Let me preface this by saying that I pride myself on my ability to work with almost any child, male or female, down to about 18 months and older. It's a knack I delevoped as an ugly but nice clown and has served me well as a makeup artist. It is a very rare thing when I can't do a kid. I am gonna post some of my tips and hope you do the same. In no particular order...

* When talking to a kid get DOWN to their level. This applies equally as well whether you are face painting or clowning. Never loom over them.

* Sometimes the problem when dealing with a nervous kid is not the kid, but the parents. How many of you have heard the cringe inducing: "There's nothing to be AFRAID of!" or "It's not gonna HURT!" If they start in with that crap shush the parent quickly or you can write the whole thing off.

* With girls and little boys you are not painting their face you are DOING THEIR MAKEUP. Even little girls get this one. Ask them if they want their makeup done "Like a PRINCESS" with the emphasis on the word princess.

* Begin talking loudly and then gradually reduce the volume as you proceed, until you reach the point where you are whispering just for them. Keep up a steady dialog telling them how pretty they are (for girls) or how scary/cute/whatever for the boys. Make sure you constantly tell them how good they are at getting their makeup done.

* Even if they never answer your questions, proceed as if they have. For example, "You are sooo GOOD at this! Have you ever had you makeup done before?" (silence) "You're so good at this I know you must have! You are looking sooo beautiful, just like a little princess! You are gonna be the prettiest (butterfly/kitty/chainsaw psycho/etc) I have done today!" Etc

* When working around the eyes the problem is not so much that they CAN'T relax their face, it's that this is a muscular command that no one except actors and models deliberately practices. You tell them to close their eyes and they crush them closed harder than a drunk smashing an empty beercan. The trick here is to give them time to relax, while feeding them key words to keep them relaxed. I prefer to tell them to...

--- "Close your eyes Princess" (they do, scrunching their face so hard they could probably chew on their own eyebrows)

---- At this point I whisper to them: "Pretend you are asleep. Just relax Princess....that's right... just like that... very softly.... soft...." They will almost always relax after a few second. It is often useful to LIGHTY brush their cheek or brow with a smoothy or dry sponge while repeating this "Soft" command. 99% of the time they will relax. Continue to whisper while working on their eyes.

* If they have VERY sensitive eyes, switch to a smoothie and white star blend. The stuff is hardly noticable anyway so if you miss some it's no biggie. Another trick is to go back when you are finished and, with a soft glitter brush, go back over the eyelids with shimmer.

* Finally, if they won't let you near them.... wont even sit in your chair...

This is emergency time. Sorry--

EMERGENCY TIME! That's YOUR money that's about to walk away. Here's one method that can save the day a good 50% of the time.

1. Keep up the banter with the child and parents while you step back to your table. Tell the child that you are NOT going to do their makeup, you are going to show them a fun game.

2. Grab your white and begin loading your brush. While doing so, crouch down to their level and SHOW the kid the makeup and ask them what color it is. If they answer you are home free. If they don't, and most wont, the parent's will supply the answer -- or you can. Whatever they answer reassure them that they are correct.

3. Grab another color and double load your brush. For example, grab red and tip the brush with that. Repeat the same question game about the color, and ask them what happens when you mix red and white. Again, they might answer and they might not. If they do you're set.

4. Now for the game. Tell them you are going to paint something pretty and their job is to shout it out as soon as they can guess what it is. Your GOAL here is to get the brush onto their skin. If they will give your their hand begin painting the leaves of a flower. Take your time and make it a game. Ask them after every petal if they know what it is yet. Even if they never answer that's okay, you're painting them and are 90% of the way home.

5. Ask them if it's okay for you to use glitter. If they are letting you paint their hand they are gonna nod their head yes. Finish your flower and glitter and make sure you tell them how beautiful it is. Now ask them if you can put a princess flower on their cheek, and without necessarily waiting for a reply go ahead and try. Odds are good that they will let you start, and once you've started you're home free. You can paint as many flowers as you like so long as you lavish them with praise about how GOOD and PRETTY they are. Ask them again if you can use glitter when you are finished.

