Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #6 – Arrival and Departure Etiquette

June 1st means it is time for the sixth excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

Being professional in how you conduct yourself on location is very important.  It is this that can make or break you in the eyes of event organizers.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Five of  The Business of Face Painting.

DAILY BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Arrival and Departure Etiquette

In your discussions with the client and in your contract you will have agreed on what time you will arrive, what is required for furniture or if you are bringing your own and details of parking and access.

I like to arrive early to set-up so I say in my contract that I will arrive up to 30 minutes prior to the starting time to set-up and when I telephone the client the week of the event I confirm everything with them again reminding them I will be there early.  I like to allow plenty of time to find the location and parking as sometimes it might be necessary to unload and then move my vehicle.  Even if the client tells you there will be parking close to the entry you should not expect it to be so as they may not have any control over the space or venue.

On arrival at the location go in and find your contact person, this may be the person who booked you or another person as indicated on the contract.  Let them know you have arrived and would like to check out the location and the place they want you to set-up.  If there is any information that you still need to verify with them such as age limits or tickets to be taken or cut-off times do this now.  Have your contract with you to refer to just in case something has not been provided that should have been so you have proof of who was responsible for that.

Verify if there are overtime terms in the contract and how they want to deal with that.  Usually I will ask them if they want me to continue if the lines are long or cut off at the end time.  Overtime is only done on the request and approval of the on-site representative of the client, so do not undertake it unless they specifically give their approval on the day of the event.

Check out where they are planning to have you set-up as you may need to re-arrange the table or ask them to let you set-up in another location – I often ask to move against a wall or near a window if indoors or have to arrange an outdoor set-up to have windbreaks or barricades.  If in a private home I like to check where they plan to put me as I have had moms show me into white carpeted room or out on the deck in full sun in high summer, this gives me a chance to ask if they could allow me to set-up somewhere off of carpet (and explain why they won’t want me painting on white carpet) or in the shade as sunstroke is not pretty.

Find out where the toilets are and where you can get water if you need to (I bring my own but it is good to where it is for emergencies.)  It is also a very good idea to check out the fire escapes and emergency equipment too if it is a large facility.

You can take your kit with you if you know where you are heading or leave it in the car until you know where you have to take it.  If you and the client decide to make changes to where to set-up, it can be simpler and less tiring for you to just leave your kit in the car until you know where you need to take it.

I always bring my own garbage pail and liners, and I will take my garbage away with me unless there are large garbage cans convenient to drop it into as I leave.  If working in a private home I always take away my garbage and dirty water to dispose of myself.  If at a public venue or outside there are often disposal locations where you can drop off your garbage rather than carrying it home, but never just leave it there for others to deal with.

I use vinyl and plastic tablecloths to cover the surfaces I am working on, and if on carpet I will use a large plastic tablecloth as a drop cloth as I do not want to drip water, spill paint or scatter glitter in the client’s or venue’s carpets.

Once I know where to set-up I put out my kit.  I arrange my signs if I am using them and put out my design book or display first as this allows people to start looking and deciding on what they want as I finish setting up.  At birthday parties I will hand the design book to the birthday child right away to look through as I start to set-up – the kids have a lot of fun just looking through it and it keeps them from pestering me while I set things out.

I start painting when I have everything arranged and it is the contracted start time.  I sometimes start a few minutes early if there is already a line waiting as long as I am completely ready.

How clients will treat you will vary.  Keep in mind you have been hired to face paint and therefore should not expect to be treated as a guest.  Many clients will be very considerate and generous offering drinks, food, invite you to stay after you are finished painting, but others will treat you like the hired help which you actually are.  No matter what happens you need to be professional, do what you have been hired to do with a smile and a thank-you to the client.

When it is time to leave pack up your kit, wipe down any surfaces you used, pick up any of your garbage from the floor and under the table, fold up or stack up tables and chairs if that is required in the location (some rented halls would require this) to be helpful to the client, bundle up your garbage to take away or deposit in appropriate bins only if large enough (do not stuff into a toilet trash bin or overly full garbage can) and check to make sure you have left the area as it was when you arrived.

