If you're building your face painting business or adjusting your pricing, one of the most common questions is:

How much should I charge?

There isn’t one universal answer. Pricing depends on your skill level, local market, event type, service provided, competition and business expenses. However, there are industry ranges and best practices that can guide your decision.

This article breaks down the most common pricing structures in the U.S. and explains how to calculate profitable rates without undercutting yourself — or your fellow artists.

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Common Face Painting Pricing Models

1. Hourly Rate (Most Common for Private Events)

Charging by the hour (or hours) is standard for birthday parties, school events, and private gatherings, at least in the USA.

Typical U.S. ranges:

• $100 – $150 per hour for private parties (like birthday parties), although some professional face painters with years of experience are able to charge as much as $250 USD per hour.
  
  

• Some artists offer 2-hour packages ranging from $175 – $300+
  
  

Corporate and premium events typically command higher rates, sometimes because they will have you wait for payment for several weeks, or because they have more strict dress codes or simply because a lot of corporations measure quality by price, if your quote is too low they might think you are a lower quality painter. Also, many corporations will ask you for extra paperwork like a W9 and a Certificate of Additional Insured:

• $175 – $250+ per hour
  
  

Many professional artists set a 2-hour minimum booking to make events financially worthwhile. This is particularly helpful if you live in a small area and you often have to travel long distance to do an event.

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2. Per-Face Pricing (Festivals & Public Events)

At festivals, fairs, markets, and vendor-style events, artists often charge per face instead of hourly, and usually based on design complexity and add ons.

Typical pricing:

• $5 – $35 per design, depending on design complexity, size, location and any add-ons like bling, glitter, etc.
  
  

Simple cheek art and fast designs are usually priced lower, while full-face, detailed designs are priced higher. Keep in mind that small but very detailed cheek art can take as long as a simple full face design, so price accordingly, not just by size but by time invested and supplies used.

This model works best when you expect consistent foot traffic and can paint quickly and efficiently.

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Pricing by Event Type

Private Birthday Parties

Parents usually prefer simple hourly pricing or clear packages for their events.

• $100–$150/hr average range, although some face painters are able to charge as much as $250 per hour based on their skill, long established reputation and large market availability.
  
  

• 2-hour packages commonly range $175–$300+
  Some face painters offer a discount if parents book more than one hour at the time as an incentive to get booked for more time and make more profits out of one event.

Clear package pricing makes budgeting easier for families.

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Corporate & Brand Events

Corporate clients generally have higher budgets and expectations.

Typical range:

• $175–$250+ per hour
  
  

Corporate events often require:

• Liability insurance (although they might be the only ones asking for it, you should always be insured for any event, not just corporate ones)

• Contracts (again, something that you should always do with every customer)

• Professional setup (also recommended for every customer, not just corporate)

• Faster throughput

• Certificate of Additional Insured
• W9

All of these justify higher pricing.

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Fundraisers & Community Events

You may be hired at an hourly rate, or charge per face directly to attendees.

Typical per-face pricing:

• $5–$25 per design
  
  

It is generally recommended not to work for free, as it lowers perceived value and can negatively impact other professionals in your area. Unless of course this is an event that you truly want to donate your time for, but keep in mind that most non profit events have a budget for other forms of entertainment and usually try to get the face painter for free. So don't be shy about negotiating a price, this is your job, and let them know they could always ask a business in the community to sponsor you so you can free for the guests but still get paid for your time.

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Factors That Should Influence Your Pricing

1. Your Skill Level & Speed

Experienced artists who can paint 15–20 full faces per hour can charge more than beginners who paint 6–8 faces per hour. Higher speed increases profitability.

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2. Your Local Market

Rates vary significantly depending on location. Urban areas with higher cost of living typically support higher pricing. Lower competition might mean that you can charge more and higher competition might mean that you will need to adjust your rates accordingly or compete on skill level and services offered.

Research what face painters in your city charge through:

• GigSalad

• Yelp

• Local event vendor directories

• Contact local face painters, local guilds, etc.

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3. Business Costs

Your rate must cover:

• Professional paints and brushes

• Sanitizing supplies

• Insurance

• Travel

• Setup and breakdown time

• Time spent booking the event
  

• Taxes (preparation time and taxes paid)

If you only charge for “painting time” and ignore all other costs, your hourly profit drops significantly.

