to make way for that. Usually it’s hygiene and quality.
Most professional face painters have a 2 hour minimum call-out, so if you only have a small number of children at your party you may wonder how to get the most out of your booking. Many face painters have some extra tricks up their sleeve to add value to your small party. Some do balloon twisting, glitter tattoos, magic or games. Others might offer to arrive in costume at no extra cost. If the face painter you’ve chosen is a really amazing artist, they might take the time to do extra-special faces for each guest, or use the extra time to do an additional arm design for each child, or even paint some parents too. Everyone is different, so ask them what they can do for you.
6: Be prepared
Before you call a face painter for a quote, have all your questions ready. Most importantly, have all of your event’s details at hand so that they can give you an accurate quote. Make sure you tell them:
- The date, time and duration of the event. Many excellent face painters are booked out weeks or months in advance, so make sure you have the timing at hand to check their availability first.
- The address of the party venue. Face painting is a mobile business, and if a job is not too far away then travel will be included in your price. However if your face painter lives on one side of Melbourne and you live on the other, they may add a reasonable travel fee on top of their face painting quote. Parking fees may also be added if paid parking is the only reasonable option at your venue. Best to check this with them up front so you don’t have any hidden surprises.
- The number of guests to be painted. Be realistic about the number of children that are able to be painted in the time allotted; remember that face painting is not instantaneous and every face painter works at different speeds. Try to plan food and cake outside of face painting time, or factor it in if it’s unavoidable.
- The theme of your event. Good face painters can come up with a repertoire of designs that will suit your event’s theme. Let your face painter know if there’s a theme so that they can arrive fully prepared with lots of great ideas. If you have a really unusual theme, some face painters may not be very confident coming up with designs to match, so do discuss this up front to avoid disappointment.
7: Book!
If you’ve found a face painter with all the necessary requirements who paints great faces, is available when you need them, and is the right price – lock ’em in! Most professional face painters have a booking agreement you’ll be required to complete, and you’ll be asked to pay part of the cost as a booking fee to reserve your time slot.
This is not just to safeguard the face painter – it’s to safeguard you too. The agreement should outline cancellation terms so that you know exactly what to expect should unforeseen circumstances arise down the track. Verbal agreements aren’t worth the paper they’re written on, and there’s nothing more disappointing than an unreliable children’s entertainer pulling out at the last minute. Professional face painters have contingencies in place and will do their utmost to avoid disappointment and provide the best customer service possible. It’s our livelihood, so it’s in our best interests to keep our clients happy!
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