Get out your invoice and if there was overtime add this to the form and total it.  The client should be available in most cases, often they come over with the cheque towards the end of the job but occasionally you end up going looking for them.  If it was a job with no overtime you can give them your invoice on arrival instead – this often is best for small private events and birthday parties as the host is often busy or enjoying themselves by the end of the event.  I generally present my invoice at the end of a job however I make that decision on arrival as sometimes you just know it will be easier to get that done up-front.  With a bit of experience you will begin to know what will work best for you in any given situation.

If you are being paid in cash count it there in front of the client.  Do not stick a wad of bills in your pocket without checking the amount as you could be shorted and then would not be able to claim that you were.  Check the details on the cheques for amount, your name/company name is correct and the date as it is handed to you.

Thank the client sincerely for the job and make suitable comments about the event.  You want to leave them with a nice feeling about you.

Carry out your kit – many clients or even just people who are at the event often offer to help me carry my gear.  This happens on arrival and departure.  I have taken advantage of offers on rare occasions (the Mayor carried my kit box in from my car to one event, but I did know him before he was the Mayor) but you have to consider that if they happen to get hurt lifting something heavy or trip on the stairs while carrying your stuff that you could be leaving yourself open to a liability claim.  Most of the time I gratefully decline the offer saying I have a system.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

My long weekend

On Saturday I worked a two-year old’s birthday.  It was a Mickey Mouse theme… now, generally, I avoid Disney, but it was a private party… everything there was themed, so I decided to go with the flow…

Now that I look at the photo I realized I should have brought it to a point between my eyes to be more “authentic”… which I did do it at the party on the kids as Mickey’s face was all over the place so I got it right!

One kid wanted Goofy… luckily I’ve been ”watching” Goofy Who (check it out, REALLY, it is hilarious) on Facebook AND there was a balloon right there on my table with Goofy on it… turned out pretty good for a full face Goofy (no hat, no room! And, of course, no photo.)

Today I did a rodeo lunch at Tervita - they put it on for their employees.  They bought Kelly Sutherland’s tarp this year so he was there with a chuckwagon posing for photos with everyone. (For those that have no idea what I am talking about see here).  This is the week of the Grande Prairie Stompede so there are tons of rodeo themed things happening around town.

A face painting friend in Texas also makes mini hats (on Facebook Mini Hats by Jen) and my custom-made pillbox style hat arrived on Friday!   I had sent her photos of my vintage 80′s blazer that I wear to paint at parties and she made the hat to match. Today I test drove it:

It was just a quick test drive before I left for my job as it was POURING rain and I didn’t want to wreck it!  Which is why I wasn’t painted today either.

Speaking of the rain…

I got mom outside on Sunday (wheelchairs do NOT do cross-country well BTW) and we planted the Viking grave in the backyard, FINALLY.  I built that planter several years ago out of logs from trees that were cut down (I dug a trench and stuck the logs upright in the ground in an oval shape) and we intended to plant in it the following Spring… but, crap happened and we never got around to filing it with dirt or planting anything.

But this year we did it!  I picked up a couple of bales of peat, 12 bags of dirt and a couple of bags of manure and we got it done (used the Canadian Tire money I won playing poker backstage years ago!)  I had a collection of wildflowers – many miscellaneous packages of mystery seeds – and several others (varying in age from this year to 7 years old!) I have no idea if any are still viable but we’ll see what comes up.  I just dumped all the seeds together and sprinkled all over the mound.

Also planted five planters with herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, sage) and a palette planter (a palette on its side with two bags of dirt slid down inside it) with sweat peas.

The rain today saved me from having to go water everything.

On the way back from today’s gig I went to Dunvegan Gardens and picked up a flat of petunias for the front beds and a large basket for the urn on the front stoop.  The basket has white, pale pink and magenta petunias in it.  The bedding plants are a rosy pink with magenta streaks.  These will contrast well with the dark purple of the clematis, the pink of the hollyhocks, and the yellow of the lilies that are all growing really well already.

I also still have some garlic chives and parsley to plant in pots on the front stoop – easier to get at when I want to cook.