6. The goal here is to get their money and make it something they ALWAYS want to do. Even if they won't let you do their face this time, next time they might.


And now it's YOUR turn. What are your tips and tricks?

If you have a child who just won't allow it. Don't be too upset. Many special needs children have more difficulties with this. Sometimes talking so much can make it worse for kids with Autism. They just get more confused. I realize it can be hard to tell if you have an autistic or special needs child in your line, but if you could see yourself through their eyes you might understand. Their world is a visual world so the heightened visual stimulus of a clown can be even more extravagant to them. Some things to know. Children with Autism are great imitators so if you say words like "Do this", and then do the action you want them to do, Such as sit in the chair, close eyes, etc. You may be more likely to get compliance if you give the 2 word directive and then do it yourself so they can imitate. Remember to limit your phrases as much as possible. Instead of Come over her and sit down honey - be more gestural and say "sit here". Quite often boys on the Autistic spectrum are enamored with trains so having a train design or Thomas the train small trinket in your pocket could be a great help. A small wind up toy or what we teachers call "fidgets" would be a great distraction for kids with ADHD also. It may make them wiggle a little while painting but it may also get them to stay with you the time needed to finish the design. You would be surprised the number of special needs children that are out there in your lines. Most are not distingushable from the mainstreem of kids.

I've posted/shared this before but since Smacky has a special thread for this, I will add it here.

I am always at the kids' level because I am 5'2" and I use a tall director's chair for the client to sit on, so they are at eye level with me. And I stand, yes, ALL DAY LONG, but it's better on my back than sitting.

Now, when I have a special needs child in the chair and they want an arm design (usually the parents have already ruled out the full face because they know what is tolerated and the limit for their child) I take out am ARM BOARD. It is made of sturdy thin plywood inside with a washable cover with lots of adhered obnoxiously lavished glitter peppered all over it.

The glitter board DISTRACTS them while I paint.
The arm resting on the board DIMINISHES my TOUCHING them to eliminate over-sensory load.
They feel more secure with their arm resting on something.
The parents are extremely appreciative of my thoughtfulness.

Oh, and it's very important to use SOFT brushes. Quality sable brushes are key to keeping the facepainting experience pleasant.

Simple solution for special needs kiddies...



DUCT TAPE!

I'll be here all week. :P

The glitter board DISTRACTS them while I paint.
The arm resting on the board DIMINISHES my TOUCHING them to eliminate over-sensory load.e pleasant.
Superb example of a simple adaptation. I thank you on behalf all special needs parents. Being able to participate in the same activities as other children can mean so much to these families.
Thank you,
Sara K.

I've found it helps sometimes to let the little ones know what I'll be doing, before I do it. For example, if I need to swoop a line from under the eye to up above the eyebrow for Spiderman, I gently trace that line with my finger first, so they know where the brush will be going and they don't jerk away.

I also heard someone else say that sometimes they'll comment to a fidgety boy that they don't want to make them look like a princess, so they need to sit still. Obviously the same tactic could be applied to a fidgety girl.

As a general rule I have little problems with squirmy kids. I think that the more practice you have the less it begins to bother you. I always keep my off hand holding their head, not so much holding it in place (I never use force) but more as a warning (that extra fraction of a second) and to help steer them. Every now and then, maybe 1% of the kids I work on, I get one that's a problem, but it's so rare that I don't even think about it. Believe it or not, as a general rule kids are WAY more still than the adult actors we got our start working on.

We NEVER tell our customers to be still, nor do I want the parent's saying it. A great way to get mom and dad to shut up is to grab their chair and shake it wildly (we also use the tall director's chairs) while telling them to quit moving. The kids always giggle at this one, and it's a subtle way of getting the parent's to be quiet. I always finish this one by telling the kid that they don't have to be still, they just have to have fun. Obviously use your head before doing this or any other "trick" as it could blow up in your face. This one is not for kids who are scared.

"Special needs" kids come in all shapes and flavors. I don't recall ever having a problem with any of them really. Actually though, now that I think about it, there was one once. Mom didn't tell me that she had a problem with hyper sensative eyes. She let me DO her eyes no problem, but then I made the rookie mistake of saying something about her eyes being finished and she panicked. I soothed her down, pretended to wipe it all off, and went on with the design.

