OK, here's a question...

What do most of you charge for Face Painting?

Say hourly...what's your rate?

If you were to do it per item painted, what would you consider fair?

Keep in mind I don't do events other than Shrine events (excpet for visiting my boys' school). My Klown Unit gets lot's of requests for klowning, mostly to do balloon twisting and face painting. The Klown Unit usually asks for a donation to the Shrine Hospital. I've asked around and Clowns in my area (Northern Virginia) average $150+ an hour.

well if i do an event or restriont its free but if its dureing walk around or if im doing it at a store haveing the custmers pay me for doing it i charge $1.50 per person any age full face or lil pic

Depends on the event.

Snaz. has a signs for sell on their web. site. $3 for single, and $5 for full face last time I looked. But that high for my area. If I'm doing it for a single fee. Depends on detail, $1-$3.00. Very detail $5.

I don't have any prices set because almost all of the face painting I do is volunteering with the Red Cross. If the parent asks me what they cost, I just suggest they make a contribution to the Red Cross.

If we do birthday parties, we normally charge $75 for one hour for the both of us.

I suppose I really ought to give this some thought in case we are in a situation where we would be charging. I wouldn't ask more than $3 for one of my designs, as that seems kind of high.

At an hourly rate, I charge $125 and if its a per face event, usually $4, depending on if I have to buy the booth or not

GiGi :D

I think pricing is the most difficult part of this job. I finally set some standards and decided on a flat rate for birthday parties (up to 15 kids, with 2 entertainment choices) and an hourly rate for more than 15 kids or more than two entertainment choices (with a 2 hour minimum). The very next call didn't really fit either option. She only wanted face painting, no more than 1-1/2 hours, etc. She didn't know the number of kids (80 guests total) - could be under 15 but maybe not. I quoted one price but if there are 15 or fewer, I think she should pay the standard Birthday Party price. :?

I charge $5 for cheek, $10 half face, $15 full face.

People are crazy and will pay anything for face painting.

LouLou

Waw the prices you speak abput is so great at that area! Well me here over in Turkey Ýzmir for a full party(about 2-3 hours) for about 20 children, face painting, making dogs ext from baloon, clowning around, doing magic show, it all costs 70 YTL most(thats about 40$) per clown... If I ask for more and say like about 50$ when ý first speak to them they never get back to me. And ý miss a nother job... Whats the secret about the price? :cry:

it all depends on what the market will bear in any given area. there is about a 50% difference between Wichita Falls, TX and Dallas, TX which is just 2 hours drive away. They have a higher cost of living there.

I charge $1 for cheek art or arm and $3 for butterflys and half faces...I don't do many full faces if there is a line. My plan for this year is to have my daughter entertain the kids in line on her unicycle and juggling while I face paint! That way kids won't mind waiting in line! :lol:

8) Thats an great Idea And ı can tell you it works. While my partner does the make up I do magic shows to the kids in the line, or I make them play a game . So they keep calm. And every thing goes great. :) What about when do you do the face painting? Before the show or after the show? :cry:

Thats an great Idea And ý can tell you it works. While my partner does the make up I do magic shows to the kids in the line, or I make them play a game . So they keep calm. And every thing goes great. What about when do you do the face painting? Before the show or after the show? :D :(

If I'm facepainting at a birthday party, I do it first, as the kids arrive. This way, there is less wait time for each child and when everyone arrives, I can put the face paints away and start the show.

If I am not facepainting at a party, I set my arrival time later so that all the kids are there when I arrive. It works for me.

For typical birthday parties and picnics I charge $100 for the first hour and $85 for the next two. Many times I'll make them a balloon sculpture while they are still on the chair. I can do both at the same time (sort of) and do the magic show last so I can leave after taking my bows, assuming I get any applause!! :?

I usually charge £1.50 per person fora simple face. If they want something amazing like a cyberman or other Tv character it will be £2.50

:)

That's aboout three dollars and five dollars US respectively. (One pound equals $1.94 US.)
That is about the going rate here in my part of the States too.

$100 to $150 per hour depending on time and date of job.

Pay per face is anywhere from $5- $10 depending on occasion. For dates like New Year's Eve it's sometimes $15- 20 depending on design.


Happy Painting!

I rarely face-paint for money. If I do, it's usually included in the cost of the party we're doing.

This reminds me....

Since I work as a Red Cross volunteer most of the time, I need to make a cute, but serviceable, tip jar. Sometimes people want to pay money for my time, so if I have a jar, they can just donate the money to Red Cross.

If they know it's going to Red Cross, they may be more generous than if they were just donating to my wallet.

Empty shaker cheese containers work great! (Ya know the ones I mean? Parmesan or Romano, etc). Not the ones that turn to open - the ones that have a flip up lid with two sides, one for shakin' and one for spoonin'. The wider opening is a good size because people can put money in, but can't easily put their hand in.

To decorate it, I put play money every which way and "Tips Appreciated" on the outside then covered it with clear contact paper. Or decorate the inside, the jars are usually clear.

I've tried other plastic jars, like Peanut Butter, but slicing a slot in the cover always looked messy. The cheese shaker jars work best.

Stitches, that's a great idea. I may have to try that one.

Personally, I'd feel more comfortable working for tips (unless it's part of a birthday party package) rather than charging a fee. The majority of people are nice enough to tip generously for a job well done.

Like mentioned before me, face painting is included as an either/or option in a standard party package. (either balloons or face-painting) I give them the option for both for an extra fee.