When it stops raining I’ll transplant the petunias and finish the planters.  Maybe tomorrow after work.

Oh, yeah… Friday I had my nails done again… this time I got little flower decals.  The colours go with my party painting outfit… and a little guy I painted on Saturday was fascinated with the nails and played with my left hand while I painted him with my right… he thought they were pretty cool!

Cats

I am so excited!!!

For years and years and years I have been asking the theatre “When are we going to do CATS?”  But was told it wasn’t available to amateur theatre.

We saw the touring company of CATS in Vancouver back in the mid-eighties, twice!  I remember the tickets were $84 each which was steep.  But we enjoyed it so much, the next time it came through, we went again.

Now the show IS available and will be presented in a Grande Prairie Live Theatre/Grande Prairie Regional College co-production in February 2013 and I am the make-up lead!!!

Let me tell you, if the director hadn’t asked me there would have been blood on the floor…

The theatre announced the 2012-2013 season, which happens to be the theatre’s 50th anniversary season, on Thursday evening and as part of the presentation “Memory” from CATS was performed by Sandra Pippus… and I did her hair and make-up for it.  If you are going to be singing that song while announcing the production you have to BE Grizabella!!

I haven’t had a chance to review the production notes but I am very excited about designing the faces for the cast of characters.  At this stage I don’t know if there are specifics laid out in the licensing so I’m not going to get too far along in my own plans for the make-up, but I really hope to make them awesome!

It is a jam-packed season – full of music and comedy.  Usually there is one show a season that I think about auditioning for… this list has four or five!!  However, due to conflicts some of them would not be possible, but there are two I think I will try for which are for next spring.

The power of social media to deal with photo thieves

This article is really great.  It is very applicable to our photos as well… the whole issue of stolen photos being used by other people to promote their business.

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-picture-of-dishonesty-social-media-slaps-down-a-wedding-photo-faker

If you post it out there in social media… better be ready for the consequences!

 

Ahoy there matey!

Saturday night was the annual birthday theme night that Naomi and her friends do every year… this year the theme was Dead Pirates.  This was the biggest group yet – eight of them to make-up. One parrot, two wenches, and five pirates.

These guys go all out on costuming and accessories, props and role-playing.  The party usually starts in my basement as I am doing their make-up.  This year didn’t include any SFX, just face and body painting.  They bring dinner and an assortment of beverages with them and do each other’s hair, sewing last-minute costume parts, mix and match weapons and bling.  They even had a treasure chest and ship’s wheel to lug around.

Here are photos I took before they headed off on their pub crawl:

 

All in all I am happy with how they all turned out… I was exhausted by the time the last couple showed up so they weren’t as detailed.  It was a long day for me - headed out on the first job at 9:30 a.m. and the last of the pirates left my place at 10:38 p.m.

Now… have to wait until Halloween to see what they think up for that!

Cinco de Mayo

Yesterday was a busy day.  I had three jobs booked.  In the morning we painted at the MS Walk.  Then I went to the Shark  Club to paint their wait staff and managers for Cinco de Mayo.

I didn’t paint many Mexican themed things but here are photos of some of my work:

Most of the ladies went with pretty and sparkles.

And wanted to frame their ink.

The guys all chose tribal designs:

I spent two hours there and then rushed home to my private appointment to paint the dead pirates!

May the Fourth

… Be with you!  Sorry, I had to.

And tomorrow will be The Revenge of the Fifth. (If you don’t get it… WHY NOT???)

Now that I’ve got that out-of-the-way, onto other things!

One of the photographers I know was at the Elton John concert last week and was taking photos of the crowd from the stage area.  He got several that actually have us in them – and cropped and enlarged you can actually see us and if you KNOW us you would recognize us!

So… look under the second level exit sign, just a tad to the right… I am wearing a lime green coat, and mom is to my right with a pink hat and light grey coat, and a bright red cover on her lap.  We had a great unobstructed view from the wheelchair seating!  Elton was tiny as we were the opposite end of the arena but the big screens were perfectly synchronized and also had a camera on the keyboard so we got to watch him playing.

