10 Tips For Faster Face Painting

You are at a public event on commission, you have a 40 foot line, every kid wants a full face complex design, and they all took advantage of the free sugar shots booth before sitting in your chair, you are booked for a limited time, and you got a birthday party right after the gig.

You gotta move and groove the line to show the client who hired you that you can handle large crowds, and thus book you again, and not have your client make the mistake of thinking simpler amateur face painting is faster.

What can you do???


10. Load Properly:

This is something that comes with practice, but loading your brush and sponges properly is the #1 thing you can do to be faster at face painting.

When loading your sponge, too wet and you have a drippy mess or something that takes forever to dry, to dry and you just have to go back for more paint too frequently. First of all, make sure you are using a water atomizer to spray your sponge instead of dipping it in your paint water. This allows for greater control over the amount of water you get on your sponge. I always load on the edge of the sponge and concentrate the paint there. This way you get more paint in one area for bolder colors, and much more control over your sponge and where the paint ends up on the model. If done correctly you should be able to get a fast drying base layer of paint done with only one sponge load!

When loading your paint brush the same rules apply to having the right amount of water. This can vary depending on a few factors, like what brand your paint is, and how much water is already in your paint cake. Again practice makes perfect with knowing how much water is just enough to add and how your different paint brushes pick up and hold that water, so pay attention to this when you paint and make some mental notes.

Besides water, the most important thing about loading paint brushes is direction. Obviously with flat brushes you know to go back and forth, or else it will mess up your bristles. But did you know the same is true for round brushes? All to often I will see painters swirl their round brushes. Don't make this mistake.

What does this mean for speed? Simple - less time reloading your brush and going back for more paint!

I can tell which artists swirl their brushes by how their paints look. I call them 'Pot Holes!'

Hitting the bottom of your paint cake is normal and usually the middle is the first part to go, but notice the steep holes in the photo? Those types of holes aren't from being gradually worn down, those are from swirling the brush in one spot over and over. Avoid having that great hole to China in your paints - load properly.

Not only does swirling your brushes also mess up their natural alignment which will cause them to fray and split, but you also aren't picking up as much paint as you would by loading the brush back and forth.

By swirling the brush, you are picking up paint but mainly on the outside of your brush, and also the paint is a mish-mash and not pointing in the right direction. Imagine your paint like little rivers on your brush. When you swirl your brush the paint is loaded horizontally instead of vertically, so the little rivers have trouble flowing off the brush as effectively.

Don't believe me? Try it right now. You'll find that once your load your brush with the natural alignment of the bristles of the brush, your paint is able to 'flow' out of the brush much better, smoother, and most importantly, for longer.


9. Application Routine:
When doing a design make sure that part of you process is making sure you are doing each step of the design in the most efficient order. This means you shouldn't be going back to add things you missed, doing nothing while waiting for layers to dry, or washing your brush out of the white paint that was on it then loading it up with pink for the lipstick, then washing that and loading it up again for more white details. What a time waste! Examine your design. Look at the steps involved and see how you can trim it down to the fewest steps and color switches.

Lets take this simple design for example.

Step 1. The blue/white base around the eyes and on forehead
Step 2. We can't apply the stencil snow flakes while the base is still wet, so in order not to waste time, I do the center forehead teardrops, the dots in the corners of the eyes, and the small teardrops under the eyes. I use a new brush for the lipstick or apply the snowflake gem in the center of the forehead.
Step 3. Snow flake stencils on the side.
Step 4. Finish off adding some more tear drops, star bursts, dots, and finally add glitter.

Stream lined. This way I'm not waiting for anything to dry and can still be working on other elements that won't get in the way for when it comes time to lay down the stencils. If for example I did step 4 after step 1, well now I'm waiting for those to dry too because they are in the area where the stencils go.

Find the most efficient way and your designs will be faster.

Also assign brushes! Depending on how many brushes you have you can pick some to only be used for certain things or certain colors. I wash my brushes between kids, but for detail brushes it's not as much of a cross contamination risk to keep them one color through out the entire gig (mainly because it's usually going over top of another layer or paint). So I have four #4 round brushes in my brush case right now, and 2 of those I use for black and white details. Lots of designs call for either block or white details, and some times they call for both black and white details. So instead of washing out the brush to switch between these stark opposite colors, the brushes get assigned a color at the start of the gig. This one trick has sped up my painting so much, I wish I thought of it a lot sooner!


8. Time Yourself:

Before you even go to the event you should roughly know how long each design takes you to do. When you are at home, you can time your small art on your arm with a stop watch. For full face designs it's best to time them while painting on a real face. Choose an event that isn't a huge rush, like a farmers market, or a time when there isn't much of (or no) lineup. Use a stop watch (or phone App stop watch) to time yourself from the moment you start to load the brush to the moment you finish. Record this time. The goal is keep most of your designs under the 5min mark; if they take too long, work on what you can do to speed them up, like not adding as many details, or using a stencil instead of free handing an element of the design. For even higher volume events pick designs that take no more then 3 min on average to paint.

