Samples

[Alison]

Oh - I've been away from face-painting for a while.  Really picking up though now.  
I had remembered that the last time I was doing it a lot, I had gotten tired of doing the same thing over and over.  So I discovered that I had more freedom to be repetitive or not
If I would Not Put Out Samples.  

That worked great
back then.  

But then last week I had an event.  A Pre-School Graduation.  Decided not to put out my Samples even though I brought them.  Ick - I was confounded because one of my first kids requested a Cheetah.  Ummm, I couldn't quite think of a Cheetah.  Spots?  Cat whiskers?  And should the background be Purple?  Or maybe Orange?  Don't forget the nose.....

I did whatever I did, and the audience loved it.  Half of them couldn't think of anything else besides Cheetahs.  I wish I had some 'how to play rules' for myself.  So I could do more than just changing the background colors.  

Do You put out Samples?  

This weekend, I'll be doing a Company Outing in a Park.  I figure I'll be happier to put out A Lot of Samples as usual.  But just looking at my old Samples, even though there are a hundred of them, they feel repetitive to me.  I don't feel like doing that
Again.  

I have a lot of photos here of faces I had painted a while back.  Putting some together.  Perhaps the painting isn't anything new for me, but since the Sample is, I'll probably have different inspirations.  

Here are 2 of my Samples.  I scanned them in because I figure you'd prefer an 'illustrated' book than 'just words'.  I like how my simple flowers matched the girl's clothes.  And I did a double-take on the photo of the Shooting Stars.  At first, it looked like I had put large dots on the end of the woman's eyelashes - like, How did I do that???  But, lol, it's regular dots along the bottom of the eyes.  Intriguing photo.

Alison G
facepaintingexpress.blogspot.com

[Sherry]

When you mentioned "pop flowers" in another post to Gina, I had to go look that up.  I though, hmmm, what are pop flowers?  Now, I see, very pretty. 

I've been putting out a lot of lists at events lately, with no pics.  I don't always like it when people to get hung up on a picture, because then they seem to want it to be an exact replica.

I tried one event with no pics or lists and I was getting random things that I'd never painted before... mouse, penguin, wolf.  I guess that's a good way have new designs to learn.  I wish there was a dictionary style book with 101 picture examples of animals and things. 

[Alison]

Yes - there is a dictionary style book with pictures.
Look at Children's Dictionaries.  Many to choose from.

[Alison]

I even have a
DR SEUSS DICTIONARY !!

[Sherry]

Yes, maybe I should browse that section at the bookstore.  I keep thinking they would have that type of book in a teacher's store.  I'm a member of paperbackswap.com and I've been waiting for ages for a book to become available that's called something like, "1001 pictures for teachers to copy".  I thought that'd probably be a great reference book for me, when I get stumped on the shapes of different things that my customers request.

[Alison]

Oh that's a funny title for a book.  Maybe a face-painter could come out with a book like that - to market to teachers as well as face-painters.  If I had the time....

Meanwhile, would it help to check out clip-art? 

[Alison]

When you mentioned "pop flowers" in another post to Gina, I had to go look that up.  I though, hmmm, what are pop flowers?  Now, I see, very pretty. 
I've been putting out a lot of lists at events lately, with no pics.  I don't always like it when people to get hung up on a picture, because then they seem to want it to be an exact replica.
I tried one event with no pics or lists and I was getting random things that I'd never painted before... mouse, penguin, wolf.  I guess that's a good way have new designs to learn.  I wish there was a dictionary style book with 101 picture examples of animals and things. 

I just name my pictures quickly.  Arbitrarily.  What came to mind with these simple flowers was the Pop Art from the 1960's.  Laugh-In tv show, if any of you remember that :-)  Know that?

Alison G
facepaintingexpress.blogspot.com

[Alison]

When you mentioned "pop flowers" in another post to Gina, I had to go look that up.  I though, hmmm, what are pop flowers?  Now, I see, very pretty. 
I've been putting out a lot of lists at events lately, with no pics.  I don't always like it when people to get hung up on a picture, because then they seem to want it to be an exact replica.
I tried one event with no pics or lists and I was getting random things that I'd never painted before... mouse, penguin, wolf.  I guess that's a good way have new designs to learn.  I wish there was a dictionary style book with 101 picture examples of animals and things. 

So have you practiced the requests you mentioned - the mouse, the penguin, the wolf?
I had designed a really good (so I thought) Penguin face when there was some Penquin movie currently 'on the scene'.  Kind of excited with it at the time.  Full face with a yellow triangle (or probably diamond?) nose right down the center.  Painted it on my niece and included it with my Samples along with some other Full Faces that I had painted on her.  (At that time, I was intrigued by how you can put a whole scene onto a face - that it didn't have to be a 'face'.)  But people did not choose those pictures.  I couldn't understand why.

I'm wondering if perhaps
Was it my execution of the paintings?  Or the design of the paintings?  Or the attractiveness of my neice's face?  What makes one sample be chosen more than another?


Alison G
facepaintingexpress.blogspot.com

[Sherry]

I do think the attractiveness of the models plays a factor in peoples choices.  Those designs seem to be picked more often.

I added the penguin cheek art and to my surprise, it's been popular.  I think it might be because there are penguin movies out right now.  But it's become a regular addition to my cheek art offerings.  The Hulk seems to have fallen out of favor for me, so I don't even add it anymore.

The Shark Attack's been pretty popular along with Ironman.

[Party Picassos Facepainting]

This is a design that I did at my sons' school career day. I painted all the preK kids (3 classes!)
It was fun. I put this image on my board and I have been painting many more penguins!
 

[Alison]

Oh that's funny Wina.
I like it.

Abs

[Alison]

Here again.  Once again, wondering which pictures to print up and prepare for display.  

For example, here are two photos of the same Face-Painting.  Looks like a winner to me.  But I wonder if the Sweet Pose (closed mouth) or the Welcoming Pose (showing teeth) would be better for encouraging Requests.  I'd be glad to do this one a bit.  It looks so good:





Which would you use if you were me?  Why?  What has been your experience? 

Alison G
facepaintingexpress.blogspot.com

[Sherry]

I like the smiling one.  No specific reason, it just looks more pleasing to me. 

[Party Picassos Facepainting]

I agree! I like smiling better. Besides, her eyes disappear with the black eye make up...or does that make it more scary?!