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Avoid Undercutting

Charging significantly below market rate may:

• Devalue your work

• Make it difficult to raise prices later

• Hurt other professional artists in your area and hurt your relationship with them

Instead, aim to:

• Match the local market range based on similar skill level

• Offer strong service and professionalism

• Increase rates gradually as experience grows

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Quick U.S. Pricing Overview

Service Type	Typical Range
Private Parties	$100–$150/hr
Corporate Events	$175–$250+/hr
Festival Per Face	$5–$25
2-Hour Party Package	$175–$300+

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Face Painting Pricing Calculator Template

You can include this as a worksheet in your blog:

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Step 1: Calculate Your Annual Business Costs

Supplies (paints, brushes, glitter): $________
Insurance: $________
Marketing/Website: $________
Travel (fuel, vehicle wear): $________
Equipment (chairs, signage, table, etc.): $________
Licensing/Permits: $________

Total Annual Business Costs: $________

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Step 2: Decide Your Desired Annual Income

Desired Personal Income: $________

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Step 3: Total Required Revenue

Annual Business Costs + Desired Income =
Total Revenue Needed: $________

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Step 4: Estimate Billable Hours Per Year

Example:

• 2 events per weekend

• 4 hours per event

• 40 working weeks per year

2 × 4 × 40 = 320 billable hours

Your Estimated Annual Billable Hours: ________

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Step 5: Calculate Your Minimum Hourly Rate

Total Revenue Needed ÷ Billable Hours =
Minimum Hourly Rate: $________

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Step 6: Adjust for Market

Compare your calculated rate to:

• Local competitor pricing

• Event type

• Your skill level

If your rate is higher than your area supports, you may need to:

• Increase efficiency

• Increase event volume

• Offer premium services

• Reduce overhead

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Example: How Much Do You Actually Profit Per Event?

Let’s break this down with realistic numbers so you can see what face painters actually take home after expenses.

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Scenario 1: Private Birthday Party (Hourly Booking)

Event Details:

• 2-hour birthday party

• You charge $125 per hour

• Total charged: $250

Now let’s subtract your actual costs.

Event Expenses:

Travel (fuel + vehicle wear): $20
Supplies used (paint, glitter, wipes, etc.): $10
Setup & breakdown time (30 minutes unpaid time factored at your internal hourly rate of $125): $62.50
Credit card processing fee (3% of $250): $7.50

Total Event Costs: $100

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Your Profit:

$250 (total paid)
– $100 (event-related costs)
= $150 real profit

Even though you charged $250, your take-home for 2.5 hours of total time invested (including setup/breakdown) is $150.

That equals:

$150 ÷ 2.5 hours = $60 per actual working hour

That’s why it’s important to calculate beyond just your advertised hourly rate.

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Scenario 2: Corporate Event (Higher Rate)

Event Details:

• 3-hour corporate event

• You charge $200 per hour

• Total charged: $600

Event Expenses:

Travel: $30
Supplies: $20
Setup & breakdown (45 minutes valued at $200/hr): $150
Credit card processing (3%): $18

Total Event Costs: $218

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Your Profit:

$600
– $218
= $382 real profit

Total time invested: 3.75 hours
$382 ÷ 3.75 = $101.87 per actual hour

This demonstrates why corporate events justify higher rates — your net hourly profit improves significantly.

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Scenario 3: Festival – Pay Per Face Model

Event Details:

• 3-hour festival

• You charge $12 per face

• You paint 18 faces per hour

18 faces × 3 hours = 54 faces
54 × $12 = $648 gross revenue

Event Expenses:

Booth fee: $75
Supplies (heavier usage): $25
Travel: $20
Assistant (if applicable): $100

Total Costs: $220

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Your Profit:

$648
– $220
= $428 profit

Total time invested (including setup): 4 hours
$428 ÷ 4 = $107 per hour actual profit

This example shows why experienced, fast painters can do very well at busy public events.

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Why This Matters

Many new face painters price based only on:

“I want $100 per hour.”

But without calculating:

• Setup time

• Travel

• Supply usage

• Payment fees

• Taxes

You may be earning far less than you think.

Professional pricing protects:

• Your income

• Your time

• Your energy

• Your industry

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Simple Profit Formula You Can Use

For any event, calculate:

Total Charged
– Direct Event Costs
= Event Profit

Then divide:

Event Profit
÷ Total Time Invested (including setup & travel)
= Your Real Hourly Earnings

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Final Takeaway

If your real hourly earnings are:

Under $50/hour → You may be underpricing.
$125-$150/hour → Solid for private events in many markets.
$175+/hour → Strong profitability, often seen with corporate or high-volume events.

Pricing strategically isn’t about charging the most — it’s about charging enough to run a sustainable business.

Extra Resources

We have many extra resources available to help you run your face painting business smoothly, look at the links below or browse our blog for more free information.

A Guide to Help You Keep Your Bookings Organized
A Complete Guide on How To Start and Run Your Face Painting Business
A Guide About How to Track Your Expenses and Income for Taxes

Do you want more face painting business advice? Take one of our amazing Face Painting Business Classes.