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

The Green Brush Part 1: Introduction

The Green Paint Brush with Heather Green

This is the first installment in The Green Brush, a Marketing and Business tips and tricks series by Heather Green. sponsored by Silly Farm Supplies.

Why

I have spent the past six years making youtube videos on face painting to help you to become better painters, but I totally neglected that being the best painter isn’t good enough. It’s like living on McDonald’s, but then working out every day of the week. You have to combine business skills with talent in order to achieve a winning combination…. So I am dedicating one video blog a month to helping you improve your business, grow your business, and answer your questions.

What

What makes me qualified to be in a position to give advice? For those of you that don’t know me… My name is Heather Green and I am the owner of Silly Farm Supplies, the creator of FABAtv, the co-producer of the FABAIC, publisher of the FABA Blog, a business partner for My FAB Events, a mom, a friend, a face & body painter, and the First Lady of Greater St Mark Ame church. I have been painting for 15 years, have grown my companies into something I am very proud of. I spend much of my time researching, reading, and investing in learning how to be a successful entrepreneur. My goal is to condense my findings into useful information and business advice that you can use and make money from. I feel my face painting Youtubes and teaching style have been so well received because I take a lot of concepts from all the classes I have taken and simplify it to make it attainable for all levels of painters. I want to do that in the business sense too.

Who

My business video blogs are meant to help anyone, not just painters, but all entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. I know that watching my face can be boring, but hopefully the content will make it all worth it.

When

My goal is to publish video blogs at least once a month. If you like them I will try my hardest to post 2 a month.

So what’s on the agenda for today?

Getting Started

In order to get ourselves in the business frame of mind there are a few things you need to do to get started on the right path.

Start with time management…. There is a direct correlation between time spent/ invested and success. When I bought silly farm almost 9 years ago I told myself I wouldn’t take a paycheck until we were out of the red. I face painted on the weekends and used that money to live. I didn’t mind working 19 hours a day, and I believe that my time spent obsessing, building, growing Silly Farm is the reason we have grown from 2 employees to 27 employees. If you are only spending two hours a week improving your company, investing in yourself as an artist, or your phones aren’t ringing like you would like then it’s time to take a look at how you are spending your time. I wrote the book on No Time. I get up at 5:00 am, go to the gym, get home to get my son ready for school, go to work, go home, feed him, bathe him, and then go back to work. Now my life style isn’t for everyone, but if you don’t make the time, you can’t expect the results.

Start by dedicating one hour a day to yourself and your business. Spend an hour emailing customers, or taking a class on FABAtv, or seeking new leads. If you invest an hour each day it’s easier to increase the time you spend on your business daily without feeling overwhelmed.

Setting Goals

How many times have you said to yourself I just want to loose 10 lbs or 20lbs? How many times have you said tomorrow I am going to eat better and start laying weight? For better or worse, goals are a huge part of the human psyche. Goals are important because they help create vision and focus. Set, type, and print your goals, make them visible at all times so that you don’t loose sight of what you are working towards. When I launched fabatv I printed a paper out that said 1,000 subscribers … Ready set go! Every morning I looked at my goal and within 9 months I reached my goal. I wish I could say the same about these last 8 baby pounds, but I won’t be too critical. If you make a goal to book five new parties a month, or a goal to save 30% of all your take home, then you keep it where your mind continuously views it. Then you will train yourself to keep the pot at the end of the rainbow in mind. Don’t let your goals become out of sight and out of mind.

Invest in Yourself and Your Business

We learn from others and feedback is essential! Please like and share this post if it helped you. Leave a comment below or send me an email if you have any questions! Who knows, maybe your question will be on the next video!

The Green Brush Part 2: Marketing Mindframe

The Green Paint Brush with Heather Green
This is the second installment in The Green Brush series sponsored by Silly Farm Supplies. Marketing and Business tips and tricks by Heather Green. Heather is the CEO and Owner of Silly Farm Supplies, an international supplies shop for face and body art. Heather is also the co-producer for the Face and Body Art International Convention.

In this segment of The Green Brush I will show you how to get into the Marketing Mind frame.

I breakdown the FREE steps to marketing your business and introduce the 4 P’s which I will explain in detail in future segments.

Marketing & Sales GraphMarketing and Sales are not synonymous, they compliment each other,. You don’t have to fear marketing your business. Marketing is relationship building. Marketing is taking the time to get to know how you can best service your clients. I will guide you on how to achieve effective marketing campaigns.

I urge you to choose a soundtrack that gets you motivated; to get in a working mode and pursue new business avenues.

I also explain sources of free marketing including grass roots campaigns and getting yourself organized to be able to effectively follow up leads. I have created a “Follow Up Form” for you to download and use free of charge. My goal with this form is to help you keep better records, so that you can keep in touch with your customers and build better relationships.

[button type=”ambitious_button” url=”http://www.fabablog.com/wp-content/uploads/forms/event-followup-form.xlsx” target=”” ]Download Follow Up Form(Excel Format)[/button]

I am focused on helping you create and build a business you are proud of. I hope you enjoy this segment of The Green Brush and I encourage you to share your ideas, stories and business successes. Please leave me a comment with your ideas or questions and don’t forget to like and share this article with your friends!

5 Tips for Budding Entrepreneurs

By no means do I assert that I am no longer “budding” – I remain deeply entrenched in my fledgling status – but I would like to share with you some words that have stuck with me in this journey. Some pearls of wisdom fall on deaf ears, but some seem to ring loudly just when we need them. These are the ear-piercing bits, the ones that resonated with me and shaped my outlook on business.

“Work hard now, coast later.”0acf4f8b2a5234f6fbb4932589da5245
-Mr. Hikel
This was the mantra of my first boyfriend’s dad, which he gave me a solid lecture on during freshman year of High School. Climb towards your goals with all the tenacity you can muster, and you’ll be able to coast on your successes later. The longer I adhered to this, the more obvious it became that the people who work so fervently towards their aspirations don’t actually intend on ever stopping to “coast”, but the point was that success grows exponentially, and hard working people tend to get swept into wonderful opportunities.

“I could be getting in on the first floor of…Google!”
-Claire Stoddard
I’ve always had a penchant for business, starting around 14 years old. The first business I opened was for a clothing line, and I asked some close friends and family for assistance with seed money. Turns out that banks aren’t keen on giving 14 year olds loans. Claire wrote me a check for $500; I was astonished that one person was willing to fork over that much to my measly operation. The quote above was her response, and it was profound for me to consider. It made me realize that if she had so much faith in me, I should too. I assumed it was impractical to aim high, but who’s to say that you won’t end up at the top of the food chain one day?

“Automate it.”
-Dan Gargano.
Dan is a tech savvy fellow who completely redesigned the way I look at business from both an internal and external perspective.  His main focus was to automate, streamline, and simplify as many aspects of his business as possible. I didn’t realize how much energy I was expending towards menial tasks; now I operate with automated email templates, payment systems, databases, and have more time to devote to core functions. Dan also made killer sales pitches and owned the room when he walked in, which would be especially impressive if you could see how mousy and young he looked. I’ve done my best to assimilate his well-dressed confidence into my own life, and started making a point of surrounding myself with other powerful people who I could learn from by example.

