So, you’ve sourced a facepainter at a cheaper rate? That’s great! But why do facepainters charge different rates and why may that change?
I firstly urge you to research your facepainter. Check they’re insured. Many of us started off as a hobbyist. We found something we loved to do and was able to charge friends and family. We soon found out that to be able to paint on the paying public, (not just Auntie Pat and little Lucy from next door) we needed INSURANCE. To have insurance you must be using the correct products, that comply with EU coding. Professional paints, brushes, sponges (clean one, each time per child, per colour), chairs, tables, transportation all cost. Suddenly a simple hobby has become much more than that. We’ve suddenly become responsible for the safety and wellbeing of each little (and big!) face we paint.
It’s always good to know how many children your painter can paint in an hour. Any facepainter worth their salt knows how many kids they can paint in an hour. It is dependant on several factors; complexity of the designs on offer, if they have a line manager, the age of the children, smaller ones generally are more wriggly! As an industry standard, I’d recommend 10 to 12 children an hour is the average.
It’s false economy paying a face painter £20 an hour, only to find they can paint 5 children in that hour. Suddenly, those 20 will take twice as long to paint for the same quote from a more experienced painter.
I often compare it to getting a haircut. You can pay ALOT LESS to get your hair cut by a trainee stylist. They are gaining valuable experience, whilst you pay less, but usually give more time to the “cause”. If your wanting a quick, efficient cut done by a professional stylist you will need to pay more.
It’s the same in our industry, if you want an experienced artist, who makes those beautiful designs look effortless, well that’s going to cost alittle more I’m afraid!
Professional Face Painter 