I need your advice! Mixed feelings-long lines and letting go of details.

I'm a newbie...I LOVE face painting!!!
On Saturday I had an extremely long line of kids (around 50). Once The people saw a few finished faces, most kids wouldn't go on the bouncy rides until their face was painted. I'm new to face painting so I was very excited. It takes me about 5 minutes per face for the average butterly or monster mask, but I knew I would not finish all the kids in the allotted time, so I had to cut down on details a lot. The kids didn't seem bothered by it, but I felt like the faces were not "complete" and average.

I agreed to do this event for $50 because I wanted the experience/practice, I didn't know what to charge, and I didn't know how many kids would show up. I started at 5 and left at 8:45. It's hard to believe some stayed in line for so long- it was suppose to end at 8:00. Everything was tore down, food was gone, but I still had a line of kids.

In the whole process, I didn't do things like I planned, like washing each face with a wet wipe and keeping an orderly setup, changing water, etc... I FELT LIKE A WILD CRAZY WOMAN!

Please give me some advice on how you handle long lines!
Do you always stay until the last child is painted?
Should I have made numbers to hand out?
Should I have said "I'm sorry I have to leave at 8:00"?
Are their tips on keeping the line moving... and speeding along the kids who finally sit down and then have to "think" about what they want.
I would appreciate any advice you can give:) Thank you!!!

Here's an idea of a sign and guides for any customer to follow:

"Don't sit down in the chair until you:

1. Have a clean face, nose and mouth.
2. Have your hair pulled back -- Ask for clips, you may keep them!
3. Have a design picked out.
4. Be ready to be AMAZED & TRANSFORMED!!!!
5. NEXT!!

To expedite the line, I must skip you and move on to the next person if you are not ready!"

Dearest Connie,

That's a lot of questions! And we have all asked them at one time or another. I think my best advice is to just keep using the search bar with keywords and read on 'til the wee hours of the morn every chance you get.

It takes time to settle in to a groove with face painting. And every event throws different circumstances at you that can change the whole ball game.

We learn as we go and from our mistakes... There are no definitive rules or practices. You just have to take in the advice that makes sense for you and then put it to the test for yourself.

You'll find that your kit, your set-up, your menu, your technique, your whole approach will evolve constantly.

In the past I found myself still painting when the rest of the event was torn down and the tumbleweed was rolling silently across the floor.... simply because I couldn't say "no" to little Betty Big Sad Eyes. But you learn. .

Thanks! That is awesome advice!! I am starting to read much more on the site about event topics. I like the sign idea and will use it! I too just can't seem to tell a child I don't have time...my biggest "high" is seeing those little smiles when I get done:)

Do you always stay until the last child is painted?

No. If I am hired for a set number of hours I am done at the posted end time. As a new painter I did stay... but soon realized that I was only shooting myself in the foot. If the event is OVER they want people out of there, so you aren't impressing anyone by lingering after the tables are put away and the custodian wants to lock up.

I have examples of signs I use on my resources page.

Should I have made numbers to hand out?

Personally, that system only works at birthday parties, NOT public or larger events.

Should I have said "I'm sorry I have to leave at 8:00"?

YES!

Are their tips on keeping the line moving... and speeding along the kids who finally sit down and then have to "think" about what they want.

If they sit down and haven 't decided, kick them out of the chair and tell them when they decide they can have their turn, in the meantime you'll paint someone who already knows what they want.

Thanks Shannon! I appreciate your answers:)
Your resources ROCK! Thank you sooo much!!

I will now hand out my standard newbie beating...

You didn't charge enough. $50 per hour at least, not per event.

Yes, if you have 50 kids waiting you have to do quickie designs, very few details. Suzy Sparkles has a whole Facebook album of full faces that she did at an event and I was amazed (like 85 kids!) Very fast faces but still pretty amazing for "free" face painting. Friend her and see the awesomeness.

You cannot paint the world. Better to look at your line 45 minutes before end time and end the line than to have them wait that 45 minutes and then cut if off. How much longer would you have stayed??? If you aren't earning more money (like a PPF) don't stay over. Face painting is not a right.

Like Lorie said, don't be afraid to have rules. "Folks, it would help me tremendously if your child has their hair back, design picked and is free of dirties. I have clips and wipes here on the table."

Sounds like you had a great opportunity to grow...have you grown enough now to get paid properly?

Beating is done.