“Realize that Despite Your Worst Fears, You are now a Salesperson”
-Kurt Johnson
This quote was part of a longer, and very insightful article that I highly recommend. I briefly worked retail sales, and it was certainly not my forte. I refused to harass passer-bys, felt awkward during my sales pitch, and not even a commission bonus could convince me to do cold calls. But when you run 97e31e6c8ed196012fb09ba7307d896eyour own business, you’re head of the sales department. And marketing department. And secretary. Embrace it! Find ways to promote yourself that are within your comfort zone, but also make a point of stepping outside the box from time to time. You have to become wonderful at all aspects of business, and you don’t really have much of a choice!

 “A good entrepreneur is a heat seeking missile”
– Josh Kopelman
I read this on a website while researching investors, and it was like that missile hit my brain. BOOM. My days of running a business tentatively were over. With renewed determination, I decided all of my goals were within reach, and that my business was going to succeed because I would give everything to make it happen. On hard days, days when I’m tired or feeling burnt out, I remember this quote and it pulls me through.
“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
-Kim Demulder
I’ve worked with Kim frequently over the last four years. He’s an incredibly talented artist with a big smile and a bounce in his step. He’s worked for DC Comics and is currently teaching at the Joe Kubert School of Graphic Arts and Cartooning in Dover, NJ. He’s spouted off this saying to students for at least the few years, and it seems to have done well by him. Remember that whatever your current business venture is, that you’re in it because you love it. That’s ultimately the end game here – to do so much of what we love that people start to pay us for it. The money is great, but the art is better.

Keep on keepin’ on, friends!
-Caitlin

Supporting Your Industry

Christmas OrnamentsThis Christmas was the most laid back Christmas in my 30 years on this planet. I don’t think I entered a department store or waited in a line. My mother kept asking me if I wanted to go shipping with her and I kept telling her I was done and all the presents were wrapped. This year I did 100% of my shopping online. While some people like my mom think I am nuts, I believe that you have to support your industry. As the owner of an online store, I feel that by shopping online I do my part to support my industry. Not only do I invest in online retailers, I use the experience as a chance to do research, gather ideas, and learn ways to improve our Silly Farm store.

I ordered a set of baby shower invitations from a site called SimplyBabyStuff.com. The transaction of personalized invitations was simple, easy and I loved the overall look of the site. But that wasn’t the best part. The invitations arrived quickly and were gorgeous, but that isn’t the best part either! The best part was one week after the baby shower I received a hand written note that said, “Heather, we hope the baby shower was a success and that everyone enjoyed themselves. If you ever need our services again please don’t hesitate to give me a call or email, always happy to help. Have a great day and thank you for shopping with Simply Baby Stuff.”

I was blown away. I consider myself a customer service junkie and I was so impressed with my card. Sometimes the service after the sale is what counts the most.

Thank you cardSomething as simple as a thank you card, left the best feeling in my mind and I will forever use simplybabystuff.com. Granted, I could have walked into a card shop and received great service, but I didn’t. I learned a very valuable lesson from shopping online. I learned through my experience that just because there was not a personal exchange of goods, that doesn’t mean you can’t make the sale personal. I have incorporated their style into my own business practices. Every month I send several handwritten notes to our customers just saying thank you and reminding them I am here if they need me. I use every opportunity to learn and improve.

I encourage each of you support your industry. I am a crazy birthday person. I love birthdays, or any reason to celebrate for that matter. Each year I plan a super-duper birthday extravaganza for my son. I feel an obligation to give him the best parties because of the field I am in. Because I have been in the “biz” for so long I have a lot of friends that would gladly offer their face painting services for free for my sons party, but I will not let it happen. I am not rich and I didn’t win the lotto, but I like supporting our artists and I don’t mind hiring them. I think it’s good to support our industry and give artists work. When I book them for my party I don’t book them under my name. I use an alias so they don’t feel guilty. I prepay them so I know they can’t be mad after the fact, but I do this so that I get to experience being on the other end of the service industry. I watch and observe, will they show up on time? Will they stay later if they don’t finish every kid? Do they eat on the job? Do they bring their own table and chair? Many of the people I hire are friends and I already know how they operate, but it’s nice to see them in action when they don’t know the client.

By supporting artists, internet shopping, and supporting industry events I feel that I am giving back to the people that have given so much to me. Even if Amazon never places an order with Silly Farm, I believe that the universe creates a cycle of giving & receiving and I get included because I did my little piece.

My handsome husband is the Pastor of the Greater St. Mark AME Church and after every service during the benediction he reminds us that when you give in abundance you are setting yourself up to receive a harvest. You can’t expect that business will bloom without investing in both your business and your industry. I encourage everyone to make it a habit to support one facet of your life each day. Whether its posting a friendly compliment to a fellow painter on Facebook, volunteering for a cause, or supporting small businesses.

Mind ToolI will conclude with this little word of advice. Your mind is the most powerful tool in the world. When you manifest your beliefs they can become reality if you invest enough energy into them. Make giving your motto, make support a daily piece of your vocabulary and you will be surprised at how many doors open.

Happy painting!

Colorful Snow Leopard : Video Tutorial

Colorful Snow Leopard This fantastic feline design is quick and easy to pull off! Watch the video below for my tutorial on this leopard face painting. So what are you waiting for? Grab your Rainbow Cakes, a Bam stencil, and you’re already half way finished! This design is perfect for little girls, and just change the color scheme up and it fits boys was well!

Products Used

  • Moondance Rainbow CakeRainbow cakes are multi-colored containers of paint manufactured by Silly Farm. I started this feline face painting with one of the newer Silly Farm rainbow cakes, Moondance.

  • Pre-Cut Paradise Sponges These pre-cut paradise sponges are made out of high-density foam and are great for applying your arty brush cake or rainbow cake. Sponges are great to pair with stencils as well!

  • Gold Grip #4 Round Brush - at Silly Farm Supplies The Gold Grip brushes are a standard in face painting. These brushes are an excellent investment as the bristles last long and do not wear out as quick as other brands. This Gold Grip #4 Round is one of my favorite brushes.

  • Bad Ass Mini Stencil (BAMS) 1008 Cracks - at Silly Farm Supplies Bad Ass Mini Stencils are amazing stencils for face & body art, created by Andrea O’Donnell of Skincognito Makeup Art Studio & Supply. You can use these stencils for face painting or body art using a sponge, brush, or airbrush. The one I used is BAM 1008.

  • Wolfe Face Art & FX Aquacolor White - face paint at Silly FarmWolfe FX is a staple in the FABA industry. If you haven’t heard of this brand of face paint, I suggest you try some as soon as you can get your hands on it. Wolfe white & black is highly regarded as the best white & black for face painting.

  • Mama Clown White Fairy Dust Glitter Mama Clown’s world famous cosmetic glitter. This polyester glitter is safe for all your face & body art projects. White Fairy Dust just happens to be one of our best sellers.

