Beat The Heat

Beat the Heat: Top Products to Help You Survive a Summer of Painting

Beat the Heat: Top Products to Help You Survive a Summer of Painting

By Ashley Arrow

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As face painters and entertainers, it’s a delicacy to work indoors with air conditioning. Most of us are under a tent and weathering the great outdoors. Whether you believe in global warming or not, one thing is certain, the summer is HOT! Down here in South Flordia it’s summer year round and we have become masters of dealing with hot and humid weather. Long days standing outside can not only alter your mood but be dangerous for your health. These top tips and products will help you stay comfortable in the heat so you can deliver smiles and a stellar experience to your clients.

 

  1. Wardrobe
    • What you wear affects your body temperature. Surprisingly long sleeves during the summer can be a benefit to you if it’s the correct material. Silly Farm has has 2 amazing shirts options in both long and short sleeves. It helps you looking professional, wicks away moisture, and is the perfect light weight cool material. The long sleeves will help keep away those dangerous UV rays.

Click Here to Purchase

 

Face Painting and Artist Shirt Designed by Heather Green
Face Painting and Artist Shirt Designed by Heather Green. Portable Fans

2. Portable Fans

  • Almost everything comes pocket sized, what a time to be alive! You can snag a portable fan on Amazon to give you hours of portable breeze.

    Tonya's Set Up with Portable Fan
    Tonya’s Set Up with Portable Fan

Here’s are our top two choices:

  • This small oscillating fan is amazing! It folds up super small to fit right in your kit or bag, but it can be placed on the ground or directly on the table with its extendable base. It’s quiet and powerful. It comes with a slim card size remote you can use to adjust the settings. The battery lasts for hours and is rechargeable. And the best part, it comes in pink! Click here Here to Check it out
  • fanThis portable fan can clip directly to your Craft-n- Go or kit. Not only will it provide a breeze, but it also has built-in LED lights for those events that last through the night. Perfect to supply comfort and a little extra light to see. Check it out herefan23. Proper Display
  • Nothing is worse than attending an all-day a pay per face festival in the heat and coming home with dry pockets. Don’t let your tent get lost in the sea of unmarked tents! This 14ft Face Painter flag will let the entire festival know you’re there! It’s an eye catching colorful display that will draw a crowd to your area. Not a Face Painter? We have one for Henna Artist, Balloon Twisters, and Airbrush artist. Check It out here: flagblog4. Stay Hydrated
  • Bringing a water bottle is essential for long days outside. We aren’t always blessed with clients who deliver water to us when our line is so long, and we don’t have a chance to refill our water. Not to mention, taking a sip from a water bottle that has been out in the sun is like sipping on lava. A large thermal and insulated water bottle can make all the difference. Stack that thing with ice and it will stay cold for 12 hours or more! Not to mention, the ice doesn’t melt so if you do run out of water, you can pour the boiling sun water into your ice filled thermal. We love this insulated thermal with a carrying strap and sleeve to hold your phone/id/keys/or debit card so you don’t have to bring a purse with you. Purchase Here.flask5. Waterproof Line Work
  • Sweat in the heat is unavoidable. Beautiful faces you paint can turn into a melted mess. However, if you replace your line work with a waterproof choice, you will save yourself some tears and time! Using a Rainbow Cake as your base with Dips by Proaiir for your line work will save your design. Even if the base runs, the design will still be saved with the solid waterproof outline. It’s a super cost effective addition to your kit. Multiple colors available at Silly Farm
  • Dips Waterproof Face Painting
    Dips Waterproof Face Painting

I hope these products help you keep your cool this summer. As always, happy painting! Stay in the shade, stay hydrated, and stay creative!

-Ashley Arrow

Stanley Workstation Review

Figuring out how to store, transport, and organize my ever-expanding kit has been an ongoing endeavor since I first started. I tried everything from scrap booking totes to a folding crate on wheels, luggage sets and train cases. Nothing I tried seemed to offer the right combination of organization, size, ease of transport, cost, and durability.

