You can do that TOO?

Last Sunday I did an event for The Seeing Eye, one of my favorite charities.

I was the face painter for the Doggy Dash, a 5K Run and a 1 mile Walk that has a loose Halloween theme, including a costume contest for dogs. In addition, my entertainment company provided a DOG caricaturist for the special furry guests. (That is, a caricaturist for dogs, not a dog that was a caricaturist….)

When I showed up at the event, I was surprised that the individual under my tent was not the talented artist I had worked with in the past at this event, but someone completely different. “Gene” explained that Steve had called him and asked him to take his place at this event. He had his pad and markers and was ready to go.

To be honest I was a little upset, as I do not like my subcontractors subcontracting out the events that they were hand-picked for. Especially to a person who I do not know, and is not a previous member of the team. And most importantly, without telling me this change of plans before the event was to start. (Note: don’t do this if you want to be given work from an agency)

So, feeling a little snarky I asked: “Well, you know this is a dog event, right? And you are drawing caricatures of the dogs! Can you do that?” Be aware that I had not thought at all about what would happen if Gene said: “Nope, don’t know how to do that.”

Luckily, Gene replied as an uber professional (educating me, in a NON-snarky manner): “Most artists who can draw caricatures, can draw…so it doesn’t really matter if it is children, adults, or dogs. Don’t worry, it is going to be fine.”

I had never thought about Gene or Steve’s skill set this way. I had assumed Steve had some hidden talent to draw doggie caricatures…which is why he was my “go to” guy for this event every year.

This got me thinking about skills we have as face painters. Skills that are routine for us, but that the naive client who is NOT in our industry might not even think we possess. Skills like, body painting, or special FX. Skills that include the ability to make one person up for Halloween, with special effects, hair effects, to match their costume.

Here are some suggestions on how to get Private Makeup Appointments for Halloween:

1. If your business is mostly parties or corporate events, you need to make your clients aware that you offer Private Sessions. This could be done in a newsletter, email blast, or by placing promotional ads on your social media pages. Make sure the notice includes contact information and a call to action like “click here to learn more,” “call now,” “email today for an appointment.”

2. Be sure to establish your pricing ahead of time, and I recommend making it specific to the time you are working, not the detail of the design. Estimate how long it would take to do the design, and add in 15 minutes for the client to be late or change their mind about details.

3. Charge more if you are going to go to them because your travel time is valuable and prevents you from taking back to back appointments. Travel should be part of your hourly rate and estimate accordingly. A client who has an artist coming to their home expects to pay more. (What if your hairdresser came to you every time you needed a haircut? Expensive, right?)

Edward is very sad at the poor job done by his private makeup artist.

4. Consider a trimmed down kit, so that your set up and take down is light and easy if you are doing the traveling. No need to bring your entire toolbox if you are doing just one person.

5. Charge your regular rate as if it were a party (just lessen the time). Make-up artists charge in excess of $150-$200 an hour for beauty makeup. Encourage customers to find friends and family that might want to join them and then it is a party! It’s more fun for them, splits the travel over multiple people and it increases the likelihood of more than one tip.

6. Make sure that people provide you with a decent photo of what they might be looking for, including an understanding of their costume. Plunging necklines and wigs can change the details of your makeup application, so be sure you are clear on the scope of the job. You‘ll need to estimate the time and also make sure that you have the appropriate colors, gems, prosthetics, etc.

7. If the design is something you have never done before, or includes crazy special FX, please, please, please, practice it beforehand. My first experience applying a bald cap and sealing it down was a disaster. I ripped the cap and the edges looked super rough since I had NO experience. Same with my first “Edward Scissorhands” as I had little experience with the excessive drying time of liquid latex.

8. Clarify details and ask the client to sign a contract or agreement (I use Manager Sal). I make all private appointments pay in full up front. Why? Over the years I have learned that Halloween revelers are notorious for changing their minds at the 11th hour, and buying a mask or wig instead of getting professional makeup. Don’t be caught with a hole in your calendar that cannot be filled at the last minute. Worse, no revenue at all for an afternoon you thought would be filled with private makeup appointments.