Sticker Stencils for Face Painting

lea-reverse-star-stencilThe Tattooed Lady is back with some helpful tips & tricks for your next face painting gig! Have you ever arrived to an event only to realize you forgot your face painting stencils? Check out Léa’s unique fix for this dilemma.

Fortunately for Léa, missing her star shaped stencil wasn’t the end of the world. Realizing she had star shaped stickers, she improvised and was able to discover a new use out of those otherwise ordinary stickers.

Applying the sticker to the area where the stencil would have gone, Léa was able to create a negative star design using her new sticker stencil! A negative design is one without paint and where only skin is making up the area of the design.

Incorporating this newly found face painting skill, Léa has put together a tutorial on her reverse stencil technique! Head on over to The Tattooed Lady’s blog to watch the full tutorial and expand your face painting tricks!

[button type=”ambitious_button” url=”http://www.thetattooedlady.ca/blog/reverse-stencil-face-painting-with-stickers” target=”” ]Read more & Watch the Tutorial[/button]

Top 20 Must-Haves for Face Painters

As I travel the world I get to meet the best of the best tackle tarts. Tackle tarts are paint hoarders that must have and buy everything related to face painting. I love tackle tarts because they keep Silly Farm in business, however I hate to see things go to waste. Some of you have so much paint that you couldn’t use it in two lifetimes. Then I meet painters that have a hodge podge of this and that, and they are still trying to find the perfect kit and set up.

The perfect kit does not exist, nor does the perfect brand. You will have to kiss a few paint frogs in order to find the products that transform your art into a Picasso or you can read my list of 20 Must haves for painters and hopefully I can save you money and time kissing those frogs!

  • 20) A mesh laundry bag to hold sponges.
    Sponges are lightweight, fly away and are easily lost. I store my sponges in a laundry bag so they don’t fly away and it makes it simple to wash them after a gig.
  • 19) Baby Wipes and not the cheapy ones either!
    When buying baby wipes try to make sure they don’t have a lot of fragrance or are rough on the skin. That way you protect your paints and don’t leave fibers in them. You can also clean the children or your hands without smelling like a baby booty.
  • 18) Business Cards on your table!
    If your goal is to generate more business and solicit new clients, don’t make them do the work. Have your cards and your contact info readily available so they can find you, book you and PAY you.
  • 17) An Acrylic Mirror.Large Acrylic Mirror
    A GOOD mirror too! Would you buy an invisible Mercedes? Probably not, so why would you paint a masterpiece and not be able to show it off? Look for an acrylic mirror at least the size of a sheet of paper. You want your clients to look in the mirror and go WOW, not scramble for a lip gloss mirror at the bottom of their mom’s purse. The reason I mention an acrylic mirror is to avoid 7 years of bad luck as acrylic mirrors are less fragile and clean easier.
  • 16) Bandaids.
    I have saved the lives of paper cut wounded children and was praised as a hero just because I carry bandaids with me. You would be surprised how far a bandaid can go and how you can save the party.
  • 15) A Gallon of Water.
    In order to keep my set up looking clean and keep parents happy with my hygiene practices, I dump my dirty water quite often. To avoid running to the sink every time I need a fresh cup, I carry a gallon of water with me to ensure enough clean water for the entire length of my gig. Clean is the new cool!
  • 14) A Table and Chair.
    It wasn’t until I stepped into the role of party mom that I realized how crazy you are when you are hosting a birthday party for your kid. You want everything to be perfect and you want the least amount of problems thrown your way. When I hire a professional and pay professional rates I expect them to come ready to go, and I expect that they have a table and chair to do their job. A table and chair is part of the required materials in order to complete their duties. The last thing I want to do when I am hosting a party is stop greeting my guests to find a table for the face painter. Being prepared is essential and gives you a professional look.
  • 13) Table Cloth.
    If you want to charge like a professional you need to look like one. I carry my face painting kit, my purse, my gallon of water and other stuff to my job. When I set up I store everything under my table and cover it all up with a nice glittery table cloth. My clients like it because I look professional and I love it because it hides all the things I don’t want kids to touch or mess with.
  • 12) A Smile.
    A smile is the only curve that sets everything straight. Remember, we sell smiles. If you yourself aren’t wearing one, how do you expect your clients to feel? Put your bad day aside when you are on the job and remember to smile because its contagious!
  • 11) Water Bottle, Snacks, and Gum.
    Especially for those long gigs! I have painted at events for 6+ hours and thank goodness I always pack a little something to nibble on and drink during the event. While it feels inhumane to paint on your feet for 6+ hours, sometimes we get carried away. Having a little snack in your pocket can make a huge difference. I try to keep granola bars or raisins in my pocket to help me along the way and keep myself energized. I also bring some water for me to drink on the job so that I don’t have to rely on the host of the party to offer me a drink. Especially during the summer months!
  • 10) Brush Tub.Brush Tub - Brush Caddy & Water Basin
    I LOVE LOVE LOVE my brush tub. I have always had trouble losing my brushes, or them rolling around on my table. I love this brush tub because I can stand my brushes up in the right direction and it has 3 compartments. I always keep one compartment with clean water to use with my q-tips for the lips. The other compartment has ridges at the bottom that help me clean excess paint residue from my brushes. It’s a good size to travel with and easy to clean!
  • 9) Q-tips.
    The best way to apply lipstick is by using a q-tip. This way you don’t have to use your brush on everyone’s lips and you can keep your brushes more sanitary. A little hint to get the glitter to stay longer on the lips. Add a little Vaseline over the lipstick and then dab glitter on. Your model will have glittery lips for a while.
  • 8) Good Round Brushes. Round Brushes
    By now most of you know I am a Gold Grip fan. The Gold Grip brushes are my personal favorites because they hold their point after repeated use in water and the bristles are chiseled to a fine point. The hairs rarely start going awry unless you leave them immersed in water, and they hold paint nicely. Round brushes are the most commonly used brushes by face painters and having a few GREAT rounds in your kit will make a HUGE difference in your line quality.
  • 7) An assortment of Arty and Rainbow Cakes. Multi-colored Paints, Rainbows, Art Cakes, ect
    Even if you just buy one arty and one rainbow cake it will be worth the investment. You would be surprised how much faster you can paint when you can put down five background colors at once. My new personal favorite rainbow cake is the Hippie and Moon Dance Rainbow Cake. They are WOW! I also can’t live without my Bright Leaf and Juicy Fruit Arty Cakes. Rainbow and Arty cakes are impressive to have on your table because parents look at your supplies and think you have a secret product only available to painters. They are also amazed at what it does and really are blown away. I load my table with rainbow and arty cakes because it also shows the parents that I have products they can’t just buy at WalMart or Party City. The products I am using are sold at the super exclusive, Painters Paradise, Silly Farm Supplies. Only painters can shop there (Just kidding).
  • 6) Sponges.Sponges & Specialty Brushes
    In order to apply base coat or to cover a large area, you will want to use face painting sponges. I suggest keeping them in the mesh bag mentioned earlier so you don’t loose them. Cutting them in half is another great way to extend their life and get the most out of them. This way you will also have a nice flat surface to blend with and cover a large area. If you plan on buying sponges from a craft store, make sure they; are soft to the skin, don’t fall apart when used in water, and don’t itch the skin.
  • 5) Cosmetic Glitter.Cosmetic Glitters
    Nothing finishes a face painting design quite like some sparkle. While some people see glitter as the STD of the craft world, I see it as essential as a Visa card. Never leave home without it! If you have to choose just one glitter, I would suggest the White Fairy Dust. The white fairy dust is the most practical because it can go over any color without covering the design. If you want to get fancy then I suggest having a pink, gold, and lime green glitter too to dress up your lips, leaves and tigers. If you purchase your glitter from a craft store please make sure it is safe to use on the skin. Make sure it is a cosmetic grade glitter, made from polyester not metallic. Metallic glitter can be harmful in the eyes and cause the child to feel itchy.
  • 4) Brush Bath.Brush Cleaner, Sanitizer, Conditioner
    It took me 4 years to work with a chemist to come up with a formula that was non toxic, safe for the skin, organic and that can be used while we face paint. Brush bath is a water sanitizer and brush conditioner. You can use it while you face paint to keep your water fresh in between rinses, and it also conditions the bristles while you rinse. It does not contain any alcohol and it is 100% safe on the skin. Adding rubbing alcohol to your face painting water does not have any affect or serve a purpose. If you don’t use Brush bath, I recommend using baby shampoo, but only a very little.
  • 3) Starblend Powders.
    Powders can be just as useful and time saving as using rainbow cakes. The powders serve as a fast background color without having to use a damp sponge. Powders are applied dry with a smoothie blender which allow for fast and smooth application. I love using the red starblend for Spiderman, it has saved me so much in paint and time!
  • 2) Gems.Acrylic Gems
    Gems are like my secret weapon. When a child doesn’t want to get painted, I whip out my gems and make a child’s day! Gems can be used to create a necklace, crown, or a pretty bracelet. Its funny, but something as simple as a gem can leave a lasting memory with both the child and parent. They are inexpensive, but can take your face painting to the next level.
  • 1) Professional Grade Face Paint.Professional Grade Face Paint
    A painter cannot paint without paint. It’s a must. I’m not going to sell you on any one brand, I would rather just push you in the direction of using skin safe, cosmetic grade face and body make up. Avoid acrylics, avoid grease make up that is hard to remove for kids, and set yourself up with a kit that looks professional, allows you to paint like Van Gough, and that you are proud to use on your own skin. Keep your paints clean, build a kit around the colors and designs you like to paint the most, and mix and match your favorite brands. I promise you will love your kit when it becomes a reflection of you.