Tomorrow I’m going to be busy.  We will be at the Enerflex MS Walk face painting from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then I’ll be at the Shark Club from 5 to 7 p.m. painting their staff for Cinco de Mayo.  Then home to a private booking to create a group of dead pirates, a couple of wenches and a parrot for the crazy group of friends that get done up regularly to go pub crawling.

I need to get everything set-up and packed up tonight as there really isn’t time tomorrow.

Sunday we are going to dinner at some friends’ place and I am taking dessert – I’ve had an urge to make cupcakes for the last week which is quite strange.  So I’ll be baking cupcakes first thing Sunday so they cool and I can ice them before we go over!

Hopefully I’ll have lots of photos of some of my work tomorrow to share!

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #5 – Advertising

May 1st means it is time for the fifth excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

Advertising can be expensive.  Deciding if you need to spend money to do some advertising is going to be a personal choice and should be considered carefully.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Four of  The Business of Face Painting.

MARKETING YOUR FACE PAINTING SERVICES

Advertising

Advertising does cost money so you will need to allow some funds in your budget if you wish to do some.  The most common form of advertising would be a listing in your local yellow pages or telephone directory.  Costs vary for this depending on your ad format and the size of your directory.  Usefulness of the yellow pages print version versus the online version is debatable.  I do not have a business listing in any telephone directory but others swear by them for getting work.

Running newspaper ads is an option too, but realistically these do not appear to be of any benefit to face painters as your target market generally will not be looking in the newspaper for your services.

Advertising in local magazines and publications can generate work – local parenting magazines, tourism or travel publications, local business guides and event listings, all provide access to your target markets.  Choose carefully which publications will actually be reaching your target markets so you can get your money’s worth out of the advertisement.

Radio ads are often offered by radio stations wanting you to provide your services in exchange for the ads.  In my opinion radio spots are not likely to get the attention of your target markets – it is difficult for them to make a note of your contact information while they are driving down the highway and hear a 15 second spot rattling off your email or telephone number!

Television advertising on your local cable channel is an option.  These ads are still and are on-screen for various lengths of time for different costs and usually have voiceovers.  You can produce yourself or pay the station to produce it for you.  I know of one painter that is doing this but she has not had it running long enough to assess the success of her investment in this.

Car wraps or signs are very useful.  There are a variety of options available for any budget.  From magnetic panels to attach to your door, to self-adhesive decals you can order and apply by yourself to professional lettering and decal application to actual car wraps in laminated vinyl coating that cover the car entirely.  You can simply put your name and telephone number on your rear side window in adhesive lettering yourself, or, go to the other end of the spectrum and have a customized full-colour wrap applied to your vehicle by a professional graphics company.

I have my vehicle wrapped – I opted to have the rear of my RAV4 from the edges of the rear side doors and the spare tire cover done.  Cost was a factor.  I got a quote for various options and selected the one that fit my budget best.  The recognition factor alone has been well worth it – when I meet people they say, “Oh! You’re the one with the cool car!”  I have had a lot of calls from people who saw my car and most of those have turned into paid work.  Somehow, the fact that my vehicle is covered in photos of giant painted faces makes me more of a professional in the eyes of the public.

I also spent the extra money to order personalized license plates – the cost was not that high and these are my plates now forever.  FACEART works perfectly with my car wrap!  The only drawback is that you need to drive very carefully as everyone, and I mean EVERYONE remembers your car and plate!  That includes every cop in town too!

I think car advertising is one of the best ways to attract attention to your business, particularly if you are parked where you are working and people see the painted faces and can get your details off your car in the parking area.  Or, when working festivals I park beside my set-up and use the car as a large billboard!  I have also had people chase me in parking lots, or come over to me at the gas station to ask for a card.  My car is often parked in the lot at a local mall directly across from a large club – which contacted me as they saw my car and wanted to book me to their staff painted for Mardi Gras.  They have had me back a number of times now to paint the staff.

Depending on how wide an area your target market covers you could also advertising in industry publications like make-up magazines, newsletters of clown alleys and face painting guilds, and using the online e-zines too.  These ads won’t necessarily increase your day-to-day bookings but will increase your profile and perhaps gain referrals for work in your area.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

Sir Elton John is a GOD among men…

What a show!!