For volunteer or promotional work it varies.
If Im stiltwalking/strolling while twisting or painting - I just eat the loss. It's too much of a pain for me to collect cash on the go. If Im in clown, I use my top hat as my tip jar.

I'm looking to hire or train a face painter actually. It's something I can do, but not something I really get into doing. I'd rather be twisting or doing magic. 8-)

I offer painting both in or out of clown so I offer two different pricing structures based on what I'm wearing. Obviously, it's a lot easier to paint in plain clothes and I actually sometimes get as much or more because for some insane reason people look at you more as an "artist" when you're painting in plain clothes than in costume.

I've evaded painting for tips until recently. I began painting at our local professional hockey team games for tips. They provide me with GREAT signage stating something to the effect that I'm painting for tips. I also print out nice signs from my puter and tape everywhere I can find a place (ie: the table I'm painting from, the back of my tall chair, etc.)

I think one of things that really helps, but took me awhile to get used to it is HOLDING $$$$ in the hand I'm not painting with. I start with a fist of bills making sure that I have a $5 on the outside, maybe a $10 on the other side and 1's in the middle. This way as I'm balancing my hand on top of kids heads while I'm painting...it's my way of encouraging them to TIP BIG! I don't keep all of my tips in my hand....only enough for "show."

So far it's been a worthwhile venture for me and they also give me lots of "free game" tickets to take friends and family with.

Sparky
Des Moines, IA

Sparky,

Glad you mentioned that for some insane reason a face painter dressed in normal or business casual attire has higher perceived value to clients than when dressed in clown.

I think part of that is due to not very many clowns (yet) paint as
well as someone who specializes in face painting. To many people, clowns are still pretty much "jack of all trades, master of none" in
the entertainment world. And to be honest, I believe that to be true for the most part too. There are only a few select (as the numbers are growing) clowns who paint exceptionally well.

My fees for a face painter out of clown is higher.

Carmen Tellez
Carmen@CharmandHappy.com
Los Angeles, CA

Agreed. I find very few Clowns that are great face painters; myself included. I'm a decent enough artist, and paint well on most mediums; but face painting just isn't something I really enjoy.

I dabble, to be able to offer it at events - and can do enough to satisfy my customers. I've seen some amazing face painters though, and not one of them have been a clown.

Tit for tat I guess though - I doubt any of them could ride my unicycle or have a decent magic routine.

[quote=Jolly Well;23423]Agreed. I find very few Clowns that are great face painters; myself included. I'm a decent enough artist, and paint well on most mediums; but face painting just isn't something I really enjoy.
...

Jolly... There is a lady down your way that is a great facepainter. We met at a class held by Clash - Maybe you could contact Anna (Clash) and get the name of the lady in your area who facepaints.
Meet my friend.. .Clash the Clown.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lUQxH-wvqM

www.jestparty.com (http://www.jestparty.com)

Kalamazoo Michigan...

Hello all, if I'm at an event, I charge $3 for a nice cheek art, $1 for a quickie, and $5 for full face. Otherwise if I'm JUST doing face painting, I charge $100 for 2 hours, and $75 for ea addn'tl hour. Clowning or balloons only is $75 for 2 hours. Not as much work for me.

Jitterbug, I still need to get together with you sometime and see some of your work. I had a couple of gigs your way this fall but wasn't able to connect with you. Maybe when Scruffy and I meet up you and Sassy can join in the festivities.

Holy Cow! I just got back from Walt Disney World with my daughter and they're getting up to $30 a pop for face paint!

I am currently painting for 2.00-5.00 $$ per child.

Holy Cow! I just got back from Walt Disney World with my daughter and they're getting up to $30 a pop for face paint!

We had our grandchildren done in July at Toontown for 50.00 (for both)!
I guess I got a deal....RIGHT?!?

Wow! They saw you coming, didn't they?

Hey, Sassy ... I have some land I'd like to sell you. It LOOKS like swamp land, but I heard there is oil in it. I just don't know how to take care of it anymore. Let me know when you'd like to see it. ($50 non-refundable deposit required for tour).

How was the quality of the face painting? I know that the Wolfe Brothers painted at Disney for awhile before becoming the darlings of the face painting world that they are today.

Wow! They saw you coming, didn't they?

Hey, Sassy ... I have some land I'd like to sell you. It LOOKS like swamp land, but I heard there is oil in it. I just don't know how to take care of it anymore. Let me know when you'd like to see it. ($50 non-refundable deposit required for tour).

That was $50 for both, (not each) of the children... Artists had the designs done in less than a minute and they were beautiful!!! The chairs were very comfortable, they were padded and reclined into almost any position, so no awkward neck distortions, water was changed out completely after every face, new brushes were used each time, and most important of all the children were happy...:) Not to mention that I learned a thing or two from them....

How was the quality of the face painting? I know that the Wolfe Brothers painted at Disney for awhile before becoming the darlings of the face painting world that they are today.

The quality was great!!
Call me crazy but I'd do it again......

What kind (brand) of face paints did they use?

I can't really remember but I'm think'n Paradise...(same Mamma reccomends, they had probably been taught by her)?...

The quality was top notch. The colors were brilliant and expertly applied. But $30 a pop?! Holy cow! I had to look twice at the price, thought I was mistaken. We passed on the face paint and opted instead to buy more pins!

I can't imagine paying that much for face painting 2 faces, but if someone wanted to pay me that much to face paint 2 faces that would be fine. :)

Not $30 for both, $30 EACH!