If I missed anything on my list, send us an email or leave a comment below! Happy Painting !

Sweet Treats

Sweet TreatsIf only each of you reading this blog could have been a fly on the wall the day I bought Silly Farm. If only each of you could see where we started and how far we have come, you would look at Silly Farm in a whole new light. But my road to success wasn’t paved with gold, but rather it’s a road built of Starbucks, birthday candles, ladies nights, caring, sharing, and sweet treats.

Allow me to explain:
Your company is only as good as the team that runs it. Man power is powerful, teamwork is essential, and treating the people that work within your company with respect and appreciation can be your GPS to success.

We have a ritual at Silly Farm. When someone is celebrating a birthday we each pitch in money, sign a great big card, celebrate with cake, balloons, and flowers and a roaring, pitchy version of Happy birthday. We stop what we are doing, put aside the work, and take those 20 minutes to acknowledge and appreciate the relationship we have as fellow ‘farmers’. These rituals create loyalty, love, and devotion within our walls. Silly Farmers know that we are a family, and when a family stays together they can move mountains.

Happy Birthday at Silly Farm

Many of you might be operating as a one man show, and some of you have grown your businesses to new levels. Some of you have several employees working underneath you. Regardless of the level of your business, treating your employees right can be the push that gets you over the hump. Simple gestures like an employee movie night, or surprise Starbucks day, shout to your employees that they are important. At the end of the day people want to feel validated, and sweet treats are sure fire ways to make someone feel special.

Starbucks Day at Silly Farm
Rewarding Silly Farm

I had a great talk with a fellow entrepreneur in the previous month, and she was telling me that she is so grateful for her staff. They were working so hard and treated her business as if it was their own. She was saddened because she could not afford to give them a raise at that moment, because she needed to invest in a new processor. So I told her about our Team Twilight (yes, the movie) parties. Everytime a new Twilight movie premieres I sponsor a dinner date with the girls. We dress up, wear our shirts, and have a blast. So, my friend decided to surprise her staff with a dinner date to the karaoke bar, dinner, and a $25 gas card to each employee. It cost her about $700 in all, but the goodwill and enthusiasm it created could not be quantified.

If you truly want to grow your company, you need to start at the top and work your way down. The same way you want your customers to be happy with your services, you want your employees to feel important. Start at the top, set the standard of paying it forward, praising good work, saying please and thank you, sending handwritten notes, and random sweet treats will build the foundation for a strong business.

Silly Farm Supplies

Thank you for supporting my blog. Individually we are one drop, together we are a bucket of paint! Happy painting! Leave a comment below and tell us how you treat your employees!

P.S. Make sure to check out FABAtv, Silly Farm, and the new FaBAIC convention info. :)

Selling a Smile

Last month I spent almost $200 to see one of my favorites DJ’s perform at a night club on Miami Beach. I fought myself when buying the ticket because I think paying $200 for general admission is ridiculous, but I have been waiting for years to see Tiësto up close and live.

So I saved my tips from my face painting jobs and treated myself. My sister and I got there early, we wiggled our way to the front of the dj booth, and 2 hours later we were waiting patiently for Tiësto to take the stage. I was so excited that I ignored the fact my feet were burning from my ‘too cute to walk in’ heels. Another hour passed and still no sign of Tiësto. It was now 2 am. I was irritated, tired, and questioning why I wasted $200 to see someone that might not even show up.

TiëstoAt that moment, Tiësto and a cannon of confetti lit up the club. I couldn’t believe I was 2 feet away from the world famous DJ Tiësto. With one glance at is face, I was no longer upset. All my feelings were swept away in a glow stick trance and all I could focus on was the biggest smile on his face. Tiësto spun for 5 hours after that. By 7 am I was almost in a coma from being so tired and deaf. I took a picture of Tiësto right before he left the stage and he had the same kool aid smile 5 hours later. I began thinking to myself, “He really loves what he does, it’s written all over his face”.


Heather in HollandI’m writing this blog from 30,000 feet in the air. I’m heading home after teaching three awesome classes in Holland. I asked the organizer of the classes why he wanted me to teach and not the other great talents of our industry, and he said because the people of Holland call me smiley. They enjoy the fact that I smile from start to finish while I teach and always welcome them with a smile. I never really thought about it, but a smile can be a game changer.

A smile speaks a thousand words in any language. A simple smile can invite someone to conversation, cut the tension, welcome communication, and make someone feel important.

