Frequently Asked Questions

Our artists & staff experience and quality of work:

...Today there are many more artists who share our love for making beautiful designs and instead of this being an obstacle for Cheeky Face, we have embraced the opportunity to draw from the pool of amazing artists available, to make sure that we keep up the standard for face painting and balloons that is what our customers have come to expect.

You can check our social media for examples of our work at various events...

How many faces will be painted?

 In 1hr ONE Cheeky Face face painter can paint approximately:

 Achievable under ideal conditions

These figures are meant as a guide only and should be achievable under ideal conditions.  
"Ideal conditions" basically means that the effects of weather will not be an issue and children are painted immediately one after the other without delay.  If the face painter has to wait for the kids or chase the kids and then bring them to the designated area to be painted (and then the children have to think about what they would like to have painted), it will all add to the time not being used for painting faces.  

Maximise the number of faces

In most situations it is the responsibility of the customer (who is hiring the face painter and not that of the face painter/s), to do what they can to maximise the numbers being painted.  We are happy to work in any way to help keep things under control but it will take longer if we have to manage queues and also chase people when it's their turn.  

• Prepare children/guests by reminding them to be ready when it is their turn.
• On request, the face painter can display examples of what the guests can choose.  They can decide whilst they wait for others being painted.
• Depending on the size of the event, it may help to have a queue monitor.  Often long queues become problematic - especially at public events - where others may sneak into the line and create a longer wait for others.  Sometimes this is deliberate and sometimes it is a genuine accident.  It helps to have a queue monitor for large events.
• Keep the designs to a minimum.
• Ask guests to avoid requesting designs from the internet...
  We can assist in telling people not to select characters or designs that are elaborate (often people will search google for examples and then ask the face painter to replicate a design).  This means the face painter is attempting something new and unexpected, which will not be as quick as usual designs.  It often causes a follow-on effect where more people start searching the internet for designs.

Speed VS Quality at your event

How many want face painting or balloons & type of options :

Generally the more people at an event you would assume the more time needs to be booked but not always the case.

Options to keep the designs good when you have larger numbers and keep things flowing:

• Limit each guest to choice of one or the other:
  eg.  At a birthday party we often limit the choice for kids to have a face painting or a balloon animal (they select one or the other).  If there is time to allow for a second choice we might allow them to join the back of the queue again and continue that way until time is up.   
• Limit the choice of design:
  If the budget doesn't allow for long bookings and you want everyone to get both a face paint and a balloon then we can offer designs in both face painting and balloons that ensure only quicker options are selected.     
• Book two or more artists:
  With more than one artist providing either one service each or both providing both balloons & face painting, you can get a lot covered.  In addition you can utilise the first two options with these artists to manage the flow at your event and tweak it just enough to make it work the way you would like it to.  
  
  Queue Management:
  For public events (and occasionally at private events) queue management is extremely important.  
  It is usually nearly impossible for the artist to keep an eye on the queue as well the face painting (OR ballooning) they're providing and without queue monitoring or management of some kind, the artists will have to stop what they're doing to manage the queue themselves.  This may include making sure that new comers are updated with any information as to what's on offer etc. and also to ensure that people queue in order and stay that way (stop queue sneaks).   

When it comes to the number of children (or faces) to be painted at your event we ask that you consider carefully the requirements for your event.  We do offer information to help you determine approximately what numbers you will have painted based on the number of hours you book and the number of face painters you hire to be there (have a look at the item "How many faces will be painted?" on the menu here in FAQ's).  

Adding balloons to a face painting booking:

If balloon modelling is going to be expected of the face painter/s attending, then you also need to consider that this will take up approximately 1 - 3 minutes per child (per balloonist) at least.  
If you need to make more time for the ballooning then be sure to add more time before the date of your event - and do so ASAP as we are limited in the number of artists who can do both balloons and face painting.   

Queuing and some common misconceptions:

Queue lengths can be misleading:

Unfortunately a reality of face painting is that due to it's popularity the queues can get very long.  It seems to us that no matter how many face painters we have there is never enough to keep the queue moving fast enough.  

We hope people will understand that it is not a mechanical process and often the artists work is part of the attraction to it.  If the artist needs to hurry they will need to cut corners or minimise the design.  Even when this is done the queue doesn't always end up getting quicker nor shorter.

More than one queue is not a good idea:

• We think no matter how many face painters are working, if they're all located in the same spot, it is best to have just one queue.
• More than one queue can cause problems with some face painters working faster than others (which can be simply based on the designs being requested).  
• With a single queue feeding into an area with 2 or more artists, the customers will move to the next available artist and if they really insist on it, in most cases are able to choose their preferred painter when they get to the front (most people are happy to have any one of our face painters paint them, but some people can be more particular and if that happens then, when they get to the front of the queue they can simply let those behind them go ahead until their preferred painter is free).
•  With just the one queue we think it will in itself, help control the numbers rather than having 1 queue per face painter which can often increase distress or frustration if one painter is painting quicker designs and getting through their queue quicker than other painter (this can happen purely by chance however we can arrange to have a queue for quick designs and another for elaborate designs if you wish).