For me, I talk to all the kids a lot, but generally I consider it more background music or hypnosis than conversation. I spend most of my time repeating myself, and as I said, I am usually speaking very softly. Even if it's a boy. By speaking softly you force them to pay attention. The repetition serves to build confidence. This applies to adults as well, including actors if you ever do theatrical work; it is important to continuously reassure them that they look great.

Finally, and another trick... MOST of the time when someone is squirmy it's because there are distractions. Have them close their eyes again, and relax. Have them keep their eyes closed if you need to. No one is wildly whipping their head around with their eyes closed. They are turning to LOOK at something, so take that away from them.

I've found it helps sometimes to let the little ones know what I'll be doing, before I do it. For example, if I need to swoop a line from under the eye to up above the eyebrow for Spiderman, I gently trace that line with my finger first, so they know where the brush will be going and they don't jerk away.

That's a good idea. I just might try that.

I have often thought about wearing a mirror strapped to my forehead, like a miner's band or one like the three stooges wore when they were doctors, so that the kid can WATCH the strokes being applied.

I got this idea while sitting in the dentist's chair and I was watching him work on my teeth through the reflection of his eyeglasses.

Then the idea was reinforced when, one time I was facepainting wearing silly glasses, and the kid in the chair said, "Hey, I can see what you're doing!"

I wonder if it will work to keep kids sit still or if it will be a deterrent? I'll have to try it out.

That's either brilliant or insane so either way you're good!

Being brilliantly insane is either a curse or a blessed gift, I haven't quite figured out which one it is. I guess it depends on the day....

Hey, Smacky--I took your advice and tried the duct tape tip. Boy, does that work great!

Here is my first client. She is about 6 months old. (Gotta work on a long-term following, right?)

Thanks for the great tip!
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/lottielulu/ductapebaby.jpg





Oh, I thought you'd like to see this. Here I am on the left as a young facepainter. Ever since I was a kid, I was destined to become a facepainter.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s261/lottielulu/markers.jpg

someone posted those pictures somewhere before, I'm sure I've seen them before... lol funny anyway no matter how many times I see it.

I have often thought about wearing a mirror strapped to my forehead, like a miner's band or one like the three stooges wore when they were doctors, so that the kid can WATCH the strokes being applied.

Am I witnessing the birth of a new clown character? Dr. Artsy? maybe????
Sara K.

Am I witnessing the birth of a new clown character? Dr. Artsy? maybe????
Sara K.

Not a bad idea actually.

I'm working on a hospital clown named Nurse Funny Bone.
But that character is sitting on the back bedpan for now because Artsy is hogging up all the free time with facepainting gigs.


Oooh! BTW, Look at my new toy I bought at a yard sale recently--it's the giant crayon I'm holding in my avatar pic. I bought it for ONE DOLLAR! Is THAT crazy or what?

But I divert.... so here's another tip working on kids' faces:

NEVER ASK A KID A QUESTION WHEN YOU ARE DETAIL PAINTING NEAR THEIR MOUTH. I talk to the kids like you do Smacky, and sometimes I forget to shut up when I get near the mouths. Then they answer me and I have to wait until they stop talking to continue!

"and...and...and...then.....my dog....her name is Cuddles.....well, she was in the....room.... and....and...then..."

Hey, Artsy, Is that a real crayon?


I got a giant crayon piggy bank at Dollar Tree a few months ago but am still trying to figure out how to plug up the hole and match the color. Any ideas?

Would colored electrician's tape work Zippy?
Sara K.

Maybe. It's yellow and a very unusual shade I can't seem to match. I've tried masking tape and marker, Plugging it with clay, paper labels. I just have trouble matching the color. Whatever I end up doing, I hope it's waterproof and resilient, just in case. I'll try finding yellow electrical tape. Thanks.