One of my favorite business role models, Jeffrey Gittomer, once advised to put a mirror in front of your office phones and look at yourself when you are talking to customers. Try to smile the whole way through the conversation and see how different the conversation will be. Our faces wear our emotions, so when you are frowning, in a bad mood, or can’t muster a grin, the customer can feel it. So, that mirror still sits on my desk. I practice a smile every day. As silly as it sounds, I contribute much of my success to my smile. (Time to get Veneers, lol)

Wearing and using a smile is a small move in the right business direction. Think about times where a good smile has won you over, and how it changed your mood at that moment. Think about Julia Roberts in pretty woman or George Clooney and his seductive grin. Think of President Obama and how he smiles when he looks at his wife and children…. Those moments are contagious and memorable. I know it may sound cliche, but start with the man in the mirror. When you are on your way to a gig, getting ready to knock on the door of a party, or meeting the crazy birthday mom, check your smile first. There is always a reason to smile, let success be the biggest motivator!

Happy painting friends!

How To Get More Business

Creativity Takes CourageThere comes a time in every entrepreneurs journey where the road splits and we have to shift gears from operating as a hobby to full throttle sales. Many of us start off small, clients here and there, passing out the occasional card, and answering calls at our leisure. Problem with that is, at the same time, we have invested in hundreds and even thousands of dollars in supplies that aren’t generating income. So the real question is, “How do I get the business I want and need?”.

*Disclaimer: The thoughts, advice and information provided in this post are solely the opinions of the author and should be followed up with due diligence prior to holding them as truth.
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  1. Determine the level of business you are looking to pursue.
  2. If you want to do the occasional birthday or town event, or if you only want to work one weekend a month, I don’t suggest that you flood the town with business cards. If you are looking to work every weekend and possibly a restaurant or two during the week, then your strategy will differ. Some of us have BIG plans for our face painting businesses. We want to bring in the bucks, book tons of good paying gigs, and paint till our hands hurts. But it’s important to weigh the pros and cons. Typically a face painters busiest days of the week are Saturday and Sunday, which are also the days we like to spend with family, catch up on house chores, or attend our own personal events. Are you ready to commit your weekends to work? If you are, I will tell you how to get more business, but if you don’t want the responsibility of booking, invoicing, inventory, and working on the weekends, then you will want to consider working through an agent that will book you based on availability.

  3. There are no shortcuts to being successful in business.
  4. Investing is one of the most crucial aspects of business success and growth. When I refer to investing, I’m not just talking about in product. I am talking about investing your time in marketing (meeting people), volunteering, doing research and learning.

  5. Marketing yourself in most cases is free.
  6. Marketing involves putting your people skills to work. Get out there and network. Talk to your neighbors, teachers, friends, and get involved in your community events. Visit a local family restaurant and offer a family night to drum up business. That alone gives you the opportunity to network with other families in your area. Invest time in people and those people will turn into customers.

  7. Planning can mean the difference between success and failure.
  8. What am I talking about you say? Suppose it’s a busy weekend and you have three parties booked back to back. Rather than waiting until the day of to punch in the addresses in your GPS and drive frantically from event to event, map out your day on Thursday. Call the party mom’s or event managers to confirm locations and ask for any special instructions. Planning early will eliminate the surprise factor that can cause you to run late, mess up an address, or forget about a road closure that may take you 20 miles out of the way.

  9. Research is another core component of being successful.

Creativity is a way of LifeI spend no less than 20-24 hours a week researching trends, color schemes, browsing the web for ideas, new products, reading blogs, answering questions, watching you tube, teaching myself new skills and finding inspiration. If you are a newbie you will want to spend your time browsing the net looking for pricing ideas for your region, local events to market, research what services others are offering and at what prices, and how you can possibly collaborate with local agencies. Being prepared is important because when push comes to shove knowing your worth will mean the difference between ending the day in the red or the black.

Every year I face paint at the largest Hispanic festival in south Florida. Over 100,000 people attend this festival and being prepared pays off. I am hired to face paint the public at no charge. For me it’s a great event because I get paid whether I paint 10 people or 100 people. The difference is that we are allowed to accept tips. So it’s in our best interest to move the line. After several years of doing this event, I have my system down packed. I have a limited display and work from a board. I can paint almost 20 people per hour based on the board designs. I print off the flags of the various Hispanic countries, laminate the sheets and offer them as designs. This formula works to my advantage because I can move quick and my customers are happy.


open your mindLast year a local new painter decided to set up shop at the festival. Her first mistake was that she failed to do her research. One, you have to have a permit and insurance to set up a concession at a city festival. Two, she did not bring a table to set up her supplies, so she asked me to share mine. My client that hired me did not want her painting next to me because she didn’t know if she was using proper materials or had proper paperwork, so she made her move. Later that afternoon I saw the poor girl using an empty box as her table. Third, she didn’t come prepared. She did not have pictures for the people to choose from, she had to “look up” the flags on her iPhone, and she didn’t have extra water to use to change out her cup.

After the festival I walked over to her to talk to her and introduce myself. I handed her my card and told her to give me a call and that I’d help her. At first she seemed put off. Perhaps she was slightly embarrassed or didn’t know what my intentions were, but that call is the reason she is now running a successful face painting business.

If she had taken the time to visit the festival and do her research to find out if there were painters at the festival, what designs they were offering, what they were charging, if she was legally able to just show up and paint, what products they were using, etc.., she would not have faced the embarrassing challenges she brought upon herself.

Lastly, I want to stress the importance of learning. I have taken well over 300 classes on just face painting. I try to use any free time I have to watch a FABAtv lesson. Learning helps you be prepared, helps you service your customers better, and helps you gain an advantages over the other painters that only paint three designs or cheek art. For example, one of my favorite customers called and asked me if I could paint her daughters synchronized swimmers team and she was looking for water proof make up. Luckily for me I had just watched a class by Nix Herrera about airbrush make up application and that gave me the knowledge on what to offer her.

Another time when I was hired to paint at a boy scout convention. I stayed up till 3:00 AM watching classes by Mark Reid, Lynne Jamieson, Sammie Bartko, and Wiser just to brush myself up on the designs boys love. Learning is what engages us to try new things, explore beyond our comfort zone of butterflies and princesses, and can open up doors of possibilities. If you are struggling with speed, invest some time in learning techniques to help you speed up your designs without compromising quality. If you are uncertain about how to file your taxes or incorporate as a business in your state, invest time in reading and learning about it on the SBA website or business blogs. Don’t underestimate the importance of investing in yourself. You are selling yourself and your services. It makes perfect sense to be prepared with the right tools, the right knowledge, and the insight about how to do the best job possible.

Having those tools will certainly take you 10 steps in the right direction to create more sales, gather more clients and grow your business.

I write these articles to share my knowledge and help other artists grow. Please feel free to share you business advice with me and our community of painters. If you wish to write for the Faba Blog, contact us.

Happy Painting!

