Face Painting Johannesburg: How Many Painters, How Long, How Much?
Face painting is one of the first things parents book, and one of the easiest to get slightly wrong — not the painting, the planning around it. Here's how face painting in Johannesburg actually works, from our side of the party. How long to book, how many kids one painter can really get through, when to have them arrive. Get those three right and it runs beautifully. Here's how it works, from our side of the party.
THE SHORT ANSWER: One face painter is R1,070 for the first hour, then R570 for each hour after — the price is per painter, per hour. In an hour, one painter gets through roughly 15 faces — so for most parties you book one painter for two hours (two and a half for a bigger group), not two painters. Book for the number of kids invited, not the number you think will want it. Almost all of them do. And painting starts when guests actually arrive, not when the invite says.
Book for all the kids, not some of them
The most common tangle we see: "I invited 30, but not all of them will want their face painted, so let's just book an hour." Then every child wants it, the queue grows, and the kids at the back wait the whole party for nothing. Safer to assume every invited child will sit down. If there's time to spare, the painter just does arms, hands, a bit of glitter — nobody minds extra. Running short is the problem. Running over is a treat.
How many kids can one painter actually do?
This is the number to plan around. In one hour, one face painter manages about 15 faces. A proper lion or a detailed butterfly is a few minutes each, and small children wriggle. So for a normal party the answer isn't a second painter — it's booking the one painter for longer. Thirty kids done properly is about two hours; a bigger group, two and a half. One painter for two or two-and-a-half hours covers almost every house party. A second painter is for big events — a school market, a corporate day, a crowd — not a birthday at home.
The painters need only five to ten minutes to set up, so book them from when you actually want them painting, not an hour early.
Any child, any design
Boys want their faces painted too. Every party, a boy asks for a lion or a spider — and of course he can. And a child who wants to be a butterfly princess when the theme is dinosaurs gets to be a butterfly princess. We go with what the child in the chair asks for, not the theme on the invitation. It's their turn; they choose.
Here's a lovely touch that's easy to miss: your face painter can arrive in costume and in character to match your theme. A princess party, and a princess is the one painting the crowns and butterflies. A superhero party, a superhero. To a small child it isn't a lady doing face paint — it's the character herself who came to their party, and that's the bit they remember. It's R150 for the costume, and it's one of those small things that makes the photos.
Time it to when guests really arrive
Here's the one that sometimes wastes money. The invite says 12:00, so you book the painter 12:00 to 14:00. At 12:00 the birthday child is painted. At 12:30, two cousins. By 13:00 you're getting your own face done because it's quiet. Then at 14:00, just as the painter is packing up for her next party, everyone arrives at once.
Parties rarely start dead on time — real arrival is usually a half hour or so after the printed time. So book the painter's hours around when children will actually be there. If the invite says 12:00 and you know your crowd rolls in by 12:30, start the painter at 12:30.
And if there's a quiet moment at the end, the moms are welcome to a little flower and some glitter too — just not while children are still waiting for their turn.
Face paint and swimming don't mix well
Worth knowing before a pool party: face paint is water-based, which is why it washes off so easily at the end of the day — but it also means it runs the moment it gets properly wet. A few minutes in the pool and the tiger's a grey smudge. So if there's swimming, paint the children near the end, once they're done in the water, rather than at the start. Or save face painting for a dry party. It's not something the painter can fix on the day — it's just how the paint works.
Quick questions parents ask me
How much does face painting cost?
One painter is R1,070 for the first hour, then R570 for each hour after — per painter, per hour. For most house parties, one painter for two hours covers it.
How long does it last, and does it wash off easily?
It'll survive the party happily. At the end of the day it comes off with warm water and a bit of soap — easier before bath-time than last thing at night when everyone's tired.
One painter or two for a big party?
For a party at home, almost always one — booked for longer. You only need a second painter for big events like school fairs or corporate days, where there's a real crowd.
Ready to plan?
Tell me how many children, and roughly when they'll really arrive, and I'll tell you exactly how many painters and how many hours you need — no more, no less.
— Oxana
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