Which brings us too....


7. Limit The Choices:

First of all high volume events shouldn't be a 'free for all' when it comes to choice, you should have selections for people to choose from so you don't
A. Paint only the 'usual suspects' Tiger, Butterfly, Spider-man. (show you client more variety)
B. End up having to say 'no' to design requests, and have them think of something else to get. (time waster)

Also, I know you want to show off your best work, we all want to show the stuff we are capable of doing, but high volume events when you are on the clock and being paid, is not one of them. Realize that pretty much everything you do is amazing and better then what a volunteer, or cheap-o face painter has to offer, people are going to still be impressed by what you do. So save your really 'wow designs' for birthday parties.

I know it's boring painting the same thing over an over, but it's also faster. Another perk of having fewer options for the public is there is less time spent thinking about what to get. You can't afford too many people to 'um and aww' about what to get, or spend too much time looking in a book of designs, it slows things up. Studies have proven that the human brain can in fact become overwhelmed when given too many choices.

I usually have 5 designs each gender would commonly pick, and at least 2 neutral ones making 8 full face designs in total, and 8 small cheek art designs. Some times depending on the event I might have a photo sign, but usually I opt for a 'word sign' so i can have more fun with colors, and changing things up a bit. If things are really busy I also have the option to paint things the same way each time.


6. Let It Go:

For all of you who are sick of Frozen.... I know! lol!

When face painting there are a few ultimate and hard truths

- It's not going to be perfect
- It's likely coming off at the end of the day

While we all want to strive to be perfect with our art, face painting is a type of art that goes on fast, and maybe lasts the day. So when it comes to being a perfectionist, it's not really practical. You can't treat a kids face the same way you would treat a large acrylic canvas. You can't always fix every mistake, you can't always just decide to start over. You gotta learn to WORK WITH your mistakes rather then fight them. Also you have to learn to live with them, which is hard to do, if you want to learn this behavior you have to practice. Start drawing with pens instead of pencils and you'll get the idea.

As face painters we create what i call '5 minute master pieces' because they take about 5 min to paint, and some times only last about 5 minutes lol. You gotta learn to let go of trying to get things perfect and realize that 'good enough' some times is good enough.

Want another hard truth? No one really see's or cares about your mistakes other then you anyway. :p

Learn to let it go, and you will paint way faster with out worrying about all the mistakes you have to avoid.


5. Organization:

I wrote an entire post that touched on the topic of having a clean an tidy work setup, so this is going to be a bit of a repeat on those points.
- Have a place for garbage - reduces clutter on your table

- Try to set up your table the exact same way every time. It helps if you choose a side to work from, if you are right handed, then ALWAYS have your set up on your right.

- Take 10 seconds to keep your table tidy and not let clutter build up.

- Have homes for things, put things in little containers or boxes to help organize

- Only keep face painting related items on the table. No keys, no coffee, no hats etc.

- Use a large enough table, so you can lay out all your stuff and avoid stacking things as much as possible.

Your table should act like a well oiled machine. Know where everything is by having it in the same spot every time, and putting it back in that spot when done. Less time spent searching for things. Develop a system because every second counts.

Read more about these points HERE.


4. Right Tools For the Right Job:

Anyone who ever said "it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools" surely was not an artist themselves. Having the right tools is half the battle.

If you buy your brushes at the dollar store, or the bargain bin at your local craft store, your work is going to look like you brought your brushes at the dollar store! You get what you pay for! Invest in some good quality brushes that come recommended BY face painters. I got all my favorite brushes this way, by reading reviews by face painters. I used to stick my nose up and think 'whatever, I'm an artist I can work with any brush' - I was stupid. Once I finally got some good reviewed and recommended brushes I saw the difference instantly. I was not longer fighting my brushes to get them to work - now my brushes work FOR my not against me.

Sponges can do half the design for you if you have a few rainbow base blenders, and in half the time it takes to blend using a brush. AND the result is better! I used to think (many years ago) that those designs were airbushed to not have any lines. Nope - sponges.

Same with one stroke cakes. WAY back in the day I came across a Donna Dewberry book on one stroke painting, and instantly saw how it could be used for face painting, and made my own one strokes by cutting up my paints. What a time saver! Now-a-days companies make them for you, but the result is the same. FAST designs that look good!

Stencils are the ultimate cheat - and i love em! Some people balk at using stencils because they see it as a slippery slope to 'anyone can do it' and taking something away from the art form. They couldn't be more wrong. So what if "what ever I can paint a star", yea? So Can I. But can you paint 6-12 of different sizes in multi color in 2 seconds and have them all come out perfect? Didn't think so. Stencils are a great way to add lots of detail to a design fast! Sure I can free hand cheetah spots, but the stencil is SO crisp and is a line buster. Just remember here's what I say, 'Stencils are like the sprinkles on a cake, but not the cake itself.' 

