Face Painting and Balloon Twisting Blog

Christmas Bear Balloon Animal
by ChiTwist Chicago Balloon Twisting

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Balloon Monster
by TrulyTwistedBalloons

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Christian makes a balloon swan
Start your kids early…

I have been busy lately and haven’t spent as much time looking for new ideas as I would like. Here are a lot of recent face painting videos from YouTube.

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Tiger Face
Short time lapse of a young girl having her face painted at Disney World.

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Face Painting Dinosaur Mask
Simple Step by step instructions on painting a cute dinosaur mask on the face, by Daizy Design

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Cheetah Skull Face Painting
Design by Marvelous Masks Chicago Face Painter

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Pirahna Monster Face Painting
Design by Marvelous Masks Chicago Face Painter

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Teal Tiger Face Painting
Design by Michigan Face Painter

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Pumpkin Face Mask
Tutorials by Cheryl Holley

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Technocolor Zombie
Face paiting by Crafty Chica

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Pink Designs
Two girls get their faces painted at the Dallas Arboretum October

Sir Toony wearing his Game Bibs

Whenever I wear my Game Bibs, people ask me where I got them. They are made by Fanatical Fan Gear. They sell a line of bib overalls, cargo pants, and cargo shorts in most of the college football team colors. I purchased a pair a few years ago because I thought they would make a great outfit for when I do balloons and face painting. Since then, I have purchased a few more pairs.

My Game Bibs fit over my clothes. I usually wear a pair of cargo shorts so I can keep my keys and wallet safe in an inner pocket.

The Game Bibs are reasonably priced. Currently, the Bibs cost $49.95. They currently have some on clearance for $10 or less. I purchased a few extra pairs for myself.

I try to avoid putting myself into situations where I know that I will be facing long lines of people waiting for balloons or face painting. Whenever possible, I will encourage the host to hire one or more of my friends to help keep the lines moving. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. I find there are a few ways to handle long lines.

Although a lot of hosts want the balloons and/or face painting to be free for the guests, one way to decrease the number of people waiting in the lines is to charge a fee. If they are selling tickets for kids to play games, go on rides, or play in the moon bounces, suggest also having them use tickets for the balloons. That way, the kids will have to decide between getting a balloon or playing a game.

I have heard that some event organizers want only the most basic balloon creations. The less they look like a dog or other item the better. They get credit for offering balloons but since the balloons are very basic, some people will decide that it isn’t worth the wait in a long line to get a basic balloon.

The final method is to make fantastic balloons… OK, this won’t make the line shorter, it may actually make the lines longer. But, people will be willing to wait any amount of time to get great balloons that they have never seen before.

For face painting, I have had some event organizers suggest doing only cheek designs. I know some face painters who are really skilled at the cheek designs, but I find them harder since they require more detail to make them easily recognizable. I feel that I can paint a child’s full face like a dog faster than I can draw a tiny dog on their cheek. For me, a faster design just means fewer embelishments.

When I first started face painting, it seemed like I was buying brushes every time I went to the craft store. I found a variety with an acrylic handle that I really liked. Anytime I had a coupon or they were on sale, I would buy a few more brushes. Then the local stores stopped selling that particular style of brush.

I have been lucky that my brushes are still in good shape. I am constantly on the look for a new brand/variety of brushes that I like. Two things stop me from buying certain brushes. I avoided brushes with a wooden handle. I have seen too many face painters with wooden brushes that have peeling paint. Unfortunately, very few brushes list what their handles are made from. My policy has been, when in doubt, assume it is wooden. The only way I know it isn’t wooden is if it says so or the handle is clearly, well clear (translucent).

I saw one face painter say that you can buy brushes with wooden handles and then paint the handles with nail polish. I haven’t tried this, but would still think the wood would crack and cause it to peel.

I know that I am not the absolute best face painter or balloon twister, yet I often get parents and hosts tell me how much they or their guests loved my work. I don’t know how many times someone has told me that my work was so much better than the “Guy” they had at their office party or some other event.

While I realize that the correct response is, “Thank you.” I can’t help but think how many people I know who could have done better looking designs. I also know that from time to time, I have found myself working in an assembly line environment where I have to stick to the simple creations.

I have learned that making the child feel special is sometimes more important than the quality of my work. When a child asks for something that I don’t really know how to make, I can either suggest something else or give it a try. Sometimes, the child really would rather get a blob of a balloon they can pretend is what they wanted instead of getting a great looking balloon that isn’t what they really wanted.

I think this fact is lost in the many balloon and face painting competitions at the various conventions. A judge is looking for artistry, difficulty, balance, and other qualities of a design that show the skill of the artist. On the other hand, my customer, the 6 or 7 year old child who just asked for a balloon or their face painted will be using a different set of criteria to judge the results. I have seen judges at competitions score things lower because they didn’t know what the design was (think modern cultural items like Angry Birds) when a kid would instantly recognize the design.

I think it is easiest to impress people with your designs when they don’t have an easy way to compare things side by side with the designs from another entertainer. My goal is to always deliver my best designs and to continue learning and getting better. Some day, people may think of me when they say they know people who are better at making balloons or face painting. Until then, I need to accept the compliments and know that I am doing my job of making people happy.

‘DragonTales’ Face Painting Design

Wolverine Face Painting Tutorial

On Wednesday, October 3, 2012, hundreds of balloon sculptors will be arranging balloons into dogs, hats, and a variety of colorful sculptures as part of Balloons Around the World.

Each artist will be donating an hour or more of their time for a good cause in their community. The sculptures are free of charge or exchanged for a donation to the charity. It’s an event that allows people to both showcase a fun art as well as to give back to their communities.

Besides the well-known puppy dog, the world of balloon art has matured to include multi-balloon sculptures that defy the imagination. Close to 300 balloon artists participated during the 2010 event – in schools, libraries, and hospitals. They also twisted and decorated in malls, on the street, and even in grocery stores… all for fun, all for free. Balloons were inflated in more than half of the 50 states, as well as in Argentina, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Great Britain!

For more information, visit the official website: www.BalloonsAroundTheWorld.com

Are you on facebook? I know a lot of people who for one reason or another are not on facebook. I joined several years ago when I was hosting foreign exchange students. At the time, it was one way for me to monitor their online activities. Since then, I have found hundreds of friends on facebook. Some are classmates from elementary or high school, some are family, some are current or former co-workers, but at least half are entertainers.

In my opinion, there are more reasons to join facebook than to avoid facebook. For one thing, facebook is a great way to share news and pictures with friends and family.

Like all users on facebook, I have a personal page where I can post pictures and updates. I can use that page to identify family and friends, like other pages, and interact with groups. I also have a page for my work as an entertainer. I post pictures from my events, messages about where I will be next, and can have both friends and customers like me. I have a few groups on facebook for my clown alley and jam groups. With these groups, our members can share pictures, event updates, and other news.

Watching other people on facebook, I have come to realize that one must use some caution. I know several people who mix there personal interests (politics, religion, etc.) and their professional interests. I don’t think they always realize that their jokes and comments can be seen not only by their friends but also their customers. Sometimes, I think that if I was their customer, I would stop doing business with them based on their facebook comments and complaints.

If you are NOT on facebook yet, I suggest you get an account. If you are on facebook, I suggest you evaluate your profile and determine if you need to further separate your personal page from your business identity. Also, I suggest that you think twice before positing a comment that others may find offensive.

Lisa Joy Young gives her reviews of FAB face paints from Silly Farm, BAM Stencils, and More!