I have found different colors in Wall mart but not sure if it will match the same shade of yellow. Is it an orangy yellow or chartreuse? The yellow colors I remember seeing were the chartreuse and a standard yellow. They may come individually or in a pack of multi colors. Take the crayon with you when you go next time to see if it will match. The orangy one may be harder to find. You might want to plug the hole with some waterproof glue maybe on the inside if you can reacH it first before covering it with colored tape on the outside. Is it just a slot hole? If so that wouldn't be hard to cover with glue.
Sara K.

Yeah, it's kinda orangy-yellow. It has a slit-hole. I just want it covered in case it gets turned around since you can't see it from the front. It would be sooo nice if the hole were close to invisible.

I just HAD to get yellow.......(sigh)

The blue marker makes the poor baby look like he was worked over with a baseball bat.....

Hey Zippy, my giant crayon has a bank slot in it too. A kid tried to stick a tip in it for me when I was doinga walk about. Ugh. I thought I hid it, but nope. She saw it. So I too have to plug up the hole. I plan to use a piece of duct tape on the inside of the crayon and then plug the slot with crayola model magic. When it dries, I will match the color using acrylic paints. Then give it a coat of modge podge to protect it.

The blue marker makes the poor baby look like he was worked over with a baseball bat.....

Whatever it takes to get them to sit still.... :)

Hey Zippy, my giant crayon has a bank slot in it too. A kid tried to stick a tip in it for me when I was doinga walk about. Ugh. I thought I hid it, but nope. She saw it. So I too have to plug up the hole. I plan to use a piece of duct tape on the inside of the crayon and then plug the slot with crayola model magic. When it dries, I will match the color using acrylic paints. Then give it a coat of modge podge to protect it.

Good idea, thanks!

Here's another tip:

Of course, as it is Murphy's Law, the kids with the really thick bangs that hang below the eyebrows are the ones who request the designs that are mostly on the forehead, such as princess crowns.

A headband or clip to keep the hair pulled back isn't hygienic to keep using the same one on each kid's head, and boys certainly don't want that girly stuff in their hair, so I use this method and it works perfectly.

Plus it is VERY FAST, and I am all about shaving off nanoseconds of time because they add up to gazillion seconds which really adds up by the end of the day.

TIP:

To keep those darn bangs and wispy hairs OUT OF YOUR WAY, use a small fine mist spray bottle from the beauty supply store. Tell the kid, "Your bangs are in the way, so I'm going to use water and spray them out of the way, it's just water." Say this while you are misting the bangs and sweeping them to the side. I am saying this WHILE I'm doing it and by the time I finish saying it, I am done and move quickly onto the design.

Another alternative to misting the bangs out of the way is using bobby pins. They're dirt cheap, and will keep the hair off the design indefinitely. I'm not so sure boys would go for it, though.

I go to the dollar store and pick up the multipacks of cheap headbands and little butterfly clips. When I use them on the kids, they keep them so they are only used once. And yes, I even use them on boys if necessary. I just tell them they don't have to keep it in there when I'm done.

ANOTHER TIP:

As the kid is getting in to my chair, if it's a design request that can deviate from the original on the sample board, I ask what his/her favorite color is, so that I make sure I include it in the design. Such as, flowers, doodads, balloons, etc. that won't get lost in the interpretation of the design if the colors are changed out.

Kids always love to see their favorite colors.

I ask the kids if they can guess my favorite color....they mention a few....red? nope.....pink? nope...guess again...orange.... on and on,. by the time they run out of color ideas, I am done with the design and I say, GIVE UP?....yes....My favorite color is.....

A RAINBOW! ha ha ha and we all laugh and they see their face and everyone is happy


and on to the next kid...

to add to what's already been mentioned, if it's several kids together that are obviously family or doing the event as a group. [2-4 kids] I'll often ask to do the older one first this reassures the younger ones and gives them longer to choose.

Here's another tip:

Since Dusty B seems to think that good facepainters aren't real clowns or real clowns aren't facepainters, or whatever he was babbling about, I want to add HERE, where it adds relevent value as a new tip to working with young children:

My line is continuous. I cannot help that, and I have to be mindful of the wait, but I'm fast, so I do have interim time to clown around in between "serious painting."