3. Mirror Mirror:

What are some things besides set up and painting which also take time during a face painting gig?
- Model getting onto the chair
- Asking the model, what they want and listening
- Showing them their face in the mirror
- Model leaving the chair
(also some times cleaning the face and pinning hair back)

These things are a part of the process, and 3/4 can't really be avoided with out help from a third party.

But one of these things can be changed - the mirror.
The model has to see their face in the mirror, this is part of face painting, and they have to be given a few seconds to look. I had Aryn time some things here and there to get some averages and here is what we found.

Time getting into the chair - 3 - 6 seconds
Asking the model, what they want and listening - 2 - 12 seconds
Time getting out of the chair - 3 - 8 seconds

Time spent looking in the mirror - 6 - 20 seconds!!

This was a time vampire.

But it's something you can't really 'hurry along', because they want to see themselves, it's basically what they waited in line and paid to see! So how can this be solved?

Move the mirror!

Every second that kid is looking in the mirror is time another butt could be getting into your chair. If you have the mirror placed some where else you can direct them to go over there to look at themselves! If you are like me part of your payment is seeing the reaction to your work, but some times you have to get over it at large events just to be more efficient. But if the event isn't too crazy, then you might be able to do a combo of both! I show the kid in the mirror for about 5 seconds, then direct them to the other mirror if they want to look again or see for longer. Win win.


2. Crowd Control

You know what's hard? Saying 'no' to people. You know what's harder? Learning to say 'no' to people. You know what's harder-er? Trying to paint with parents and kids crowding in on all sides, a 2 year old trying to climb on your lap for a better view, and a 6 year old who puts there head in front of your field of vision while a mom tries to tell you how to paint and feeds jellybeans to her child sitting in the chair!

Dealing with people in your space is also a big time waster. Part of the face painting setup should be crowd control, because no having to keep an eye on kids trying to touch your stuff, kids gathering around getting to close etc, will make you paint faster. Make sure you have a sign saying where the line up starts, and some kind of path indicator of where the line should go. Maintain boundaries with your tools, these can be psychical boundaries like setting up against a wall, or social boundaries like having the people stand in a certain place.

or a sign people can understand

With my setup, people must wait in a certain spot depending on how my table is setup, might be on the other side of the table, or i might have a mini table with my selection book where i conduct people to wait. As for 'Helicopter Parents' all you got to do is kindly ask for some room to work in a friendly way. "Could I ask you to back up please? I need some elbow room. ^.^" then i stick my bony elbows out, or even put my hand out to arms length showing them how far away i would like them to be. Cool thing is that because of an unspoken societal contract people will back up rather then be touched by your hand,

Especially your hand.

Stop feeling like a jerk for asking for something perfectly reasonable- 'Back up please'. I know face painting is supposed to be fun and not serious, but you have to remember that it's still work, it's a work area, and the last thing you need is to accidentally elbow the 2 year old you did not see standing next to you, in the face while reaching for something out of your kit. (it's bad for business :p)


1. Ask For Help:

You know what helps speed everything up? Staff. We call them 'line managers' and they are the best thing to have on crazy busy gigs. Here are all the things a line manager can do for you.

- Ask the model what they want before it's their turn, then tell you quickly when it's the models turn.
- Pin back hair, and take out clips
- Pre-clean faces
- Take money, donations, or tickets (if applicable)
- Answer questions from those in line
- Help them into the chair
- Help them out of the chair
- Show in mirror
- Direct to exit
- Manage the line by not letting people budge, make sure the line isn't cutting off a path
- Ending the line, and making sure others don't line up when it's over.

Some people even get their line managers to apply the glitter!

Biff here is great with children, and loves glitter.

While it's best to have your own line manager who has experience, you can also some times get a volunteer from the venue you are painting at and give them a crash course.

Line manager is the ultimate time saver!

5 Reasons Never to Use Palmer 'Face Paint'

Some times new aspiring face paint artists ask my questions about how to become a face painter and what paints to buy, and some times they say they were thinking about using a brand called Palmer because there are some great reviews for it on the website that is selling it.

Here is my gut reaction when I hear this.

To professional face painters, Palmer is a bit of an inside joke. 'Palm-er' = 'Palm - Her' ie: 'Slap her'. Because using this brand is such a huge mistake it makes you want to whap someone upside the head for even bringing it up as being 'Face Paint', and ask them to slowly step away from their brushes.
Yes, it's THAT bad.

I have seen this product used by volunteers at one event and was surprised the package said 'face paint' on it. The odd thing is that on some websites that sell it, you'll read glowing 5 star reviews for just how awesome the product is.

