Dear Friends,
I have discovered that there are quite a few people who are new to face painting and some that are just discovering it who want to come to a convention but just aren’t sure what to expect. I will be working on a FAQ page to add to the website, but right now I want to tell you about our convention in a more personal format.
If you are a new painter, a wanna be painter, or a seasoned painter who has never been to a convention, I want you to know this….our convention is a fabulous gathering of wonderful artists who want to welcome you with open arms and share their talents with you. Take a step out in faith and make the decision to give yourself the opportunity to be a part of this great gathering. I promise you it will be an experience of a lifetime that you won’t regret.
We are a PG, nudity free convention that does not allow pasties, g-strings or thongs. We do our painting on faces, bellies, shoulders, backs, arms and legs. Body painting is done with a covering of panties (bikini are acceptable), boy shorts, bras, halters and bandeaus. You can be assured that you will feel comfortable with our more conservative minded event. Our classes will include topics ranging from face and body painting, airbrushing, henna, glitter and mica tattoos, balloon sculpting, and business classes. All classes are designed to help you improve your skills and add new ones while you build your business to new levels.
Let me take a moment and explain about our pre and post classes that are being held on Monday February 8 and Friday February 12. These are special classes that are taught by some of the best instructors in the world. They are designed with a very low teacher to student ratio so you can receive a lot of individual attention. These classes are not included in the regular convention registration and require a separate registration and payment. You can register for these classes by scrolling down on the registration page and signing up for the instructor of your choice. NOTE: these classes can be 4, 6 or 8 hours.
On Monday evening we will start by having an icebreaker followed by a ‘jam session’ and the grand opening of our fabulous vendor room. A ‘jam session’ is a fun time filled with raffle prizes, a DJ and an opportunity for everyone can set up their kits and just start painting. Instructors will be on hand to give help and the vendors will be highlighting their newest and best products available to make your life easier. After a few hours we let the vendors close down and send the DJ home, but the jams can continue all night long as we have the room the whole night.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we will follow the same schedules for the day. If you would like to join us for our networking and fellowship sessions these will be held from 7:30 – 8:00 am. We will have instructors and vendors that will help facilitate discussions and idea sharing. After a short general session to give updates we will head off for our first 2 class periods followed by lunch and 2 more class periods. During these class periods you will have the opportunity to choose your favorite class from a list of about 5 choices. You will not need to register for these classes, they are opened for everyone and are on a first come first serve basis. After dinner we will have another jam session with a separate theme for each evening.
Thursday offers a slightly different schedule with our networking and fellowhip session followed by 2 class periods in the morning followed by lunch and then our “winners hour” for those that win the silent auction for private sessions with each instructor. The bidding for these sessions will go on from Monday evening through Wednesday evening with the winners being announced on Thursday morning. After the private lessons we will have our professional (instructors) body painting contest and our semi-professional (everyone and anyone who wants to join!) face painting contest. Judging will follow and then our banquet will start at 7:00 pm with an awards session after we have finished eating. The banquet will be an “Around The World” theme and you can come dressed and painted and ready to party. You can also feel comfortable if it is more your style to ‘come as you are’ and simply enjoy the festivities.
On Friday morning we will have our final networking and fellowship session followed by 1 class period and a final jam session. After the jam session the group will enjoy each other’s company while we find somewhere fun to eat lunch.
You can feel free to stay and check out the North American Body Painting Championships sponsored by Mark Reid and Lowe’s Enterprises. This is a competition with 100+ of the best face painters in the world. There will be tickets available for purchase to watch the painting in progress and a wonderful evening show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. To buy tickets and more information check out www.northamericanbpc.com .
I hope this information can give you a sense of what to expect at our convention and can ease any fears you may have. You are guaranteed to have a wonderful learning, networking and fun. Trust me, it is an experience of a lifetime that you will not soon forget. Check the website for our “Convention Planning List” which will help you decide what to bring with you and make your adventure even easier to plan.
Sincerely,
Karen Owens
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