Mom and I saw Elton John tonight… holy moly… freaking awesome!!

The show was scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

At 8 p.m. the lights went out, intro music started and Sir Elton arrived on stage.

He bowed, waved, acknowledged the standing ovation (the first of many), sat down at his piano and started playing and singing….

NON-STOP for two and half hours!  He made a few comments between songs, but sometimes went straight from one song to another.

And the riffs… OMG.  I swear the piano was smoking!  Or it should have been!

He sounds fantastic… I think his voice is better now that it ever was.

When he came back out for the encore (Circle of Life and Can You Feel The Love Tonight) he signed autographs from the edge of the stage working his way left to right… one lucky stiff had his old Yellow Brick Road record album and Sir Elton signed it… everyone cheered!

Every single song was a standing ovation.

Mom got through the whole concert without being too uncomfortable and really loved it.  It was worth every penny … in fact, I would pay a whole lot more if I ever had a chance again!

If you EVER get the chance to see Elton John… TAKE IT!!!

This week in my little world

Last Sunday I face painted at the annual Swan Festival out at Saskatoon Island Provincial Park.  I was painting from 12:30 to 5 p.m. with a steady line the whole day but it ended naturally exactly on time!  I do love it when it works out that way as I don’t have to turn people away.  Last kid in line was in my chair at 4:58!

It was a really nice event and the people there were great and really thoughtful.  We were constantly being asked if we needed anything, they brought mom food, and helped us with getting mom into the outhouse – it had a handicapped stall in it, but no way to get a wheelchair into the building!  And the park staff even carried my kit and things to the car while I wheeled mom around the long way.

As it was a SWAN festival I painted myself up appropriately (I took this photo after we got home and changed into our jammies!)

No one asked for this one even though it got several compliments.  I only painted two swans towards the end of the day and it was another design I had on display.

I only put out two laminated sheets of my faster designs – 16 each so a total of 32 photos.  I just attached them with poster tape (two-sided) to my A-frame sign as I didn’t want to use the table top units outdoors.  You never know if the wind/rain is going to hit and they don’t work well in those conditions.

Top picks for the day – brow unicorns, kitties, rainbow cheetahs.  Once I did one rainbow design that was it… and I have to admit the UV rainbows REALLY pop outdoors in the natural light.  This is a photo a friend took of her daughter and shared with me on Facebook.  As you can see it shows off my brow unicorn design.

This was the top pick with girls under 8 years old!

That is the extent of my photo record of the day!

This week I finally was able to get my nails done again.  The gels I had done at the end of February and show here were gone and my nails were really weak.  I was painting them with a clear fortifier to try to keep them decent.  It was a scheduling thing mostly!  When Ashley would have been able to do them I couldn’t get over to her, etc.  Finally managed this week.

Got them done Tuesday and have the next appointment already booked to fill them in a few weeks.

I asked for a swirly design in purple, white and pink with some sparkles… geesh, I sound like one of my little “customers”… LOL!  I wanted them a bit shorter than last time – will stop me from picking/pushing at them for a bit.  And it is easier to adjust to them when they are shorter too!  My own nails never get very long as they are too flimsy.

The inspiration was from a photo posted by Barefoot Butterfly on her Facebook page - she does amazing stuff!

Tonight mom and I are going to see ELTON JOHN!!!!!!!!!!!  Seems like only yesterday I bought the tickets.  We are really looking forward to it.

I have to do make-up for Paint Your Wagon before we head over to the show.  Everyone on the cast was repeatedly told/warned that the entire hair/make-up crew is going to Elton John so if they want to get done they had better be early.  I am going to be at the theatre an hour early – with mom in tow – so I can get a head start on any that were able to be there early.

The theatre shares the parking with the arena so I can get  a spot by the theatre and roll mom over to the arena.  They have been announcing on radio to arrive early as there are only 3000 parking spots in the area and there are 4500 tickets sold for Elton John (the theatre, last I heard had only sold 29 seats for tonight’s performance… most theatre goers are probably going to Elton John IF they could get tickets!)