The reviewers go on and on on how you can use it for all different events, and that it's better then other face paints they have tried. Some mention a 'minor stain' that comes off quickly but otherwise they love the product and highly recommend it.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/palmer-face-paint/#reviews

Which is odd because once you go to a website that sells a variety of products you get some 5 star reviews and loads of 1 star reviews.
http://www.joann.com/palmer-face-paints-12pk/2796399.html#tab5

I really do get the impression that the vast majority the 5 star reviews are fake in order to get you to buy the product (which is not unheard of). What few 5 star reviews there are seem mostly by people have have simply never used anything else.

So what do professional face painters have to say? Lets compare some of the 5 star online reviews with what the pros on Face Paint Forum have to say about this product.

So with out further ado, here are 

5 Reasons Never to Use Palmer 'Face Paint'

5. Simply Doesn't Work

Website Review:

"In my own experience, this is the ONLY face paint product I use because everything else is junk. You need to spend a couple minutes to thoroughly mix each color with a toothpick (or similar). I use better quality fine tip brushes instead of the generic one that comes with the kit. You are able to produce little works of art on kids' faces and they beam with pride when they see the finished work!" - 5 Star Review from Liz on joann.com

"I don't know about a lot of other face paints, but this bottled Palmer Face Paint is great re: coverage, ease of application & clean-up. I use often to help @ schools, benefits & in various scouting functions. It lasts long, just one tube of all will cover a couple community functions w/3-5 face painters doing simple designs. btw: I need to place another order!" - 5 Star Review from Volunteer Mom on dickblick.com  

Face Paint Professionals:

"I don't like them cause they're too runny" - starponysmama

"used Palmer's paints and it was awful..." - By These Hands

"they suck. " - JBax 

Some of the website low reviews described it like this:

"Like trying to paint with solidified jello; very globby plus runny; Awful brush, awful paint." - 0 Star Review from Ruth on joann.com

 My Review:

Imagine painting with colored snot. That's all you need to know.


4. Looks Like Butt

Website Review:

"We used this for a charity event. It didn't smear, was very colorful, and easy to brush on. The colors also mixed very well. We squirted out wells of color into plastic ice cube trays. It dried quickly on kid's faces (made highlights easier)" - 5 Star Review from Talisa on dickblick.com 

Face Paint Professionals:

"Palmer is so bad, I don't think it should even be called face paint!" -  debranewmanart 

"Palmer is total crap." - Shannon Fennell 

"The very first time I painted, I used PALMER'S. I didn't know any better, and I hadn't started really painting yet. Looking back, I must have been crazy" - rcvaughan 

 My Review:

A drippy mess. To get any color you have to gob it on, then when it finally dries on the skin it cracks. Do not use white unless you are ok with it looking.... 'inappropriate.' 

3. Feels Terrible and Stains!

Website Review:

"I was pleased that this product was easy to remove, as I was able to use baby wipes to clean up a couple of mistakes. Thanks for the great product!" - 4 Star Review from Jules The Teacher on dickblick.com 

"Minor staining comes out by next day." - 5 Star Review from Liz on joann.com

Face Paint Professionals:

"GacK!!! Gag!!!! This is the worst stuff ---- it is why people don't want to get their faces painted by us today......cuz they had bad experiences with this stuff or acrylics. Even people who started out using it (not knowing there were professional grade products out there) will tell you it is JUST PLAIN AWFUL." - WyndyO

"Not only do they stain the kids, but they act more like acrylics than any other face paint I've found! They're gunky and crack when they dry. Quite a few of the smaller children that I painted complained about it being itchy almost right away, and it didn't take long before I noticed that my face design was getting pretty itchy as well." - goofydoodler 

"I HATED it.... It's goopy and sticky and remains tacky after you're done... it cracks, flakes, and stained me(in almost every color!) 
All I can say is... NEVER AGAIN!" - Ashley Pickin 

Some of the website low reviews described it like this:

"For the price it is what you get.. but it will stain on your skin long after you have taken it off... up to a week. I did use a good quality soap... it eventually took alcohol to remove..." - 1 Star Review from Anonymous on joann.com 

"These paints stained a whole group of children's faces at my daughter's birthday party. After profusely apologizing to all the parents, I promptly threw the paints in the garbage and called and emailed customer service. I never received any return calls or email. Bad news. Don't buy." - 1 Star Review from Bookish on amazon.com  

 My Review:

I put a bit of this on my hand to see what would happen. Started to feel itchy after not long, but i stuck it out. Later when i went to take it off the red left a stain, and all the colors gave me a rash. I only have metal allergies, so I'm just making a guess here as to what might be in it.

