Customer to provide table & chairs or bring your own

[Sherry]

I normally require customers to supply a table and 2 chairs and some kind of overhead shading.  Picnic table works great too.  I'll set my stuff on the table and sit sideways on a bench with a leg on each side and have my model do the same, facing me.

 I really don't want to be lugging around a table and 2 chairs, because I have enough stuff as it is with my setup.  Normally this works great.  Not so much this weekend.  The first event I did, my only shading was a sparse tree overhead and that was the day that was hot... REALLY hot.  On Sunday, it wasn't as hot, but they put me on a stone type picnic table.  The seats, were stool like stones, each spaced far away from each other.  I asked for another chair and they brought me one of those fabric type lawn chairs, that you sort of sink into... not good when you have the children that are so difficult to persuade in moving closer.  They just kind of sink back... way back.  And here I am perched up on this stone stool.   

I switched us around and situated my setup a bit and it was much easier to paint.  But then the table cloth they had kept blowing up over my stuff, so each time I had to go for more paint, water, etc., I had to pull this down.  I thought, wow, this is really slowing me down, but I couldn't figure out how to pin it down and was thinking of just taking the whole thing off, but that would take some time with my stuff all over it.  Finally a kind attendee just bunched it up and put it under my case... yay!  It wasn't the most comfortable gig, with my sinking down chair, but luckily it was only an hour and a half.

Last week they set me at a picnic table right next to the very loud speakers.  Normally I like the loud party atmosphere, but they had these speakers so loud, that it was painful to my ears.     I couldn't speak to my models because you couldn't really hear anything.  It was like being at a concert and you have to get right up to the person and holler near their ear.  Crazy!  Especially when the mom brought over the birthday boy to get painted, he was a one year old.

Anyone resort to bringing your own table and chair for this reason?  Or have other ways of handling it?

[MsMollie]

Sherry,
My table is only about 3ft long...just right....Usually, they let us unload and then go park so it isn't too bad...

as far as the cloth blowing up....i just use those big clips that you can get at Walmart that are used to clip large bundles of papers together...small, med, or large...pull together at the corners and clamp together....works great...i also had my hubby make a holder for some poster board that i cut to keep the wind off things...OH yea!...i forgot to post those pics of my little invention...works really good...the last time, before I had this, everytime the wind would blow, it would blow my cloth up over my water and cause it to spill....duh. This also keeps the direct sunlight off of the paint....i usually have to put one of the sides on about half way up to keep the sun and wind off....

I still haven't found a comfortable chair for me...i just have a metal padded one and a swivel chair for the kids...i think a swivel stool would work great....

[reginanewsum]

if at all possible ask if they are going to supply you with table and a couple chairs.  I carry in the back of my suv a 6 foot long folding white table, they cost about $40. but there is a great handle on the side to carry it. I have four different color cloth table clothes, dark green, white, blue and pink, they are very heavy material and lay very still, I hate plastic clothes they fly to mush.  I have sewed a hook in each corner of the clothes, if it is windy I snap the hook into the leg of my table, I just drilled a hole in each leg for the hook to pop into, this keeps it from going any way. if it is the sun you are worried about you can do a really fast sun cover. I have a gold umbrella that is pretty large when folded out. I have a three foot telescope medal pole that I made,  it is two three foot pieces, one inside of the other. that when you pull it out it snaps in place like the ez up tents, put the handle of the umbrella in the top hole of the pole, secure it to one leg of your table with two strong clamps and you have instant shade, I always carry my tall captains chair, and two medal black chairs too.  I have to plan my face painting around how my back feels!  Some times I stand, and some times I sit. I have the kids place their hands on there knees, this makes them lean forward to me, so I don't have to lean forward to them.  Hope this helps, if you have any questions please feel free to ask, always here to help.

[Party Picassos Facepainting]

I have a Honda civic, so I don't have loads of room to haul tables and chairs.
I have been at the mercy of my customers. Some times it's great, others - I have a sore back!

[Sherry]

Yep, me too Wina... at their mercy that is!  But most people are very accomodating.

Clever technique Gina, to get them to lean forward.  I'll have to try that out this weekend. 

[reginanewsum]

yup Sherry, have them place there hands just in front of there knees, as if they are cupping there knee caps, this will make them lean forward, and not sluched over and leaning against the back of the chair.  It will bring there little faces right up to you, so you don't have to lean forward and kill your back.   And it keeps them very steady and not wiggly.  I talk to my kids the whole time while I'm painting.  I tell them just what I am doing, tell them they are doing just great,  if I have to load a sponge inbetween   tell them take a little break, and then I say ok lets get right back at it!  I ask there age, what grade, do they like art, do they draw, that keeps them ocupid all the time, but I constantly tell them they are doing great. The little people are more flexable than we are!  And I have a bad back!  Let me know how you like having our little ones do that ok!  Matter of a fact I have the grown ones put there hands on there knees, brings them right up to me!

[Sherry]

I rarely get an aching back anymore either, because I always have them lean forward too and tilt their head up.  Adults, no problem!  It's the children that have difficulty understanding what I'd like them to do. 

Here's my routine, "O.k. scootch forward all the way to the end of your seat.  Scooch toward me, to the edge of your seat."  That's the tricky party, they routinely scootch back, all the way to the back of their chair.     After they accomplish that, it's "Lean forward and tilt your head up.  Tilt your chin up."  Then I may have to demo it.  Once I get all this accomplished, they're in the perfect position to paint.  A few kids will repeatedly start to slowly lean their head back down.

I'll try the hands on the knees thing, little ones may understand that better, because many times they look confused when I give them my instructions.  I'll let you know how it goes.

It makes me wonder if that's why an old face painting book of mine, recommended having them place their hands on the face painter's knees.  To get them to lean forward.  I thought that was a curious instruction.

[reginanewsum]

it would work!  try this and you will see! set in a normal kitchen chair. set straight and tall, hand to your side. ok now place your hands on the top of your leg and extend your hands along the top of your legs, as far out as you can reach, the farther you can reach the more your head will tilt back and your chin will point upwards.  So if you were to have them place their hands on your knees, this would have them in a great position to paint. I don't have them put their hands on my knees, it would not  bother me one bit, but some parents might frown. That's why I have them cup their knee caps, this will give just a little bit more or leaning forward for me.   Try the knee cap hold, you will love it!  In order to do this type of hand placement, you have them put their hands on the out side of their knees, to grab a hold of their knee caps and hold on, really gives you a great position to paint and also will keep them from wiggling! Also it makes theirs eyes close!  try it!

[Sherry]

Nice, I tried it on myself... works!  Pretty clever, now I'll have to try it on the kiddos.  Wonder if I'll get any odd looks when I request they hold their knees.   

[coastone]

I like to take my own table & chairs.  I take a card table, lightweight folding chair, and a little stepstool.  That way I can put it where I want.  If I leave it up to them they always want to put me somewhere too loud.

[MsMollie]

so the kids sit on a little stop stool?