Offering a separate queue for quicker designs:

If you would prefer to offer a fast queue and a separate longer queue (for more elaborate designs) then we can set-up that way but you need to consider a few things that may not be obvious:

• Having 2 queues will take up more space and you need to allow for this.
• People may join the wrong queue assuming they can have what ever they want and likely to be disappointed when they get to the front.  Signage can help with this but it needs to be planned for ahead. 
  

Start & Finish Times

Queue lengths can be misleading:

• The artist will usually arrive between 15 – 30 minutes before the booked time so that they can set up.  Please let us know if there is anything we need to know such as opening times for venues (if anything out of the ordinary) or where not to park our car etc.
• Ending can be tricky and especially when there is a continuous stream of children/guests all wanting "just one more little thing".  Sometimes it is actually the adults who encourage the children so we would really appreciate it if you could be aware that we always aim to finish on time and help to make others aware of this too.  
• Many times we will have other bookings to rush off to but even if that is not the case each painter has a private life and they are paid for the time they spend at the event.  If the painter cannot finish on time due to having trouble ending the queue and is forced to stay OR because the customer asks them to stay longer, then we will charge for the additional time based on the following rates & condition - read more about extending time on the day click here
• If for some reason the painter or balloon artist is late to start then extra time will be added to the end, to make up the difference.  If for any reason this is not possible we will refund you for the portion of time the painter is late based on the rate you have been charged + a bonus 10%.  To receive a refund you should email us to notify us as our artist may not relay the information.  We will then confirm this with the artist and respond accordingly.
  

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Parking availability and additional charges

Parking near to the set-up location is important:

• Our face painters usually have a few things to carry and some of it can be cumbersome (table/s, chairs etc).  If the parking space is too far away from where you need us to set up, it will also add to the time we need to get there and so we may arrive late if we are not warned about this.
  
  

250 metres is the maximum distance expected:

• It will generally be expected that availability of parking will be within 250 metres of where we are expected to set up.  If we are required to walk or travel any further than that, it will be deemed to be additional time to your booking.  additional charges may be added to the invoice to cover this time IF the artists are required to make-up time for arriving later than expected.
• Please be sure we are aware of any such possibilities to avoid having a face painter arrive late.  
  If we are NOT warned in writing (by email) or if it has not been confirmed by us to you through e-mail, and the face painter/s does arrive late then the responsibility will be that of the person in charge of booking the artist.  The bill will not be discounted to make-up for the late arrival and time lost will not be made up at the end of the original booked time. 
• If you do want the face painter to stay on to make up for the time lost in such a case, the booking will be subject to the rules described in the section in this document titled: 

"Extending a booking on the day" click here for more

Parking costs:

If parking is not available for FREE and there is no time to look for vacant street parking then the artist/s will be forced to use a paid parking option.  Whatever the cost of the parking, will be added to the invoice either before the event (if we are aware of parking limitations) or after the event (we may alter the invoice or send a separate one for the cost of parking).

How to avoid parking fees:

The best way to avoid additional parking costs is to ensure that there is free parking available for the artists and arrange it before the event.  Provide us with any instructions to pass on to the artist/staff on the day of your event.

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Breaks over long booking times & phone usage:

Our painters will be happy to work constantly for the first 2 hours without a break. After that time each painter may need to stretch their legs, have something to eat or drink or go to the toilet.  

Breaks are necessary to keep the painters comfortable and painting well.  Breaks are short and kept to a minimum.  For more about break times please contact us. 

Phone Usage:

All our artists/staff carry mobile phones.  

If it is essential that they do not have their phones turned on during the time they are working then you must inform us at the time you book (preferably not on the day as it may be a reason an artist chooses not to accept the booking).  

We always have our phone on for personal and/or business reasons.  In most cases we will answer the phone if it rings but this is up to the artist (who is briefed on phone usage and keeping to a minimum if at all).  

The reasons for an artist using their phone can be varied and instead of making things more difficult for our painters we need to know that they are comfortable to do the job.  If they are expecting an important call that will only be brief then they must have the phone on.  It may be an emergency or in the case of the owners of Cheeky Face it may be a problem with another customer at another event (this could be you).  

Because our Cheeky Face management are also face painters and balloon twisters  we need to have our phones on and answer them when a call comes through.  We hope you will trust that we will keep conversation to a minimum and only prolong discussion in the case of urgency.

This is just a warning so that you will understand the needs of the artist.  We do not have a fixed telephone number at our place of business where we can be reached so we must be able to be contacted at all times by mobile phone.