2. Waste of Money

Pictured Here: A better use for your $5

Website Review:

"I needed to order face paint for a event that I do every year. The woman who provides me with the help and supplies said she was having trouble finding the face paint in the larger bottles. So I went on line and found that Palmer products came in the largest sizes. I checked out several web sites and wasn't completely happy with them. I came to Dick Blick's a trusted name in art supplies. They had all the colors I needed, they were in the bigger bottles and a great price. Everything I wanted." - 5 Star Review from Miss Brigid on dickblick.com

"i was so pleased with these paints. low cost for great quality. they dont smudge yet wash off easily with soap and water. i've spent so much money in the past for paints that were of much less quality." - 5 Star Review from jaki on Amazon.com   

"I pretty much love this paint. It was creamy and covered well and stayed on without smearing, which the crayon types do. Overall, I think it's a great product for the money!!!" - 5 Star Review from Tami on joann.com  

Face Paint Professionals:

"They dry almost automatically when squeezed into a palette, wasting even more paint than before" - goofydoodler

"Palmers is a big NO NO!!!...better to invest in good products, cheaper is expensive, but when you buy quality products they last and the results are wayyyy better, and you will be really saving money" - vivi_o7 

"It sounds like you are ready for the big sizes [referring to Snazaroo Paints]... expensive, I know, but they'll last a lot longer (making them cheaper by the oz) and you only need the basics. You can blend any color you need." - JBax 

  My Review:

I've never bought this stuff, but it doesn't look very cost effective for the sheer amount it takes to get a decent color, not to mention the amount wasted on the pallet as it dries quicky, and no it can't be brought back to life with water. It only comes back as zombie paint that might as well be saying "kill me.... kiiiiill meeee" Total waste.

1. Basically Just Craft Paint

Website Review:

"They're non-toxic, and water soluble so the clean-up is easy" - 5 Star Review from Jennilee on dickblick.com   

Face Paint Professionals:

"I'm sure we've all heard of Palmer brand 'face paint' which in fact is no better than craft paint in disguise. It has polyvinyl acetate in it which in layman's terms is liquid plastic and also a key ingredient it making craft paint. Both clog the pores and cause rashes and both cause severe allergic reactions with a frequency that raises a lot of concern at least among professionals." - Tilly - Formerly Punky

"I've read a lot about reactions from these" - starponysmama 

"Their "secret ingredient" that makes it "stick" is the same ingredient used in household latex paint.Palmer is repackaged acrylics. The only go

od thing they do is that they now use FDA approved cosmetic pigments. The problem is that none of the other ingredients are cosmetic. But since the FDA only regulates the pigments, they are able to sell this glorified acrylic as "face paint". My suggestion is to stay away from ANY product that calls itself "Paint". If the label does not say "make-up", then it is most likely NOT a good product." - modernmagik 

My Review:

I have my suspicions about what is in Palmer Paint. One website/blog wrote to the company directly and asked them to address the negative reviews by professional face painters in blogs and forums.

Palmer said this in their letter.

"I am responding to your concerns over the safety of Palmer’s Face Paint products. I have reviewed the blogging that you attached to your email. I found nothing specific except for a claim that our base is a latex used in house paint. This is untrue. The base for our face paint is a cosmetic grade resin approved for and used in many cosmetics.

Our face paint has been tested and approved for use by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, tested by Duke University to meet the ASTM D-4236 standards for children’s paints and contains only FDA Cosmetic grade pigments.

Although we have done everything in our power to make sure this product is safe for your children and ours (it was tested on the children of our staff), allergic reactions are always a possibility with any product and therefore we recommend testing before use.

Beverly A. Geisler, President

Palmer Face Paint Products, Inc"

Ok there is a whole bunch about that that doesn't sit well with me. First of all while they might not being using latex found in house paint, they did not say that their paint was free of plastic. I also was unable to find an exact ingredient list anywhere online to confirm my suspicions that there may be metal in the paint since my skin had a reaction to it. Lots of kids have metal allergies they grow out of later in life. 

Also if there is latex in it, there are types of latex grades that are rated for use on skin in MANY cosmetic products such as eyelash glue, mascaras and many others. Given that around 8% of the population has latex allergies, this might account for some of the reactions if there is indeed latex in Palmer paint.

Even a certain amount of metal content can be found in cheap dollar store cosmetics, like nickel and lead. So saying that the pigments are cosmetic grade doesn't say much with out an ingredient list to point to.

So why didn't the president of the company back up her claims by also attaching a full list of ingredients? Or what about the MSDS?

Ahhh, now there's something I was able to find. See the MSDS is something that HAS to be made available. Here it is in this link.

The MSDS also has to list any hazardous ingredients in the product should it catch fire or something while being transported.

There were two listed that popped out to me (bare with me things might get a bit technical)

2. Soya lecithin
Now this product is safe for skin and is used in many cosmetic products like soaps but I find it's presence in face paints a little odd.

Soya lecithin is a substance that allows oil and water to mix - which makes lecithin unusual in that it's a naturally occurring surfactant (surface-active agent).

Surfactants, also known as tensides or wetting agents, are substances used to lower the surface tension of a liquid, which then allows easier spreading of product and helps to emulsify it (blend two ingredients that would otherwise separate, such as water and oil). For this reason, lecithin is a highly valuable ingredient in cosmetics and is also widely used in the food industry.

When applied in a cosmetic product, lecithin also softens the skin and helps the absorption of other ingredients. It's also used in many moisturizing hair shampoos to aid in the hairs absorption of the oils in the product.