Until I found the Stanley Fat Max Mobile Work Station. That’s right…a  tool box. I wish I could take credit, but my makeup artist friend Elizabeth deserves all the fame for this incredible find. Let’s have a look at the official specs:

Features and Benefits

Stanley Fat Max Workstation

  • 4 storage solutions in one includes toolbox, part bins, portable tray and oversized lower bin for larger items
  • Patented tiered cantilever multi-level rolling system allows easy access to all 4 storage areas at the same time
  • Durable Structural Foam construction
  • Telescopic handle for easy maneuvering
  • Easy latch system includes a quick push to close feature
  • Large front latch that locks the entire unit
  • Ball bearing slides for smooth operation even under heavy load
  • V-groove on top of lid holds materials such as lumber and pipes in place for cutting
  • Extra large, heavy duty metal latches with pad lockable eye lets
  • Extra heavy duty rubber-coated 7” wheels – for maximum stability
  • Height 29″,736.6mm
  • Length 17″,431.8mm
  • Width 22″,558.8mm

“That’s all well and good, but what does it mean for me?”
Inside Stanley Work Station

Four tiers of storage goodness with varying organizational options:
 The oversized lower bin fits large items (paint pallets), the part bins organize small items (business cards, pots of glitter), and the tool box fits medium sized items (baby wipes, sponges). Another bonus that isn’t mentioned in the official specs – the walls of the part bins are removable! You can easily slide these babies out and customize the size of the compartments to suit your needs.

Easy to clean interior & exterior:
“Durable Structural Foam” is fancy-talk for thick black plastic. Ever spilled glitter in your kit, or break a powder pallet? The smooth, rigid compartments wipe down easily, with the baby wipes you probably already have stored in there.

Maneuverability and ease of transport:
With a retractable handle and heavy-duty wheels, this thing treks easily up driveways, across fields, and down streets. It rolls around with you like a large piece of luggage, but remains stable through grass & rocks.

Heavy duty everything:
Think about it, this was designed for big burly men who like tools. It was built to store heavy things, and take a beating at construction sites, get covered in sawdust & dirt, then get tossed back into a pickup truck. Everything from the wheels to the snap-front-locks is rugged, and built to last.

Cheap Cheap Cheap Cheap:
I was able to find professional makeup cases online, with comparable size & organizational options, retailing from $150-$900The Stanley Fat Max was about $80, a fraction of the cost. I bought mine at Home Depot, Elizabeth bought hers at Lowes. There is also a smaller version for about $40.

The Stanley Fat Max Workstation has two major drawbacks:

Duct Taped Stanley Work StationIt’s not pretty:
It only comes in one color, and it’s not decorative or polished looking. Understandable; I don’t think Stanley’s target market cares about color-coordinating. Elizabeth spruced hers up with fancy duct tape.

It’s hefty, in every sense of the word:
 Large and filled to the brim with supplies, it’s not easy to lift into my car, or haul up stairs. Fortunately, there are handles on the sides if you need some leverage. I’m no Hulk, and Elizabeth is a skinny-minny, but we’ve made it work. Lift from your legs!

Finally, a kit as tough as you are!

-Caitlin

Duct Tape Friendly Painters

A marketing term we used to use in my marketing 101 class was product extension. Product extension is a tactic used to rejuvenate a product image or find new ways to sell products. Arm and Hammer is the king of product extension. You can use Arm and Hammer to clean your floors, make your own detergent, keep the odor from building in your fridge and the list goes on!
Duct Tape IdeasThe newest front runner of the product extension game is duct tape. The marketing geniuses at the Duck Duct tape company have revamped their line and introduced colorful duct tape. I think they created it with us artists in mind. The duct tape craze is sweeping the world. There are blogs and over 10,000 pins on pintrest about duct tape DIY crafts.

The new duct tape colors are awesome for creating and dressing up all things face and body art. Below is a kit embellished with colorful duct tape. The kit started off as a wooden box, but my talented artist friend and mentor Donna Hollinshead decided painting it would take too long so she got crafty and duct-tapified her kit. The results were amazing and waterproof!
Duct Tape for the Face PainterDuct Tape for Face PaintersScribbles Face Painting Duct Tape Case

Adding duct tape to your face painting supplies will not only keep others from taking them (because you will know which are yours) but they also add style, a funky flair, and can be a fast and affordable way to make your stuff unique.

As I was browsing on Pintrest I also found an awesome duct tape display idea. If you are just getting started or need an affordable way to create a display board then this is such a cool way. Take a box of Ziploc bags and your favorite duct tape and lay them flat and start taping the front together and make sure to leave the back open.
Duct Tape Face Painting Display Board
You can slip in and out the pictures you want to use and you will also have a fast, easy, lightweight display board for under $12!

Product extension isn’t exclusive to just household products. Start thinking about yourself and your business and how you can capitalize from product extension. You offer face painting services and you know a lot of cheerleaders, cheerleaders love to perform and love glitter eyes. You can do that! Extend yourself into new arenas and watch yourself grow to new levels.

