HELP for CRAZY lines

I had two instances where parents were rude. One, I was doing a charity event. Earlier in the day I had no line and had asked a couple of pre -teen girls if they wanted their face painted. The reply was no. Okay, no problem. But of course one of those girls was begging to be painted at the end of the day after my husband and I had cut off the line. The mom comes up whines that it is her daughter's birthday. Oh, so I turned to the girl and stated "Happy Birthday, it was a shame that you didn't have me paint you earlier when I offered. I could have painted an awesome birthday tiara and everyone would've known it was your birthday all day!! I am closed now." The mom glares at her daughter and said to her, there was no line earlier???!!

The other one was restaurant opening. The dad comes with his kid after I have packed up all my paints and asks for him to be painted. I said I'm sorry but I am leaving now and I am done for the day. He tries to offer me money, I again said no, this time the kid is bawling. ( so hard to stick to your guns when they do this) He ups the price. I stated "Sir, I've been here for three hours, I saw you walk into the restaurant about an hour ago, why didn't you bring your son then?" He had no answer.

I am often insulted that there is this perception that we (face painters, twisters, other artists etc) are desperate for money and can be bought for a couple of bucks.

If I have an exceptionally long line (ie I'm free, other things aren't, I've been underbooked and there should have been more of us painting), I give the organizer two choices - I'll gladly stay at my rate as long as they wish, or they can explain to those waiting why they will not get painted. Two factors I have going for me there - I'm normally at an event where it ends at a definite time and everything else is closing - organizer just shoo's people out - or if they do ask me to stay longer, I am only booked for one event a day - so I'm not afraid to stay for another hour or two - I'm making more money for little trouble- for me the big part of doing an event is the pack up, drive, setup, clean up, pack up, drive back.

On odd occasions that option hasn't been available to me - I have 20 kids lined up and I'm ready to be done. That's when I cut down what I do - everyone in line is getting a Black (or green, or red, or blue or whatever color I have a ton of left), airbrushed picture, pick quick - one color only based on what I have still in the airbrushes - and if they are at all with it I can be done 20 in a matter of 3 minutes ("anyone else for #29? last call"). And after that it's a case of "sorry, the airbrushes are empty and being cleaned - I can't add more now" or "they've cut my power, I can't paint again".

When I've done non airbrush events, I use stamps or stencils only in the last 5-10 minutes - if the line is huge. But for the round up of latecomers and irate parents, the organizer involvement is an amazing buffer for me - and it gives them the "power" to extend things by paying me more.

I use a sticker & collect it before I start painting the child(the 1st time I did this many kids shared the stickers...). I like the idea of posting the end time. I'm gonna try this this weekend.
When I do get to the last 30 minutes to 1 hour & have a huge line I stop taking requests. It's all quickie tribals on the boys & eye swirls on the girls. I stop using the sponge & only do linework. I can sometimes whip out a face a minutes(if the child doesn't argue...).

I did a ppf at a school and as time when on it seemed the line never ended. I kept telling the last person she was the last one (bought the sign the next day that says I'm the last one) but she sneakingly would let her friends in. So anyways I needed the money so about 30 min left and 20 kids still there I said If everyone wants something then you have 4 options: butterfly, swirls and curls, tiger, or spiderman. They all agreed and man if my addrenaline was pumping so much i was litterly shaking after i finished everyone. lol yeah that was the first and last time I will be doing that!

A sign that says how fast you paint "ie, 5 mins per face" would prevent more than 12 faces from being in line the whole time, because who wants to wait an hour for FP? I think I might do one of those for the next fest I do.
I will also post a sign that says "The line will be closed 1 hr prior to fair closing (or, by whatever time is 1 hr before I need to leave); the 12th face in line at that time will be the last person to get painted."
Perhaps I could have some kind of booby prize for kids behind the 12 person in line at that time, that I can give them when I put the sandwhich board sign (good idea, Krystal) on the 12th person.

I also paint "numbers", but that causes problems when people leave or I can't remember what number I was on. Having stickers that you turn in might work better! Stamps just seem like a hassle with people trying to transfer them.

Ya know... my perspective is, since I am generally "free" to the people that are lining up to get painted... They are lining up for a free service, the signs tell them how long it takes me to paint and the time I am painting till. It is COMPLETELY up to them to wait and has NOTHING to do with me....

I owe them nothing so I don't bother with stickers or tattoos etc.