Well that explains why the pigment causes a nasty stain. Also anyone with an allergy to Soy would have a bad reaction to these paints. Also explains why you would need to shake or mix them, because the ingredients have separated.

1. Polyvinyl Acetate Copolymer

This is where things get fishy, also that they don't list the exact grade of the ingredient - it merely says 'trade secret' (trust me Plamer, no one is trying to copy you).

So what is Polyvinyl Acetate Copolymer other then just a bunch of scary sounding words? 

This!

In lay-mans terms Polyvinyl Acetate Copolymer is a glue that turns into a type plastic when dry. And as such is a petroleum (crude oil) based product.

Here is a link to the page that sells that product there.
An interesting quote from the website about this product: 

"WARNING: Do not eat, drink or smoke. Wash hands immediately after use. Wear protective clothing. Keep out of reach of children."

What about the MSDS for this product?
"Some Highlights: Irritating to eyes. Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking. Avoid contact with eyes. Wear suitable gloves. Swallowing: may cause stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Inhalation: headache, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, depression of the central nervous system. Prolonged or repeated contact can irritate eyes and skin. Avoid contamination of sewage system, open water ways and ground water. Instructions on safe handling: Avoid contact with eyes and skin. Avoid contact with skin, eyes and clothing. Wash contaminated clothes before reuse."

Ok that's a lot to take in, and remember this is that product at a high concentration, but it does make one wonder what a product commonly used in acidic glue products is doing in children's face paint.

With out knowing what grade they are using all I can only give you is what it's commonly used for (though I could not find any cosmetic use for Polyvinyl Acetate Copolymer btw).

Polyvinyl acetate is a component of a widely used glue type, commonly referred to as wood glue, white glue, carpenter's glue, school glue, Elmer's glue (in the US), or PVA glue. -Wikipedia

It's other applications are also listed in the wiki article.... non of which are cosmetic.

So again... what is this doing in childrens face paints? Where is the ingredient list?

In conclusion, not only do these paints simply NOT WORK as face paints, they may also be bad for your skin considering the number of reactions associated this this product.

Steer clear, better safe then sorry.

Thanks for Reading!

Quote References: Palmer Face Paints?, 
Palmer Face Paints: Ugh..., 
Craft Paint

Face Painting: Copyright Explained

"Can I still paint Spider-Man?"

All you wanted to know about Face Painting and Copyright
but were too afraid to ask.

Face painting is often tied to what ever is popular with children. Movies, video games, books, you name it. I've painted Harry Potter scars, Minions, Mine Craft Creepers, Super Mario, and all the Superhero's (accept Aqua Man... no one choose's Aqua Man lol).

It gets to the point where you think "I know it's just face painting but, I'm actually making money off of this. As an artist I wouldn't want some one copying my hard work and creativity and selling it, that's a kin to theft. Is what I'm doing... wrong? Or worse yet, can I be sued?!?!"

To start, different countries have different laws regarding copy right (*cough* China *cough*) but there is a basic international copy right law. Check your country to see if your country has different versions of copyright law.

What is Copyright?:

Wikipedia Says:

"Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country, that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time, with the intention of enabling the creator (e.g. the photographer of a photograph or the author of a book) to receive compensation for their intellectual effort. The exclusive rights are however not absolute, and do not give the creator total control of their works because they are limited by limitations and exceptions to copyright law. 

Copyright is a form of intellectual property, applicable to any expressed representation of a creative work. It is often shared among multiple authors, each of whom holds a set of rights to use or license the work, and who are commonly referred to as rightsholders.[1]These rights frequently include reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performance, and "moral rights" such as attribution."

Yeah I know I'm lazy; but i cited my source so it's not plagiarism. Inronic that I choose to do that in an article about copyright though lol.

Moving right along......

Can I Still Use Spider-Man?:
If you dressed up as spider-man and entertained at your kids party, it's not copyright infringement. If you made a website and advertised that you dress up as spider-man and will entertain at other people's parties if they pay you - there's a problem.

Some times a big problem.

Spider-man is owned by Marvel (which is owned by Disney). They have their own costumed people at Disneyland that they want you to buy tickets to get into the park, to see. Also how do they know you don't get drunk while wearing your spider-man suit and face plant into the birthday cake while attempting to web-swing from the birthday decorations? Congrats you just scarred those kids against spider-man for life (or made him even better), and now Disney is mad at you for ruining their characters reputation (or making it better?).

Usually party business's that advertise costumed characters for events, can get around this by simply not using 'brand names'. So instead of calling their character 'Elsa' they call her 'The Snow Queen', and instead of 'Spider-Man' they call him 'Spider-Guy'. Unfortunately the 'likeness' of that character (ie: image) is still owned by Marvel (which is owned by Disney). This is where a grey area emerges, and some times has to be argued in court how different the character really is. Through usually these companies usually care more about you using the name then the image, but it's still a risk they could sue you (and they have money money so they win ).