Happy Painting! -Silly Heather

Happy Feet | Taking Care of Your Feet

When I first began face painting I would sit and paint the kids. They would either sit on another chair in front of me or stand. Sitting not only hurt my buns but I also started getting a hunch back from hovering over the kids. Then one day someone introduced me to the director’s chair. It was heaven, I no longer painted as Quasimodo and I felt better on the job. Soon after training myself to paint standing up, I realized my back wasn’t hurting as much but my feet started to scream for HELP!

So I invested in 2 crucial items; a pair of crocs and a gel mat. I had been on the “I hate crocs” bandwagon for a long time but after receiving them as a gift, wearing them, and LOVING them for long jobs I invested in another pair.[clear]Crocs

Crocs come in several styles, and really bright colors. Crocs are excellent for face painters. [clear]Anti Fatigue Mat

The other thing I invested in is a gel mat. Gel mats are used in barbershops, kitchens, and they are also known as anti fatigue mats. Sometimes it can be a pain to bring with me, but when I am doing a long gig, I will haul it. The gel mat creates a cushion beneath my crocs and it really adds support on my back.[clear]

I love my director’s chair, but I find that parents expect me to lift their children into my chair. The lifting of the kids along with the long hours of standing can really hurt your back, so having a gel mat and good shoes can be a life saver.

Black Sequin Shoes

On a final note, if you are not the crocs type of person, I found some really super cool, sequin sneakers that not only look professional with my bedazzled Face Artist shirts, but they are comfortable too. I added a gel insert from Dr Scholls and now I can paint all day and feel good after the job ends. [clear]

Happy Painting!

-Silly Heather

Hide your Baby Wipes | Using Materials Wisely

If you are like me then you can’t do a job without baby wipes. Baby wipes are an essential part of my kit because they let me clean my hands, clean my paints, and wipe down a child if they have cotton candy and cheetos stuck on their face.

Baby Wipes

Wasting Money
After spending about $60 in baby wipes one month I realized I was doing something wrong. I have always left my baby wipes on my face painting table so they were easily accessible to me. BIG mistake! I started noticing that parents and kids help themselves to my baby wipes to clean their hands, their faces, eat pizza, and wipe down their strollers.  I never mind helping someone if they need a wipe and they don’t have anything else, but when I become the baby wipe dispenser and I noticed the difference in my wallet, I realized I needed to create a better set up.

That weekend I decided to revamp my set up, to not include my baby wipes on the table, and create a space that was conducive, inviting, professional and practical. I invested in a large bottle of hand sanitizer, bedazzled my mirror, and combined a few colors in my kit to make my space more presentable. The results were amazing.

My new space consists of my face painting kit, my business card holder, my large bottle of hand sanitizer and my brush bin with brushes. I made a pretty sign that I taped to the front of my hand sanitizer that says Clean is Cool! Help yourself to hand sanitizer and spread the words not the germs. I believe that when parents see the hand sanitizer they feel comfortable with me because they know that practicing good hygiene is a priority and that I care about the health of others. And I am also saving lots of money on my baby wipes supply. Win win! Happy Painting.

-Silly Heather

New Year, New You? | The Power of Presentation

January is typically the slowest month for face painters besides the incredibly hot summer months. This is the best time to re-invent yourself and re-vamp your overall presentation.
When you buy a new dress or shirt, you feel brand new when you step out in it. The same principals apply to your business.
My favorite face painting table recently bit the dust after 12 years. I have searched long and hard for a table just like it but the manufacturer no longer makes them. The perfect table can make or break your face painting set up.

As I was browsing the local camping store I found an awesome replacement table from Bass Pro. It is light weight, compact, sturdy, and affordable.

Bass Pro Medium Folding Camp Table

My old table cover didn’t fit my new table so I decided to revamp my set up and invest in a new table cloth to complete my overall new look. So I went to Joanne fabrics and bought 2 yards of sparkly fabric and a piece of black vinyl and had a friend sew me a new table cloth. The total investment with the table, fabric and friends sewing fee was $98.

As I broke open my new table on January 1, I felt like a new me! As silly as it sounds, adding something new can re-energize you and give you a fresh start. Investing in your business should be a top priority, the more you put in the more you get out. Laws to live by.

The folding table can be purchased at Bass Pro Shop, via: http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Medium-Folding-Camp-Table/product/10207189/68320

The folding face painters chair can be purchased at Silly Farm, via: http://www.sillyfarm.com/store/index.php?p=product&id=2973&parent=407