Creativity never goes out of style

Scared of the Truth

Better not Bitter We all have that friend or partner that asks the dead end question, “Does this dress make me look fat?”, and 99.9 % of us give the answer they want to hear because deep down we know no one wants to hear the truth. The truth might be that, yes, the dress is not flattering. The dress could be the wrong color, wrong length, too tight or just plain ugly, but if you told your friend that you would probably lose a friend and receive a bill in the mail for their therapy sessions.
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Scared of the Truth - Suggestion BoxThis happens in business too. We avoid the potential of hearing the truth because we are scared to hear the negative. When I worked at Chuck-e-Cheese I was responsible for collecting comment cards about my service as a hostess during parties. I was only 15 and super sensitive to all feedback. I dreaded reading the comment cards, and even though I aimed to please and I always felt I did my best, I took every comment personally. Sometimes I would cringe as I read the cards. I was so scared to hear that someone didn’t like me after I gave my all. The great majority of the comments loved my service and I could never understand why I was so uptight about it, but it took me years to get past the fear and to use it to my advantage.

During one summer I interned at a booking agency. We were required to call clients from the weekend and ask for feedback and to rate our service. Most of the calls were not related to my event, but sometimes they were. I would swallow hard, take a deep breathe and call. I would never let the person know I was their painter, because I wanted their honest opinion. I would fill out the survey and then I would make my personal notes.

Outside Your Comfort ZoneHearing the good, bad, and ugly helped me grow as a business person. It helped me improve my services, and think out side my box. One birthday mother said she loved me because I was early and professional, but was disappointed because I couldn’t stay an extra hour. She felt I booked my parties back to back and I didn’t leave her an option of keeping me longer. After that conversation I made it a point to keep 2 hours between events so that I had flexible room to add an extra 30 minutes at the end of a party.
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Another time, I spoke with a birthday mom and she said she loved my face painting but she really wanted balloons as well. I didn’t have a budget to hire both myself and a balloon artist separate, since she only had 12 girls. After that day I took a few balloon classes so that I could offer face painting and balloons to smaller parties.

Customers are looking for businesses that will increase their pleasure or decrease their pain. Work on your plan on how to incorporate those principles into your business practices. Don’t be scared of hearing something that might make you upset, instead formulate questions that will fill you with feedback that helps you grow.

If you ask the question “How did you feel about the quality of the face painting provided?”, that is the same question as asking, “Do I look fat?”. Instead try asking, “How would you rate the face painter on a scale of 1-10?”. Asking rating questions forces the person to think beyond just good and bad and assign a numerical value to their service. A great follow up question to the rating question (if the answer was not a 10) would be, “What can we do to reach a 10?” Not only does a question like this validate the customers concerns and opinion, but it might be your opportunity to gather information that can help you improve your services.

The truth doesn’t always have to hurt, it can be your best business builder.

Happy painting friends.
-Heather

Look the Look & Talk the Talk

Heather Green Working

Last year I made a major breakthrough in my career.
For the past seven years I have worked 7 days a week, sometimes clocking in 95 hour work weeks. It was brutal but a necessary evil in trying to create my dream career. Last year I made the best business decision to date, I hired an assistant! What was I doing before I found Andrew? How did I get everything done and still walk a straight line? Hiring Andrew was the first time I felt like a true legitimate CEO. Even though I have been blessed with a growing business and now employ 22 hard working women (and 3 men), it wasn’t until Andrew took his position that I felt like I made it. When I introduce Andrew I feel accomplished because the term assistant makes me sound professional. Bill Gates has an assistant, and Oprah Winfrey has an assistant, I like putting myself in their category. Truth is that an assistant didn’t change a thing about me or my status, besides lightening my workload, but it gave me the confidence to walk the walk and talk the talk. I’m still the same old Heather, with an organized (messy) desk, old Cheerios under my keyboard (from my 2 year old), and piles of unopened mail.

Professional Business Woman
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you want to be a professional you need to put yourself in the mind frame of a professional. The first person to believe the hype needs to be YOU! Believe it, think it, make it happen. One way to do that is to invent your own manager/ assistant/ agent. Typically birthday mom’s don’t want to go through an agent to hire a face painter for their birthday, but they will be impressed if Jennie your assistant answers the phone and checks your schedule. You are Jennie, you are not you, when booking an event.

  1. Jennie can say no to a free job or a discount.
  2. Jennie knows how to spell out the services you will be providing during your booking.
  3. Jennie creates the illusion that you are so busy and big, that you need an assistant or agent.

Agents and large booking companies like dealing with other professionals. They sometimes see us artists as flaky and dramatic. They feel a level of comfort when they are working with someone that appears organized and thorough.

One time I got myself in a pickle while I was booking a birthday party. After I went over my spiel about how many kids I can paint etc… The mother asked me if I could do better on the price. I told her that I could not offer a discount on my rate but if she needed someone in her price range I could recommend someone else. The mother was so upset and proceeded to fight with me about lowering my price and how I needed to give her a break because she was a single mother. She kept asking me why I couldn’t lower my prices. If Jennie had answered my phone then there would have been no fighting or debating. Point blank, if you want to book Heather, her rates are $150 for the first hour and $100 each additional.

Email Connection
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Another way to walk the walk is to answer your phones and emails. I make it a habit to answer all emails and calls within 24 hours. In most cases the early bird gets the worm, and failing to answer emails can cost you big. On average I receive 100-450 emails daily! Not including my YouTube, Faceboo, and other social media. So I start the morning prioritizing emails. I created blanket answers that I can use to respond to catalog request and shipping quotes, and then I work my way through. Waiting on someone to answer your email is like waiting to get asked to the prom by your crush. Business is business and grabbing the business by the horns will usually seal the deal.

No matter your business goals, conducting business as a professional will pave the road to future possibilities. Spend 15 minutes each day setting goals, verbalizing your vision, and speaking affirmations into existence. Everyday that you invest in walking the professional road, you will be one step closer to making things happen.

Don’t forget to share your stories and ideas with us, I’m a firm believer that we stand to learn the most from each other.

Happy painting my friends!
-Heather

Picture This

Silly Heather GreenI am fortunate to have gigs coming in from all angles. I work with several agents in the south Florida area and they bring me great work. The only downside to it, is that every agency requires a little something different. One agency emails me a gig sheet with directions and more event info than i’ll ever need. While other agencies send me on blind parties and I hold my breathe until the event ends.

About 5 years ago, an agent booked me and it seemed business as usual. Two days prior to the party, I came down with strep throat. Up to that point I had never missed a gig. I pride myself on doing a great job and never letting anyone down, so knowing I had to give my job away was difficult. I called my BFF to cover for me. I called the agency and spoke the the assistant planner and she made the switch. The day of the event I get a call from the birthday mom livid with me. She was upset because the agency had sent her my picture with her contract and she wanted to know why I didn’t show up and why they sent a replacement without notifying her.

I did my best to keep cool and not be reactive, but I didn’t know what shocked me more; The fact the lady had my picture, or the fact that she called to scream at me about it. Long story short, I calmed the lady down, explained my strep throat and told her I would find out from the agency why she wasn’t notified.