But, Can I Still FACE PAINT Spider-Man?:
Good question. As luck would have it face painting is a little different! You see, if you paint a spider-man face, take a photo, then put it on your website and label it 'spider-man' you are infringing on the copyright. However, if you paint that same design at a birthday party, or a farmers market, or are otherwise getting paid to paint it. It's not an infringement!

Here's why:
If you painted a picture of spider-man on canvas and sold it, it's totally legal! Artists are allowed to produce 'original' creations of an already owned character, but it has to be a 'one off'. Meaning if you scanned the picture you painted and sold prints of it, you would be in violation of the copyright. You can't sell mass productions of a product like that.

However, if you painted a totally new picture of spider-man in a new pose, then it's again an 'original' creation, and you can sell it, but not make prints just like before.

 If however, some one who bought your painting put it on display in an art gallery and charged admission to see it, they would be in violation, but if they sold it to some one else, it's totally legal.

Picasso Spider-Man is Pleased

Example:
One the time Disney sued the day care with a mural of Micky Mouse. The artist wasn't in trouble, the daycare was because this was a 'work for hire' situation. The day care charged parents to attend their facilities, and it was a public space. BUT had it been 'Snow White' or 'Sleeping Beauty' they would have been fine, because those Characters are NOT owned by Disney. They are Grimms Fairy Tales from over 100 years ago, and thus are public domain (anything 70+ years old after the death of the author). However that 'version' of snow white is owned by Disney - but you can totally paint a black hairs pale chick hanging out with a bunch of short dudes and still call it 'Snow White' with no worries.

How This Applies To Face Painting:
Every single face paint of spider-man is legally an 'original' and 'one off', because we are painting on a new face every time, and every face is unique. Also it's not a permanent art that the client can keep forever. Face Painting is NOT a tangible resalable product. And THAT is the key.

BUT remember, if you have a photo of a copyrighted character on your design board, you are in a grey area and could be cited if a Disney executive happened to walk by, and if it's labeled as 'spider-man' you defiantly are infringing. (though seriously when ever is a Disney spy going to be scoping out your face paint board. lol) Because now the photo is something tangible, even if it's just an example.

What Can They Do?
On my website, my Spider-Man photo is labeled as Spider-Man. I'm really not that worried, because if Disney ever sniffs me out, what they will first do is send a 'cease and desist' letter, which means "Stop what you are doing, or we'll sue you." at which point I can change the name to 'Spider-Guy' . If that's not enough, I really don't have to have Spider-Man on my website, and I highly doubt they would spend the man power to follow me to a farmers market in order to spy on my display sign. I think I'm pretty safe because when it comes to face painting, we are small potatoes to them. They care more about mascots and other things. When it comes to face painting and balloons there is only so much they can do any way.

Generally speaking, the copyright holder must prove the copied work has a negative effect on the work's value or potential market.

"Ladies..."

Also companies WANT fans of their work, and they want fans who appreciate their work. And since face painting isn't a knock-off resalable item that interfere's or competes with the copyright holders own products on the market, you are in essence helping them by drumming up the popularity of their characters. That boy you just painted as spiderman is now more of a fan, and is more likely to buy a spiderman costume, or action figure because the face painting you gave him doesn't last more then a day tops. This being said it would be pretty hard for a company to prove that what you are doing is 'negatively' impacting them or their sales.

It's Like Ink Tattoo's
When it comes to (real) tattoos, a tattoo artist who inks a cartoon character onto a client without obtaining permission from the original illustrator may be infringing by affecting the potential market of the character; the illustrator could sell drawings to tattoo parlors for use on clients. On the other hand, the client is less likely to be considered infringing, since his display of the work is usually not for profit and in most cases would not affect the work's value or market.

The way the law see's it (so I've been told) is that it's like a tattoo. Models or actors don't have to pay their tattoo artists royalties every time their tat is on a magazine or in a movie, so the same goes for body paint, and thus face paint.

You win this time Johnny Depp..... damn you so fine.

Find out more about tattoo copyright here
https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/before-the-ink-dries-copyright-law-tattoos
(Because there isn't much to be said about face paint lol)

But Wait... Then Who Owns The Face Painting?
This is true in Canada last time I checked, that once you paint something on some one else it becomes their property, regardless of whether or not they paid you.

I found this out talking to a photographer after doing some body painting for the first time. He told me that I should get my body paint models to sign a contract of sorts because once it's painted the model owns it. Therefore the model could always strike a deal with the photographer to sell the photos to a magazine, they both make money and you are sh!t out of luck on all your hard work!

Scary thought, right?

Also means anything the model does with your face paint is on them, not you. So no need to worry if they take some photos and post it on their social media account.

