FABA TV is the newest offering from Silly Farm. Meet some of their artists on their YouTube Interviews.
Mama Clown – Marcela Murad
Brian Wolfe Interview – with a great Grinch face…
Pam Trent Interview
Pashur
Almost every time I go to an event to do balloons or face painting, I meet someone who asks where I learned how to make balloons or do face painting. The answer is, I went to clown conventions. There are a few dedicated face painting or balloon twisting conventions, but there are more clown conventions.
You don’t need to be a clown to go to a clown convention… Most clown conventions offer a variety of workshops including magic, face painting, skits, balloon twisting, puppets, juggling, and more. They will often have competitions for face painters and balloon twisters or jam sessions. Also, they will have dealers who sell balloons, pumps, face paints, brushes, along with colorful outfits and other supplies.
So, the next time you are thinking that you need to go to a convention to expand your skills be sure to check out the clown conventions and see if they have enough workshops to meet your needs. And you never know, maybe you will discover the clown you were ment to be.
The Big Apple Circus and PBS show how to make a clown face.
Watch the video and get your kids involved in drawing their own clown faces.
Watch the full episode. See more Circus.
Registration for the World Balloon Convention opened yesterday. The convention is March 21-25 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Dallas, TX. The convention is hosted by Pioneer Balloon Company, the makers of the Qualatex balloon.
This is their second convention. Their website says that the WBC is designed for business-minded balloon decorators, twisters/entertainers, and party store retailers, as well as ambitious newcomers wanting to explore a rewarding and profitable career in the balloon industry.
I have never been big on reading books. In school, the only books I ever read, were the books my teachers said I had to read. But, once I decided to become a clown, I realized I needed books to help me learn the skills I needed to succeed. I ordered a few books from the various websites that sell clown, face painting, and balloon supplies. I also got a few books from Amazon.com. It wasn’t until I was bored one weekend and decided to venture into a used book store that I discovered there was a cheaper way to get great books.
I have been visiting the local used book store every month or two and never walk away without finding something interesting. I have found books on juggling, magic, mime, clowning, face painting, balloons, puppets, jokes and a variety of other topics. The best thing is that I rarely have to pay more than $3 for a book. I don’t think I can go wrong spending $10 and coming home with 3 or 4 used books. Actually, it is usually more like $30 and 8 to 10 books.
When face painters or balloon twisters get together, they like to have a jam. A jam is an opportunity to practice, share tips and techniques, and see how others work. I highly recommend participating in jams whenever possible.
One unfortunate thing about face painting and balloon twisting is that there isn’t a central organization for the face painters and balloon twisters to belong to and as a result, there are very few chartered groups. Since the groups are not formal, they often do not have websites or other ways to find out about them without knowing someone who belongs to the group. Clowns have their local clown alley, magicians have their local magic ring, and jugglers have their local juggling clubs. There are also fewer conventions dedicated to just face painting or just balloon twisting. Since I am also a clown, most of my training comes from the face painting or balloon twisting sessions at the clown conventions.
When I was getting started, I was lucky enough to find out about a local face painting jam. The jam met once a month in a local restaurant. Going to that jam provided me with an opportunity to network with other face painters in the area and learn about other jams. Unfortunately for me, the format of the jam didn’t provide me the opportunity I needed to really practice face painting. That led me to seek out other groups.
At the end of 2009, I started to host my own jams. I went to my local Cici’s pizza and spoke to the manager and told him about the other jams I have attended and asked if I could host a monthly jam. He agreed and we have been going there ever since. Having the jam at a popular family restaurant can be a win-win solution. The restaurant gets the benefit of having entertainment for their customers with kids, and the face painters and balloon twisters have kids faces to paint or give balloons.
After finding a location, my next step is finding other face painters or balloon twisters to attend the jam. I decided to have a joint jam for both face painters and balloon twisters. I was fortunate to have a network of friends and told them to invite their friends. Like most groups, we are informal, I maintain an email list that contains people who have attended the jam in the past and a facebook group to share news, pictures, and other information.
My jams are an opportunity for us to get together each month and socialize and practice. Although, I have tried to set themes, it usually becomes a free for all with people doing whatever they want. There are usually kids at Cici’s, so we have a chance to interact and give away our extra balloons.
Not all jams are the same. Some people host jams that are more like a mini workshop with a theme and presenter. Others offer time for each person to do a show and tell session where they can share their discoveries or ask questions. Mine are a time to practice. As host, I can run the jam the way that I want and if others like it, they will continue to come.