I finish at the time it says that I am and generally people are pretty good about it. I hear parents counting how many are in line and telling their kids they won't be able to be painted.

I also hear parent drag their kids away early in the gig when there is no line saying "we'll come back later"... yeah, right. Liar Liar!!!

At a private event it is different - I have tattoos and stickers for that, as there are often kids too young to paint, etc. and if the organizers don't authorize the overtime at least the kids get something.

I had a crazy crazy line Saturday when I was painting for a street party with lots of kids. My booking was from 1-4pm and there was a minimum half hour line the entire time.
At the same time there was a bouncy castle, a mechanical bull and some small competitions. The children was of that opinion that they could jump out of line to try the other things and then come back to the same place. But since they all agreed it was accepted, I didn't mind.

But at around 3pm the organizer told all the kids they should join one of the competitions and guaranteed them they would get the same place in line after. I assumed they would be back in 10 minutes or so. A lot of other kids filled the line instead and I more or less forgot about the other.
I closed the line a bit too late to finish at 4pm, since there was a lot of small children I could not see. So around 4.20 I was painting the last ones. Then all the other came back (around 10-15) wanting to be painted

I called the organizer (and one from the event company that had hired me that was there explaining the situation). The organizer thought I was hired to 5pm, when the other things closed down, but agreed to pay for an extra hour. He and the event girl left at 5pm and I still had a few kids in line.
I thought. Because they continued coming. And even though the rule was that only children who was in the competition, had been in the line before and was not painted before could be painted, I first finished at 6pm, even with faster designs. There was at least 10 more than I have thought.

I called the event girl after and she said I should send a bill for the entire time, since she had heard the organiser instructing me to paint them all.


I don't mind painting a few after, but this was crazy, the kids just kept showing up all claiming they fit the criteria - and the others agree. Well, except one boy that wanted a tribal dragon on his arm. A few strokes in the others inform me that he had already been painted and showed his other arm (under the sleeve) with the design. At that point I had no room to be pedagogical, so I just painted the dragon over with black, telling him to make room for the next. Hi looked at the big blob on his arm asking if that was supposed to look like a dragon. I told him no, this is because you tried to cheat. He did not argue with that.

What I have learned: If I get in a situation like that again - I hope not - I would line the kids up and number them. Then I would know how long it would take to paint them all - and could arrange that with the organizer/event company - and there could sneak no one it. If they wasn't there when the number being called it would just be the next.

Else the kids was very sweet - even that I had to tell at least 20 more that I had finished and would not paint so much as a dot on them (why would they want that anyway?) After I had finished and was on my way to the car several of them came and thanked for the design and hoped that I would be there next year also =)

If an event is that big, you need a line manager. Either they provide one or have them pay for one & hire a friend or family member to do the job. I'll pay one of my kids to do it for $10/hr or beg my hubby to do it. For not-for-profits I have a teen(often my own) do line management for community service hours.

I did a gig a few weeks ago and took Shannons advise... I put the start and end time (plus the name of the sponsor) on my board. It worked because as I was cleaning up, one of the Mums passing said 'Oh facepainting..... oh, sorry kids, it's after 4pm now'. No hassel!!

Furthermore, the organisers gave me a big bag of small bags of sweets (candy) to give to dissappointed children). Genius!!. The sweets can't have cost more than €3.45. They were given out to the kids who came after the time.... The line was short, but always painting, it was the perfect gig!!

I don't remember the last gig I did alone. My oldest son, line manager, has been going with me for the last two years. I have not had a problem since he has been helping me. He puts a sign I made behind the last person saying line closed and numbers the kids hands who are in line. There is one one event I do for free where I will paint every kids regardless of time, the Dream Factory Family Picnic. They grant dreams to critically ill and dying children. They also buy my supplies for me every other year. It is a closed, by invitation only event. One year it was so dark, I painted by cell phone light.

I got the call a few days ago... Can you paint 400 kids in 2 hours

Are you kidding!

Some people are so -----. Please!

Linda,
...isn't that something like 30 seconds per face?......
.........ROFLMAO!!!!

Actually, it's like 18 seconds per kid... yeah...I can do that... line them up 10 and a time and give me a 4-inch paint brush and room to run...

I was requested if two painters could paint 300 kids in two hours. Inside a moving train, and we would be the ones going from one train coupe/cabin to the next... Now we will be tree painters and hope they don't all want something ;-)