Leaving out the details, so funny, I had a long line and I painted a very simple version of a blue butterfly that end it up to be my first professional picture, when the photographer send the picture to me I regretted not taking more time, that is my avatar now.

As a relative newbie myself I can really relate, however it hasn't taken me long to start adapting designs and letting go a little. Lol the kids or frustrated parent are training me when I get too involved in my design. I eventually get the message when they start getting up and I am like wait just another starburst here and highlight here If I know a certain design will take me to long in a busy line I just say, oh I love that but I am doing fast faces today maybe I could come to a party at your house and do that one day. I have been doing lots of classes lately with awesome designs that as a new painter take me too long in a fast line and I struggle sometimes too. I would love someone to put out a realistic super face resource book for newbies. Thank goodness for one stroke Suzzy I would love to see the fast faces Denise mentioned sounds awesome.

When I am hired to do an event like this where I am hired for a certain number of hours I like to put up a sign that states the hours that I will be there and to judge the line accordingly. If I am at a long event I will add in a break time as well.
If my husband in not there to tell me what time it is and stop the line for me then I will set my ipod timer to go off 30 minutes before my end time or break time... then I announce to the line that I am only there for 30 more minutes.
I will stay a little bit longer sometimes to finish out the line...
In the past I have found myself at my ending time with a two hour line there still. I have always found it a challenge to end the line. I do not want to disappoint anyone and also I am trying to promote myself to be hired for private parties so I do not want to be rude... but by the end of a long day of face painting if you still see no end in site to the line with complaining parents you have to set some rules for yourself so you do not burn out.
I try not to look at the line (usually I have the line behind me) and I do what I can do. If I am at a hired event where there are lots of kids I also write a sign that says I will be doing smaller and more simple designs to accommodate the large numbers. So instead of doing a full face butterfly I will do it over one eye and instead of a full face spiderman I will it over one eye or the forehead. You will learn how to simplify while still having a wow factor to your work...
Did you put out a tip jar... sometimes at public events you can make a nice amount of money in tips.

The last time I did a crazy event, I had a line of at least 20 people deep for about 4 hours straight. I was the only face painter, because the other group decided not to show up.

So I painted furiously, until the last half hour. Then I got up and informed everyone in line that I was going to number everyone left in the line as I only had a half hour left. I walked around to everyone in line and painted a number on their hand. I asked the last people in line to inform anyone who tried to get in line that the line had been ended.

It worked pretty well overall except... those last people in line left, so people kept getting into line. I couldn't see as I was painting furiously, but that meant that I had people waiting at the end of the line without numbers. I did a few extra faces because of that, but as people ran up to me as I packed up I said nope!

I'm still trying to find the best solution to ending the line without a line mananger. It's definitely tricky when you're completely focused on face painting.

What works for me (and I tried everything that everyone else does or tried too) is posting signs with my times, and I stop at the posted end time. No exceptions.

I have samples of what I post on my resources page (the link is in my signature).

As we all do when we start out, in the beginning I would "finish the line"... that got old real fast. Then I tried numbering or handstamping those in line at a certain amount of time before my end time - I NEVER got that right and always ended up going overtime. I tried the ticketing system at a long (9 hour) mall gig - total waste of time as all the tickets were taken and maybe 3 actually came back at their assigned time, people waited in the "stand-by" line for FIVE HOURS and got painted.

For the last six years or so I have simply posted signs stating my time (4 to 6 pm) when the last face will be started (5:55 p.m.) and one explaining the process telling people to figure out wait times and whether they have a chance of getting to the front before the end time. (see my samples)

This works. It really does. If you have a sign up, you can point to it when people start to bitch and they shut-up (at least the Canadians do... may not work elsewhere! LOL)

If people choose to wait, regardless... not my problem. I am paid for a certain numbers of hours only, and I am not working for free. The fact they waited makes no difference to me as the signs were there - prominently displayed, most people read them, understood and left as it became obvious they weren't going to make it. Those who figure I'll do "just one more" if they show up late and wait are out of luck.

As already noted - this is not a right and we are not obligated to paint people simply because they chose to wait in a line.

THANK YOU! You all are so awesome. Really great tips and advice:) I will be making signs this weekend to be ready for the next event! Thanks for the "beating" Denise.
Your words are well taken and I have learned!...I LOVE this website and did I mention....you all are so awesome!!!

I thought Canadians didn't know how to shut up.

Ronnie you're too funny!