The next day I called the agent and told them the story. They told me that they email every client the picture of the entertainer coming to their event so there are no surprises. The owner of the agency told me that because she was sending performers into the homes of high end clients, she wanted the customer to feel safe prior to the event. Her idea made sense to me, surely I’d be more relaxed if I knew that the painter I hired for my kids birthday party wouldn’t show up covered in tattoos and piercings.

The downside to sending a picture in advance is that pictures speak a thousand words. If you send a picture ahead of time and the clients doesn’t like your look it can cost you the job. It is still very common to judge a book by its cover. So if you send a picture of yourself, they will base your talent on your appearance. And you have to be willing to defend your look. The other problem with sending a picture is that you can not change artists at the last minute because the party parents know what you look like. The mom that screamed at me, felt I was trying to scam her. I explained that my BFF was amazing and just as good, and luckily the woman agreed to let her stay. In the end it worked out and it opened my mind.

Sending a picture ahead of time is good customer service. If you have a website with your profile picture or about us page, send the link to your customers. It will allow them to put a face with a name and set their minds at ease. Playing guess who and what will show up at the door is not a fun game. Preparing my customers means happy customers, and I’m all about that.

If you are being booked from an advert or referral and the client has never seen you, giving them a glimpse of what they will get is not only helpful, it can mean building a loyal customer.

If you are going to send a picture, make sure it is event appropriate and that it conveys a professional, accurate portrayal of you. Planning makes perfect and picture perfect can be your way to get noticed!

Happy painting! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! :)

Heather is the CEO of Silly Farm Supplies, a face and body art supplies company located in Davie, Florida.

Looking Good on the Job

So, you have spent the last 6 months practicing tear drops and line strokes. You are pumped and ready to paint the world, but you have no idea what to wear. Do you go the all black route and potentially look like you are painting at a funeral? Do you raid the local thrift store for a funky eclectic variety of tops and bottoms? Do you hire a professional costume designer and create a one of a kind uniform to match your personality?

You can do any of the above, or you can finish reading this blog and hopefully be inspired enough to build a professional wardrobe that compliments you and your image.

Different Do’s for Different Days

Build a work wardrobe just as you would for an office career. Think about the types of events you get hired for and what would be the most comfortable clothing options. For example, I live and work in south Florida. It’s HOT 90% of the year. So, when I was putting together my “birthday party ages 3-7” look, I decided to opt for a cute sundress with light weight leggings and top. My look works great for me because it meets all my requirements.

  • Comfort is essential
  • Do I stand out from a normal guest at the event?
  • If I spill a little paint on my clothes will it show?
  • Do I look like a professional?

Face  Painter Be-Dazzled T-ShirtWhen I put together my “adult event painter look”, I opted for a Bling Body Artist or Face Artist shirt with black pants and either a sequin fuchsia beret or a sparkly head band to set it off. My adult/evening look makes me feel professional, explains my purpose, and sets me apart from the other guests.

You don’t have to spend a million in order to feel like a professional. A nice pair of black pants, comfortable shoes, and making sure your clothing is ironed and clean will speak volumes.

[button type=”button_solid_light nocufon” url=”http://www.sillyfarm.com/store/index.php?p=catalog&parent=318&pg=1″ target=”on” ]Get your Be-Dazzled Artist Shirt from Silly Farm![/button]

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Silly Heather Face PaintingOne key element to completing the look is painting your own face. I believe that adding a little face paint, eye candy, or sparkles is the icing on the cake. When you paint your own face, your customers get a feel for your skills. They are usually impressed you can paint yourself and if you opt for an all black look you can use the face paint as the splash of color. Painting yourself can also be a way to tie in the theme of the event. If you are doing a safari themed party and you add a little cheetah to your eyes, your client will notice and it didn’t cost you a thing!
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When I first started face painting 15 years ago, only clowns were face painting. It was part of the job, they get dressed in a wig and full costume to be hired as a face painter. Today we have options, and part of charging for professional services means looking the part. Birthday moms, event planners, and agents want their artists to look the part. It’s always wise to discuss expectations with your clients.

One of our big accounts is a banking company, where we do a lot of branch grand openings. They are very specific that on the day of the event they want all staff to wear red shirts and khaki pants. As event planners, we organize that all painters and balloon artists have the required clothing. On the other hand, when I am booking birthday parties, I always ask if there is a theme. If not, Silly Heather the face painter will wear professional face painting attire; which is either my floral, festive party dress and leggings, or my sequin beret, colorful waist apron and bling shirt.

If you operate a booking agency, you might want to consider investing in an uniform or purchasing a “look” for all your staff to maintain consistency and professionalism. Whether you get aprons embroidered or shirts screen printed, uniformity correlates to professionalism.

Airbrush Artist

For a nice selection of embroidered clothing check out blackcatembroidery.com or couparcreations.com and tell them Silly Heather sent you!

Please share your work ‘looks’ with us. Let us know why you choose your look and how you went about creating it. Community is our most valuable resource. Sharing with one another helps our industry grow, sets standards, and can open many doors. Thank you for supporting the blog and I can’t wait to see your ‘look’!

Happy painting!
-Heather

Eating on the Job

I work for several different booking agencies. Many of them have it stated in my contract that eating on the job is strictly prohibited, but its sooo hard to ignore the smell of fresh popcorn, sweet cotton candy, grilled hamburgers and all the yummy sweets parties are known for serving.

Face Painting and Eating

It wasn’t until I was photographed at a party with a mouth full of cookie that I decided to put a nix on eating on the job.

  • It was not hygienic to eat near my paints
  • It was rude to be eating will I am being paid to do a job
  • If I wanted to maintain a professional persona then I needed to be prepared on the job which includes eating before a job or arranging a break time to eat outside my painting vicinity.

I get hired to do long events where I might be standing on my feet for over 6 hours. Bending and lifting kids can not only work up a hunger, but food is a must when you are working at such an intense pace. Whenever I have an event booked for longer than 4 hours I always require a 15 minute break and I pack a light lunch that I can eat during my break. I learned this method the hard way, but to this day my method helps me avoid hunger headaches and ensures I am able to do my best job possible.

Because of my Latin roots and the majority of the parties I attend are hosted by latin people, they are always offering me plates of food and sometimes alcohol. Latin people are notorious for demanding that you eat their food and enjoy it. I explain to the host that I do not eat during my jobs, but they can always pack a plate to go. Most of the time I do not want the food they are offering anyways, but letting them know I will take a plate to go kills 2 birds with one stone so that I don’t offend anyone or have to stop painting to eat.

I also do a lot of events that have lavish catered food and I make sure never to assume I am allowed to eat the food until the event planner invites me. Nothing is ruder than standing in line in  front of invited guests and serving yourself a plate of food. I look at myself and a hired guest, and I would not appreciate someone eating from my party without an invitation to do so.

If you are a hiring agent, I suggest writing some general rules to avoid your performers potentially embarrassing you. Make sure to state that there is no eating on the job and that alcohol on the job is strictly prohibited. If the client requests that you eat, you must wait until your contracted time is over or request a plate to go.