:star: At festivals or events where there is a live band or DJ, the music is blaring and I'll take the next kid in line and start dancing an outrageous Tango (not the sultry part, duh!) but the part where you grab hands and start walking one way then quick switch to the opposite direction.

:star: Or I will take the kid by the hands and start jumping up and down like you do when you jump up and down on a bed and I say WHEE THIS IS FUN! And then do a quick ring around the rosey.

:star: Or something silly like salute and march the kid over to the mirror.

:star: Or BOW in reverence to the new Princess I've just painted/created.

Anything to alleviate the huge pain I get in my back from standing and bending WHILE STILL MAKING THE CROWD LAUGH.

:star: Or I will get out the giant paint roller and say I have a special design for you!

:star: Or I will get out the giant clown scissors and say, You wanted the BUZZ cut right? This isn't the facepainting line, didn't anyone tell you that???

:star: Or if it's a boy and I really know what design he wants, I will, halfway through the painting, say, WOW! what a beautiful Butterfly you are!

:star: Or a bald man will walk by and I stop in the middle of working on a kid and say, I'll be right back....then run after the bald man WAIT WAIT! And I paint a real quick red KISSY lips on his head. And say THAT'S A SMOOCH FROM ARTSY!

And the crowd laughs and the guy loves it with all the attention he gets.

:star: Then I walk back to the kid waiting patiently and say,,,, ARE YOU STILL HERE? You wanted a pepperoni pizza face right?


:heart: Bottom line is this:
There are PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO BE A FUNNY CLOWN WITH THE CROWD AND STILL BE A GOOD, no, a GREAT FACEPAINTER. :heart:

Here's another tip:

Of course, as it is Murphy's Law, the kids with the really thick bangs that hang below the eyebrows are the ones who request the designs that are mostly on the forehead, such as princess crowns.

A headband or clip to keep the hair pulled back isn't hygienic to keep using the same one on each kid's head, and boys certainly don't want that girly stuff in their hair, so I use this method and it works perfectly.

Plus it is VERY FAST, and I am all about shaving off nanoseconds of time because they add up to gazillion seconds which really adds up by the end of the day.


Boy, I read this too quickly... I thought you said, "headbands aren't hygenic, so shave off really thick bangs."

For younger kids that don't want paint on their face, we usually suggest getting something on their arm, just above the wrist. This way, they can see their beauiful design for themselves, and it won't wash of when they next wash their hands.

If the child is particularly squirmy, I say "Look! Did you see that? Your (insert design here) just moved!! What? You didn't see it? You'd better watch it so you don't miss it again!" At his they will normally wwatch the design so intently that they sit perfectly still. sometimes though, they get distracted after a minute depending on how fast a painter you are. if they begin to squirm again, just wait until they look away and start the whole schpeal over again with "Look! Did you see it? Your (insert design here) just moved again! You weren't watching closely enough!"
this will usually buy you enough time to finish the design.
Thanks! and good luck!

Great idea about watching the design, Punky! I'll have to try that one.

Okay, Ive got a question for you lot!

The last 2 times Ive been facepainting, Ive ended up with one kid who just WON'T leave my brushes and paints alone. Of course the parents are nowhere to be seen. I had a little 3 year old girl who kept grabbing my brushes and walking off with them even when Id asked her not to about 6 times! She was digging in the paints with them and gouging great holes in my paints! Is there a limit to how firm you can be as an entertainer? It doesnt seem right as a clown to say "Oi, leave them alone"! Is there a better way to handle this?

Another kid kept trying to grab my balloon pump to pump up the balloons even when Id told him over and over that kids werent allowed to pump their own balloons because the pump might break. I ended up tucking it under my legs and he still grabbed it and started trying to use it! Tips, please, or I may end up in the newspapers under the headlines "Clown arrested after shoving balloon pump up birthday child's nose"