Just like how Disney sued the daycare and not the artist of the mural. The owner of the wall was held responsible, not the one who painted the wall (unless they advertise that they paint copy righted characters). So the owner of the face is held responsible if they want to take a photo of their spider-man kid, then make a bunch of prints and sell it as 'spider-man face paint photo'. You get off scott free.

But this opens up a whole new can of worms now doesn't it! lol

Do I have signed model releases for all the faces in my selection book? Nope! Usually I just ask the parent if it's ok if I take a photo for my portfolio and get permission, if anyone ever comes forward and asks me to remove the photo from my gallery - done. Never had in issue in over 15 years, and signing model releases slows up the line lol!

"Wow. The face painting line sure is long today...."

So if the model owns the face painting once you put it on them, technically what is stopping some crappy face painter from stealing another artists face paint work and posting it on their site? Not much legally it seems, unless the original model steps forward; except a whole lot of public shaming if the truth ever comes out. Again this is a huge grey area.

BUT as it turns out we in fact DO own the photos. And if some one lifts them from our site, we have every right to ask them to remove them. Why? Not because we are the ones who painted the face, but because we were the ones who took the photo! We are the photographer!

... Shut up Sean Bean, we're talking about copyright here.

Photographer's works are more protected and defined under copyright then face painting and tattoos currently. So if you see someone lifting your work, damn straight you have the law on your side to get them to stop!

On the plus side because of these laws I was able to go up to a face painting company that stole my gig, get them to paint one of their crappy butterflies on my hand, and take a photo of it, and use it in advertising.

Technically I could name the company too (like Coke VS Pepsi) but I don't want to by too mean. *wink*

On MY hand, and MY photo = My Property = Totally Legal.
The artist who painted it knew it was going to be 'on public display' because that is implied since it being painting on some one's body. Like having a statue in the middle of a park, people are going to take photos of it and post those photos, and the artist can't go around suing all the people who took photos. The artist knew their work was for 'public display purposes', so there isn't much they can do to litigate against the use of a photo of their work.

Makes you think though, what if another face painter followed you around to your gigs and took photos of all your face paints and then put them up on their website?! No worries. If they mislead the public into thinking it's their work, it's not legal, falls under 'false advertising'. So there's that too.

Conclusion:
When push comes to shove some times it's better to beg forgiveness then to ask permission in my opinion. Besides it's not like we can all be like Disney and NEVER, EVER shamelessly rip off another persons work to make a profit.

Oh wait....

Kimba The White Lion (1965)
VS
The Lion King (1994)


I guess being a hypocrite is OK, so long as you have high priced lawyers?

Thanks For Reading!!!

P.S.


I'm not a lawyer, I just read a LOT, you can look all this up on your own. Copyright when it comes to tattoos is already a very murky area, but it's the best we have to go on for something like this. Because this kind of information is REALLY hard to find and define, and there are very few, if any, court cases to set a precedent for this.

Moar Links:
https://www.nolo.com/dictionary/fixed-in-a-tangible-medium-of-expression-term.html
http://www.leydig.com/publications/articles_publications-355
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Deletion_requests/File:Spiderman_and_child.jpg
http://www.rubyredpaint.com/faq/faqcopyright.htm
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Deletion_requests/Image:Jack_Sparrow_%26_girlfriend.jpg

Step By Step: Australian Banksia Flower

An artist on the forum asked about methods to paint this flower:

It's called a 'Banksia' and is an Australian wild flower.

The artist had concerns about painting it fast because it is a very detailed looking plant, so I gave it my best shot trying out two different methods. All colors used are TAG brand.

Method Number 1
I painted the flower in color blocks to start, and then added detail over top. Pretty basic. It was about 7 steps in all using 1 #4 round brush. (there are 10 photos in the image just to show the progress, but it was only 7 steps).

1. Used Berry Wine mixed with a little red for the top of the flower
2. Orange for the bottom
3. Started to layer some white flicks starting from the top, and flicking up. Layered like scales.
4. Top part finished
5. Yellow flicks, random pattern, making X's and such,
6. Finished bottom. Also adding in some light white flicks for more depth.
7. Laid down the base of the leaves.
8. Mixing a bit of white into my brush I made some of them more pale for color variety and depth.
9. Added white pale lines to the leaves
10. Finished it off with a brown stem

Estimated painting time: 2.5-3 minutes

.
Method Number 2
This method was about 5 steps over all using 2 brushes.

1. Using a flat #10 brush, shown here loaded with berry wine/red mix, and white.
2.  I used a one stroke method using just the edge of my brush for the upper flower part, starting at the top and working my way down. Much faster.
3. Used the same technique for the bottom using white and yellow/orange.
4. Switched to a #4 round for the leaves, and double loaded in in my one stroke green, with dark and light green. Then added white lines.
5. Finished off with a stem.

Estimated painting time: 2 minutes

Over all I think I would combine a few of the methods used,. Method 2 using one stroke for the flower, and Method 1 for the leaves as I like the pale green better. Perhaps if time permits even touch up with some more detailed flicks on the flower using a #4 round.