Sam - Essentials by Samantha Helen

Being the Newbie: Finding Your Feet in the Face Painting Industry with Shauna IngramDo you remember your first six months of face painting? The nerves before every booking, the endless practising, buying far more kit than you actually needed and wondering whether you'd ever be as good as the painters you admired?This week on Sponge Stories, I'm joined by Shauna Ingram from Fantasy Faces by Shauna, who's just six months into her face painting journey.After discovering Donna Godfrey's videos on TikTok, Shauna caught the face painting bug, booked herself onto Donna's training course and took her first steps into the industry.We chat about everything from learning the fundamentals and tackling 45 children at her very first event, to confidence struggles, comparison, unexpected design requests and the reality of juggling a new business with motherhood and studying to become a nurse.We also explore something that doesn't always get talked about: how intimidating the face painting community can feel when you're brand new. Shauna shares her worries about how more experienced painters might perceive her, the pressure of finding her place in the industry and the kindness and support she's discovered along the way.It's an open, relatable conversation about learning, making mistakes, building confidence and remembering that everyone was a beginner once.Whether you're just starting out or you've been painting for twenty years, this episode is a lovely reminder of what it feels like to be the newbie, and why a little encouragement can make such a difference.So, what do you wish someone had told you when you first started face painting? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you run an entertainment agency, a face painting shop, training courses and a global competition, and still find time for yourself?This week, I’m joined by Rosey Watson from Rainbow Faces in Telford, creator of UKFABAC and the person behind Global Master of Face Art and MOFA magazine.From a very nervous first booking in a supermarket to building a business spanning decades, Rosey shares the opportunities, challenges and personal decisions behind it all. We chat about creating and handing over UKFABAC, learning to delegate and making space for family and time off.We also take a proper look at the Global MOFA competition, how monthly creative challenges can develop your skills, and why feeling “not good enough” shouldn’t stop you entering. Rosey shares her plans for different entry levels in 2027, and I reveal why I’ve signed up myself.Plus, practical advice for new painters, keeping your kit simple and a quick fire round featuring a rather unexpected jacket potato. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the stage to the face painting chair with Claire from Aurora Face and Body Art!This week I'm joined by Claire, who has spent over a decade in the face painting industry alongside a career that's taken her from acting and princess parties to secondary school drama teaching.We chat about how much the industry has changed, whether social media is making it harder for new painters to find their confidence, and the pros and cons of juggling face painting alongside another career.Claire also shares how she's started passing on her skills through face painting demonstrations and webinars, why she prefers the freedom of painting without a menu board, and why having the biggest, fanciest kit doesn't necessarily make you a better painter.We also get into the realities of running a profitable business, the importance of building friendships with other painters rather than seeing them as competition, and why sometimes saying yes to an opportunity before you feel completely ready can be a good thing.Plenty of practical advice, a few laughs and some interesting conversations about what it really means to build a face painting business that works for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sponge Stories heads to UKFABAC!In this convention special, I share a few thoughts on the event before handing over to some fellow painters for a series of quick fire rounds. From favourite designs to kit essentials and why they came, it’s a little taste of the people behind the paint.Full disclosure: a few ill advised drinks were involved, and the recording quality definitely suffered. Expect background noise, questionable microphone skills and some very honest answers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m joined by my dream guest, Simona Strete Rad.Simona is a face painter, Creative Director and Lead Instructor at the International Face Painting School, and one of the instructors joining Spons! next March.We talk about her first face painting job while she was still at school, moving to the UK and supporting herself through university with face painting, and how she became part of the International Face Painting School.Simona also shares how she develops her competition designs, why understanding the structure behind a design matters, how she photographs her own work and what she loves most about teaching other painters.Plus, we talk about the World Bodypainting Festival, the community she discovered there and what she’s looking forward to at Spons!Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a Frozen birthday party to co creating the Face Painting Hub, Elizabeth Gale from Sparkle Face joins me to talk about how one thing led to another.We chat about first gig nerves, learning on the job and why experience doesn’t necessarily stop you questioning your own work. Elizabeth also shares how she and Amanda Careford built a business together, from teaching and tutorials to developing brushes and paints.Plus, left handed videos, painting pet peeves and the advice she wishes someone had given her at the beginning: it’s just face painting. