How much paint will I need?

I just ordered more paint for this weekend, I have three days, about 20 hours, of painting during our McCall Winter Carnival, planning to paint about 400 faces. My booth has about 15 half-face or cheekart designs. Any good guess on the quantity of paint I'll need? 80% of my paint has been made into cakes, 80% of my designs are cake-based (so when I run out of dk green/green/yellow for a snake, I can still do white/red/black snake or a "dolphin" snake for that matter). I basically have about 40+ diamond fx colors (2/3 are 32gms and 1/3 are 45gms). I think I have enough paint, but after the last 5 five people have asked me if I have enough, I'm getting worried. Oh and I just ordered about 5 or 6 more colors from Metina that I hopefully will get before the winter carnival.
I know it's a math problem - Run for the hills!!!
Thanks so much for any input, Lauri.
Oh, what about glitter? I have one pot, one sample of Metina's blue fairy wing, and one bag of copper (that doesnt really go with any designs I have).
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I think you will have enough...just make sure you have enough white and black for lining and detail...paint lasts long!
maybe a irridescent white glitter..that goes well with all colours! or irridescent silver and gold...

Yes, I have one pot of the irridescent glitter, I read somewhere NOT to have color choices on glitter cause it takes so much time for the kids to decide. I ordered another black and white from Metina.

Thanks Michelle!!

It sounds like you have enough paint to last months. It's funny but snazaroo seems to be the only company that has on their packaging and materials how many faces you can paint. The say a 2ml disk(tiny ones from the rainbow packs you can get at michaels) will paint 5 full faces or 100-150 cheek designs. They say that each 18ml will paint 100 full faces and 2500 2"x2" cheek art designs and a 30ml will paint 166 full faces or 4150 cheeks.
I use the snaz (and some paradise) for most of my sponge work and those cakes seem to last forever. I mostly just use dfx for linework and they last ages and ages through many gigs and hundred of faces.
It's good to realize you can sub out colours, you may like a certain colour best for certain things but if you run out something else will also look beautiful.
The only colours I even get close to running out of are black and white but I carry snaz, paradise and dfx in both for different purposes so I'm always fine. It is also surprising how far you can paint when you think you've almost run out.
Have fun at your festival. Your math says you'll average 20 faces per hour that's 3 minutes per face including cleaning, choosing, chit chat, a bathroom break or 2, and the movement of kids in and out of the chair. I've never been able to pass the average of 18 per hour at a busy festival.
Have fun!

Oh, here are some details about the event. I am paying another face painter for 20 hours, (okay it's my bestie for over 18 years now), I have my 17 year old hostesses who will help paint during peak hours like right after the parade, also we have a cashier that will take the money and give a poker chip according to price of the design the kid wants, there are only 3 prices and all the designs break down into minutes (this is why I started 5 MINUTE TAG!) We are also selling hot clam chowder so the cashier is doing double duty, taking money so the cooks can just dish up soup.

A booth for this event in the Vender Court area is OUTRAGEOUS, $1000 for both weekends for a non-resident. But I own my restaurant downtown and I can set up my booth for soup and face painting for free = well, nothing is free!
$500 to my bestie,
$160 to the 2 hostesses,
$200 to the cashier,
$125 for banners,
$150 in advertising which is combined with my restaurant advertising,
$500 in paint/brushes - most I already had, but at least I already have chairs, tables, tents, etc.

So if the Face Painting Fun Booth paints 400 kids at $5 average that's $2000 in sales, but you've seen the costs! Why would I do it? Cause I get to see my best friend for a working vacation, cause it promotes my restaurant, and it pays for my new banners and paints and I am hoping - eyes closed & fingers crossed - that we can paint way more than 400 kids. On Saturday of the Mardi Gras parade, there is an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people in our little town of 2,000 people. We'll see..... Also I can face paint the second weekend and my costs are all covered by the first weekend.

Thanks again you guys, I have so much anxiety, I haven't been sleeping, I almost can't wait till it's over.....but on the other hand, I can't wait to start painting!

So Danica, I'm only guessing I can do 10 kids per hour, I think more, and the designs I have are pretty easy,

ooohhh , I just got a knot in my stomache....soooooooo nervous.......my hand is already shaking and the event doesn't start till Friday night............light-headed, not...going...to...make...it...

Holy cow, I hope it goes well. Don't get discouraged if it's slow at first. Linda and I worked a festival where we were really only busy for a couple hours, but both of us walked out with quite a return on our investment. Those couple of hours working non-stop add up. Also, the biggest and best advertisement you can have when face painting at an event is having someone being painted in your booth. Every now and then, snag someone and do a free painting just to get others in your booth.

I'm so glad to hear you have another painter and people to take care of the cash. I usually only do festivals where I'm paid for by the festival so my lines are ridiculous but I appreciate not having to take the time to do cash. Have fun, quit worrying about paint, etc, Read through the list of what people take with them to events to ease your mind but know you don't need every little thing. For one when I have a big line I don't use glitter and no one cares. Practice a few lines and simple things on your legs and arms as you get ready over the next few days. I've been doing this for years and there are still times when I sit down, reach out for the face and my hand shakes for the first design of the day, at that point I make sure I'm very light with the strokes and it all disappears. Sort of like stage fright(I've been performing for years but always have to go to the bathroom 3 times in the last few minutes before I take the stage, no matter how big or small.)
Ease into it, breathe, don't look down the line if it will cause pressure and if there is no line at first follow Whitney's advice and snag someone. Make sure you are comfortable and have water to sip on.
Just before leaving the house maybe paint a simple, quick and stunning eye design on yourself, you'll probably be creating one of the most popular designs of the day and you'll get over the first strokes of the day.
Enjoy the gift of doing something you love to do and smile, smile, smile.
I hope you can get some sleep, nap if you have to and stay hydrated, have fun, have fun, have fun. Dream of beautiful designs.
Danica

YAAAYYY! Everyone on face paint forum is soooooo supportive and fun and smart and talented!

Oh I used to love that festival as a little kid.

Are you painting outside?

Amy, yes! I wanted everyone to know this is a winter event! This photo is from two years ago (?). We will be painting on faces only because the kids will be covered up. I have made clear vinyl sidewalls for the booth, the snow is being cleared from my booth space tomorrow and the weather says it will be sunny and about 25 to 30 degrees for the high. I guess we will be painting with our fingerless gloves on, (where's my flask? hahaha, just joking for you non-drinkers, don't get too excited now!)

My restaurant is directly to the right of the little pink suit girl and the Face Painting Fun Booth is in the back. Again thanks everyone for your support!

Wow, hope you make $$ at it. You'll have enough paint. I do a whole season on what you have. Just have back-ups of black, white, red and pink... you may run low on white and black due to the fact you pretty much use them on every design.

Do you find the cold to be an issue with the paints and water? Or do you use a couple heaters in the booth?

The sculptures are always really fantastic. Makes me a little homesick.

AWESOME!!!! Have fun!!! Even if you don't make the money back painting faces you will definitely make your money back with nice hot soup!!!!! YUMMMM!
Also, will your restaurant be open for business during the festival? $$$$$$ can somebody say "Cha-Ching"?
Lauri you definitely are a business woman....and you'll be having fun painting and making people happy all at the same time!!!! YOU ROCK!!!
Wish I could be there!!! Post pics!

extra black and white - check
hydration - check
warmth - check
restaurant open - check Gloria, the first weekend of winter carnival is one of our top 10 busiest weekends of the year! I get to face paint all day on saturday then hop on over to Steamers and hostess, service bar, food runner, boss, dishwasher (okay, i really hope not!) and then finally, a glass of wine with employee meal around 10:30pm, wake up on Sunday and start over! hahahaha

What you said about being a business woman is exactly true. I've had many businesses that I've started and sold like a doggie daycare/kennel-free boarding (Strandell Farm Bed & Biscuit) and a web based business. I can't even take something that I love and that is creative without turning it into a business! I love to design, sew and SELL purses, But my purses have paid for my whole sewing room including both sewing machines, my serger, and embroidery machine, dress forms, etc. I have WAY too much material (less than 1/10 showing and the rest has taken over every corner of my house! MY photography is tailored (pun!) to unique portraiture, but I still make and SELL photo notecards, but photography has paid for my studio, lighting, etc.

So I wonder if my real creative talent is actually starting new businesses! It's what I actually do well

If I get too boring, logical, technical, and practical and I forget my creative side here on Face Paint Forum -
Give me BIP on the head


Wow, what mess, oh well, it can wait!

Well, Did you make it through the weekend? 'Hope you had a blast!