It looks relatively easy and cheap to train as a facepainter and then you can earn £175.00 for an afternoon's work.

[tigermoth]

It's not something I can take on, but I have to book face painters sometimes and I started to think what it must be like to do be one.
The going rate seems to be about £125 - £175 for approx 4 hours work.

Equipment? make up/brushes/cleansing wipes - easy to transport and not too expensive to buy

Training? No recognised qualification needed. I certainly don't ask to see a portfolio of work or a cv. If you want to learn, you can do it via books, internet learning or day courses (googled courses and one was advertised for £40.00) so not too expensive or difficult.

Practice: I guess you start off by volunteering at charity events.

You also need to know health and safety rules and have insurance, but these seem quite straightforward and appear to be explained on face painting websites.

It just seems to me, from what I know, to be a good part time job - low outlay, very flexible, fun and creative, easy to get into and you can fit around family commitments.

OK, now I bet someone will prove me wrong!

hmmm, yes, but you have to touch loads of snotty kids

tigermoth, im a face painter but i self taught, before i moved, i used to volunteer for pre-school events etc, then i started charging, but i only charged 50 quid for an afternoon!.
i had to stop doing it when dh went as i lost my childcare

wouldn't you ned to have a police check for working with children? Sounds like easy money though

But you can have lots of cleansing wipes to hand!

i liked the face-painting on Phoenix Nights, but you'd probably be better off with soluble paints.

i used to have a an enhanced disclosure

spacecadet, that sounds painful, did you need an op or did the tablets sort it out?

pmsl! gingerbear ...should have said, i was crb checked!

i do face painting! though we work through the local council, so don't get to earn the big bucks, but get all the training, equipment etc.

actually hire us, we're cheap haha (and v good)

spacecadet - I knew what you meant, lol.

BUT tm
sweaty kids

face paints go on easier if the face is sweaty!

there are usually lots of arguments too with parents waiting in line, but that's quite entertaining

I have the books and paints - and am a dab hand at tigers and lions - the only thing DD wants to be painted as. Only trouble is 10 mins after my masterpiece is finished, she wants it washing off again!

can i ask, have any of you considered the natural type face paints? dd1 always wants her face painted but we say n o due to her allergies, but cotton comfort did do some gentle face paints which were IIRC more natural. have you ever had any one have a reaction to the face paints you use?

I only pay around £100 for public liability so it's worth looking into that.

You would not have to be police checked as the children would not be being left in your care. Probably wouldn't hurt though.

Lots of questions, so little space! I can advise re face painting... In London it's around £100 - £200 depending on the event and time. Insurance, materials, travel, clothing, childcare etc all add to the cost. The anti-social hours can be a moral dilemma - to spend time with your kids or someone else's? The money is higher inside M25 due to cost of living as well. Also, a painter can't work consistently so has to live off the weekend work usually. That's the negatives... The positives are great - wiping snot off someone else's child is a nice break from your own

Every children's entertainer at parties around here gets £200 for 2 hours. I've often thought it could be a useful source of income for an enterprising mother.