gz-Body Painting or Going Away

No, not me. Ha, you're not getting rid of me that easily!Someone else... and so there was a big kids' going away party yesterday afternoon at Tribeca Cinemas. I was hired to face paint at the party, and because I knew we'd have two hours and a lot of kids, I brought my friend Emilie with me.The party was great, with balloons, a DJ, food, and drink... and of course, us. When we first got there,

This past Saturday, I painted faces at a 5th birthday party in River Edge, NJ. It was a great party, but I didn't have time for photos, so there aren't any of those. Sorry!It did bring up an interesting issue, though, so I thought I might want to give you some pointers for when you're having an entertainer at your party. This is relevant for hiring face painters, magicians, caricature artists,

A Saturday Evening Party

I was hired to paint at a birthday party this evening, only it wasn't a children's party.  Some couples were getting together for the adults' birthdays, and wanted to keep the kids entertained.  I'd painted these beautiful girls before, at the McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff, when I was there for Bergen County's annual Cabbage Night Festival.  Their mom showed me a photo from that day, and

Throw a Party!

An Alice in Wonderland party!  Now, you can tell from my prior posts that I've got Alice on the brain.  But there's a new development.  Of course I can paint your face (or the faces of your kids and their friends) as the inhabitants of Wonderland - it's great to go to the movie painted and get some attention!  See this post.But now, I can also tattoo you with glitter or ink in Wonderland-themed

gz-Body Painting or Lots and Lots of Henna

I was hired to do henna tonight at a birthday party for a 14-year-old girl. The kids were great, though I was really disconcerted to hear "Oh, this is from Glee" when songs from my junior high and high school years were playing. Wow, am I that old? Really? When did that happen?!At any rate, the party was outside, where the humidity was wreaking a bit of havoc with the henna's consistency, but

A Day of Firsts

I painted today at two birthday parties. The earlier, in Wayne, was a first birthday, and it was a slow start. Lots of kids wanted to get painted, but no one wanted to be first. I find that every now and again. Well, this brave girl decided to run with it, and became a puppy.She was great, and the face was a hit That prompted her friend to join in, but she was more or less undecided as to what

I love face painters!

I'm a member of several worldwide face painting discussion groups. One is small enough, though international, and close enough, that we've become good friends. So a couple years ago, someone suggested a secret Santa exchange, and of course I wanted to participate. I love gifts - giving and receiving!Our version extended past the holidays, into mid-January.Yesterday, I was feeling really blech. My

gz-Body Painting or First Birthday... and Selflessness

I painted this afternoon at a first birthday. While the birthday boy didn't want to get painted, his friends and family were certainly willing... but then, I've painted several of them before! Remember these guys?Well, you might recognize two of them from today's party.The kids at this party were great. Even the ones who started out reluctant, like this girl who wanted a tiny butterfly on her

Tips When Hiring a Face Painter

I've just read an article by Anders Eriksson, located here.I don't know Anders Eriksson, but he makes some very good points I thought I should highlight for my readers.If you can, know your face painter before hiring him or her for a party. You do want someone who's good with kids, who can interact with them well, and who is neither bouncing off your walls nor standoffish. You want someone fun,

gz-Body Painting or I Made Their Day, They Made Mine

I must admit I questioned the sanity of taking on a gig in the late afternoon on a day when I had to be on stage that night. Yeah, yeah, this was nowhere near as crazy as taking on the Tribeca Film Festival gig the day of my opening night, but this was booked even before that.It was so worth it.The kids, the adults, they were all great! There weren't that many kids, so they were actually