By laying down rules you can avoid losing a gig and setting a standard for professional behavior. Sometimes stating the obvious can mean the difference between a headache and a tip. Communicate everything assume nothing. Words to live by.

Happy Painting!

-Heather
Heather is the CEO of Silly Farm Supplies, a retailer of face and body art supplies.

Here’s a Tip

In the US it is customary to tip at a restaurant after your meal, tip the delivery driver when they bring hot pizza to your door, or when someone performs a service worthy of a little something extra. As entertainers, that go above and beyond to “make the party” and bring smiles to kids faces, we often get overlooked in the tip department.

MC Tip Jar

How do you politely remind your customers that your service is tip worthy?

I remember working a gig where I showed up one hour early by accident. Since I was already there and I could see from the parking lot that kids were getting restless, I decided to offer my services early and make the party parents happy. I painted non-stop for three hours. I painted arms, toes, heads and even one girl wanted her nails painted. I was busy! After the party was over, I packed my things and I could hear the husband and wife arguing about my tip. The wife asked the husband for $30 and the husband said “No way I’m giving her a tip. We paid her $300 to be here, that’s a big enough tip!”. The birthday mom came to me embarrassed, not because she knew I overheard, but because she felt embarrassed that her husband was a jerk! She apologized that she had no cash to tip me and that she would mail it to my office. I explained that a good referral was tip enough and I thanked her for having me. That wonderful lady did end up mailing me a $50 tip, I’m sure without her husband knowing. The point of my story was that no matter how hard we work or how superior the service we provide is, we have to remember that a tip is completely optional and each customer will have their opinion about it.

When I send out a contract, on the bottom line I include a note that says, “We strive for excellent service and to give you the best event possible. The greatest tip you can give is a referral to a friend, but if you still wish to tip your painter it is very much appreciated.”

If you want to keep it simple you can put on the last line “Tipping your painter is 100% optional”. That line is almost a hidden message and plants the seed of information in the clients brain without sounding pushy.

No matter how you phrase it, it’s best not to take the tipping process personal. I never attend a gig thinking I’ll get a tip, so when I receive one it’s like icing on the cake!

Putting out a tip jar is also another grey area. When I am hired by a client to do a large event where I am getting paid my full rate I never out out a tip jar. If someone offers a tip I accept and place them out of clear sight. I do not want my client to feel as if I am double dipping. When I am hired at a discount rate, or when I am working for free I build it into my contract that I am able to put out a tip jar. Before you bring your tip jar along, I suggest asking the client if they are comfortable with it.

My last tip for the day. Beyond looking and expecting a tip, focus on doing your best work so that each person at the event spreads the word about you or asks for a business card. Word of mouth travels miles longer than a $20 tip. Some of my cheapest, biggest headache-type clients have referred me to thousands of dollars of business.

Remember customer satisfaction is great, customer loyalty is priceless.

Happy painting my friends!

Painting Inspiration

Face Painted Inspirational Masks

One of the most wonderful things I discovered as an artist was to make myself aware of my surroundings, as inspiration is always there waiting to be discovered. All we have to do is open our eyes and see. The following are some suggestions based on the things I’ve learned to do, to welcome inspiration to flow in my daily life.

LIVE WITH IT

I believe that creative inspiration and abilities can be absorbed by osmosis, and living with it can make us more creative. Surround yourself with as much art as you can afford.

CREATE AN INSPIRING WORK PLACE

Even if you live in a small apartment with five cats, carve out a corner for your art supplies. I keep a palette, brushes, sponges, water container, a few books, magazines, pictures, a small VCR/DVD player, DVD’s, a practice pad and watercolor tablet in a small table next to my favorite chair. I relax by practicing my strokes and by creating new, original designs. As time goes by, it has become a habit that aids me in improving my skills.

A COOKBOOK OF INSPIRATION

Another tool that has helped me a lot is my collection of scrapbooks. Their pages filled with colorful images from magazines, catalogs, advertisements, my own doodles and other painters’ work are a feast of images and ideas. Most creative people thrive on a steady diet of stimuli. Keep your cookbook of inspiration close at hand and cook up amazing new design ideas.


Marcela’s Tips & Tricks

TREAT YOURSELF TO AN INSPIRING DAY

Give yourself an inspiring break. Start by marking the date in your calendar and making the commitment to just do it. Take a full day, a half day or even a couple of hours to search for inspiration. Plan a trip for the artist in you to a museum, a gallery, art store, bookstore or an artsy part of town. You don’t have to buy anything, just observe and take notes. I can guarantee that by the time you get home, you will be looking forward to sitting in your artist workspace to allow the collected inspiration to flow out of you like a waterfall.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Body Painting at FABAIC 2010 Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines. Picasso didn’t get famous by painting realistic portraits and Dali made us look at faces in a brand new way. Dare to change the rules of what you have been taught and see what happens. Buy yourself a new brush, maybe one of an unusual shape and discover what you can do with it on your own. Find ways to combine colors that in your mind don’t match. Fire your critics (especially your inner one) and know that our growth is in trying new things.
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Face Painting Book of ButterfliesWhen I was working on the Face Painting Book of Butterflies, there came a point where I felt that all of the designs were looking very much alike. The next morning while I was sitting by the ocean, I decided to give Jinny a call to ask her for advice. She said to me, “Face painting is fantasy art–anything goes. Think outside the box. Morph your butterflies with another animal or anything that comes to mind. See what happens.” First I didn’t understand exactly what she meant so I decided to close my eyes to meditate on it for a few minutes. When I opened my eyes I saw the most beautiful sunrise and immediately I picked up my drawing pencils and created the sunrise butterfly, which is in the book. The top wings are the colors of the sky at sunrise with a few seagulls decorating it. The bottom wings have the ocean and the beach with a couple palm trees painted in each corner. The sun is the body of the butterfly. It is one of my favorite ones in the book.[clear]

TAKE ART CLASSES

Art classes are inspirational. They help your face and body painting skills to emerge. From one-stroke painting, to ceramics or watercolors, art is art. Inspiration abides in experimenting with all types of art forms.
You can usually find your favorite artists traveling and teaching. Attend one of their classes, or go to a convention to really boost your skills. With the internet ever expanding, it has become easier then ever to find and take a workshop, even taking online classes like FABAtv.com.

FABAIC 2012 - Face Painting, Body Painting, Airbrush Art

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Feeling good is also a form of inspiration. Our physical condition and frame of mind are essential raw materials because the source of creativity lives deep within our souls. Taking care to be healthy in body, mind and spirit makes us more receptive to the gifts of inspiration that surround us. Make a list of things you can do that will help you snap out of a low day. Take a candle lit bath, listen to your favorite music, eat fruits and chocolate, go for a walk, read a good book, hug somebody or make a list of all the things in your life that you are grateful for. Say Thank YOU! Then enjoy your artistic work place as you relax and paint!

-Marcela Murad
Co-Producer of the Face and Body Art International Convention

Leave a comment below and tell us what you do to get inspired.