No stuffy, I don't think there is a limit (short of your last comment). I'm sure the crowd saw how difficult the child was being. Did you bend down close to the child look them straight in the eye and tell them "No!" quietly but with conviction? Just that one word should have been enough. If you did and that still didn't work maybe you could try finding some other job for that kid to do while they waited. Making them official sign holder or something else to do with their hands while they waited for you to do their balloon. Do they hold onto their balloon while waiting for their turn? how did that child get a hold of a balloon before you were ready to blow it up? The three year old I"m surprised that she had no supervision. That is just plain scary. Sometimes giving children that young something to fidget with even something as simple as a piece of masking tape little roll like what you use to stick behind posters to hang them on the wall. This can keep their fingers busy while they wait. Do you have stickers? There are plenty of fidget type items out there on the junk toy isles in department stores. There are squishy balls, light up spinning toys, stretchy animals. The trick would be in getting it back, but I would think the child would want their face painted and would have to return the item in order to have that done. I'm sure you're thinking all the rest of the kids would say "I want one" and you are probably right. You will have to think of something to say then but if you make this child your special helper like giving them that special light to hold so you can see better to paint with, the other kids will get that they are younger and need that special attention. Clowns are always pulling in volunteer helpers so this should naturally be a part of your act. The crowd will understand that part and applaud you for being able to "handle" even the difficult child. Good luck!
Sara K.

I just got a new rolling tool box to put all my stuff in, so my balloons and pump all fit in the bottom and I can just close it to keep their hands away. As for the brushes, if they even started to reach for them... "I'm sorry honey, but you really can't touch that stuff." Block their hands, take it out of their hands, whatever is necessary without getting angry or mean, of course. If I didn't see their parents around, I would ask them where their mommy was and I think you should go find her. I wouldn't be painting or making balloons for a child who's parents were no where to be seen anyway, I'm not a babysitter and I'm not responsible for them.

Perry,
You're right about the cart. I would think an ounce prevention would be worth a pound of cure. I think Stuffy tried politely to block or take the items out of the child's hand. It is just that some children don't have any boundaries (let alone supervision) and they kept coming back. If you really want to get your point across ask the child where their parent is and then escort the child personally back to the parent. You can politely say to the parent that you were concerned about the child's safety and didn't want anything to happen to their child. Hopefully they will get the hint. I realize that asks you to leave your line but if you have an assistant or another vendor near by ask for help. Posting a sign saying "Parental Supervision Required to Receive Services" may help somewhat. You could also print this on the back of your cards and hand it to the parent when you bring the child back to them.
Sara K.

He he he... I fixed this problem a long time ago.

This is one of the territorial reasons why I stand to facepaint. The brushes are way up off the ground level and at my working level so that little hands cannot reach them. My "station" is up against a wall barrier or against the back panel of my canopy tent so that nobody can get behind to reach them. I am right in front of my paints and brushes at all times. And depending on the venue, I use stanchions between my back and the line so that nobody hovers over my shoulder to watch me. I need my space and I don't like people breathing in my face or coughing on me or blowing smoke on me.

Oh, and as far as stray children, again, depending on the venue and the age of the stray kitten, I get my hubby helper to assist me. The kid has to stand next to him until he/she is claimed if very young and if they are older, then I say, "You cannot get facepainted until your parent is here."

If they are really really really pesty and I've had enough of their busy-body interference, I say, "You need to go find your family. Bye Bye!" And then I ignore the kid while I work on the kids in line. I have no desire or time to babysit. Sometimes I say, go over to Smartsy (hubby) and he'll give you a coloring page. Then the kid goes over to him and he gives out a coloring page and says, "Go give this to your mom." That usually works.

Hubby helper is in charge of line control, out of control kids, sign kickers, melting ice cream on my sample board, line cutters, schmoozing with the people in line, and selling my birthday party services and handing out my cards, etc. This frees me up to facepaint and give a quality entertainment service as one on one with the child and the accompanying family.

Thanks for some great tips. Artsy, I think I will print out your email and give it to hubby! He is a salesman, so great idea to have him schmoozing the parents! and he would be great at keeping small hands out of my paints.

How do you do it standing up? Do you have a bar stool for the kids to sit on? Id love to see a pic of you at work if you have one!

We also use high tables (kids are in tall directors chairs while we stand). This definately helps keep the smallest kids from being able to easily reach. Really though we don't have too much of a problem with this.

