The art of face painting can be as simple or as complicated as the talent of the person painting. More adventurous and experienced painters can put a lot of detail into their pictures in an amazingly short amount of time.
When my son was 4 years old, an extremely talented artist, at a festival in Northeast California painted a beautiful blue roadrunner bird on my son’s cheek. My son refused to wash his treasure off for 3 days, during which time the paint had begun to chip, peel, and smear. Of course, I had to take a photograph of him snaggle-toothed and grinning with pride.
Face painting has become quite advanced over the years. Some wonderful artists have perfected the art of air brushing the face. Manufacturers now create face stencils, paint pencils, face glitter, and stick-on jewelry to add pizzazz to face painting pictures. Pastel paints have been developed as well to create a softer effect.
Family fun attractions have adopted face painting as part of their appeal. It is offered in malls as well, although usually reserved for the holidays so as to maximize on the profits possible at such times.
Devoted football fans have painted their faces for years, proudly sharing their team spirit with the display of team colors upon their person. Sometimes this will include the paw print of a mascot or maybe the name or initials of the favored team, player, or player number.
The colors for face painting must be considered when choosing which pictures you’ll want to paint. Will you want to offer only a certain theme suited for a nearby holiday or upcoming event?
You certainly wouldn’t sell many Halloween pictures at Christmas or vice versa. Monsters would not be appropriate for a church function. Children of today would be less likely to choose an older cartoon figure from an adult’s childhood. Your choice of pictures can have either a negative or a positive impact upon the reception of your talent and the success of your sales.
Plenty of practice before a big event is necessary to ensure your success as well. Timing will decide how popular you’ll be. If you should you take too long, a young child is certain to become impatient. Take into consideration the level of difficulty in a painting. Whatever pictures you choose, good quality outcome is the key to pull-in customers. Offer only pictures you know you can deliver well and quickly. Sloppy work will quickly kill any hopes of building your newfound business. The more thought and effort you put in, the more satisfaction you will get out.
Remember to take a camera and get pictures of your finished face painting for your portfolio. This will be necessary should you ever need to send someone a sample of your work when trying to obtain gigs. Don’t forget the benefits of doing some work for free in order to build your reputation in the business. Last, but not least, consider hiring a partner to help you manage your booth.