From my experience (for what that's worth) it seems to me that the more comfortable the customer/kid is with you, the more likely they are to go too far. I'm sure this seems self-evident, but it's something to keep in mind. We do not face paint as clowns -- never have and probably never will -- but I could easily see how, as a clown, a child would be far more likely to assume that its okay for them to touch you or your stuff. This would be magnified if you were at a birthday party or something like that, where the child (and adults) had even more time to get comfortable with you.

When I was clowning this was an issue for me in other ways. I dealt with rather large crowds of people, and I basically needed to have security or police to follow me around and help keep over-enthusiastic fans (and jerks) off me. Fans, including adults, want to hug you -- which is fine until you get mobbed by twenty or thirty people crushing you -- and jerks (usually teens and college age adult guys) want to sneak up behind you and punch/kick/hair pull/etc. It's their way of demonstrating how "cool" they are in front of their friends. Solution: have security to watch your back.

And no, I have no idea how this might HELP or add to the discussion, but there it is. :p

Smacky, I hear ya about the security. There is one place where I was contracted for six weekends to facepaint and yikes! I was really scared because people were giving me a hard time about leaving (one more face, please? come on.... one more...) and when it got to the point where it was pitch dark outside at 10pm and well past my ending time, I had to throw my gear and myself in the car and lock the doors because people were banging on my car window in a futile effort for me to do "one more face" that's when security started escorting me to my car. What a relief!

Smacky, I hear ya about the security. There is one place where I was contracted for six weekends to facepaint and yikes! I was really scared because people were giving me a hard time about leaving (one more face, please? come on.... one more...) and when it got to the point where it was pitch dark outside at 10pm and well past my ending time, I had to throw my gear and myself in the car and lock the doors because people were banging on my car window in a futile effort for me to do "one more face" that's when security started escorting me to my car. What a relief!

Good grief! In my mind I am seeing a sort of "living dead" thing, only instead of moaning for brains they crave "Paiiiiint."

One things that's worked well for us, to control the line and the kids, I set my tent up using my signs to create a single line, my dauther and I work from opp. sides to the table and each take one from the single line, that way if she can't do a specific design I get them next and she takes the next one [now she does all the same ones] but these way only the child I'm working with is near my me. also make it easier to take a personal/relief break if the need arises. I tend to paint mostly standing up and I use a colapsable bar stool, but I switch back and forth to save my back and knee to a chair as well.

http://www.clown-forum.com/face-painting/images/smilies/heart.gif Bottom line is this:
There are PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO BE A FUNNY CLOWN WITH THE CROWD AND STILL BE A GOOD, no, a GREAT FACEPAINTER. http://www.clown-forum.com/face-painting/images/smilies/heart.gif

I agree with ya Artsy... I usually use stools to sit on while painting... and there is usually music, so I stand up and do silly dances and all to stretch...

And I love to have fun with the kids- boys, you wanted a flower right? And the look is priceless... and the girls, man this football is more difficult than I thought...

One thing I've done to help with being able to leave a venue is I have made up a large-ish, laminated sign that says in big letters:

I AM THE LAST PERSON IN LINE TODAY! CLOWNS NEED REST TOO!
come see us at our next venue: ________ on: __(date)__

I fill in the blank with a dry erase marker and give the sign to the last child in line at that moment. I tell them "Now, this sign says "(explain if they cannot read or for better understanding)" so don't let anyone else get in line behind you, tell them exactly what the sign says. If you are still holding the sign when it's your turn, you'll get an extra special design, okay?"
This has worked everytime for me, the trick is to know about how long it takes you to paint designs and watch your line. If it's getting close to clean up time, tell your next customer "one moment pease!" and get out your sign and take it to the last child.
Another thing that helps, is have the child hold the sign even when you are painting them in case someone comes up while no one is in line to tell them that you are done. This way, no one will think you are discriminating.

Hope this helps!

I have heard some people say that they have had kids holding a similar sign letting people in front of them... so ideas like tickets, cards, stickers or hand stamps are something you can give one to each child that is currently in line so no one can sneak in there. Just a thought, but if it works for you, use it!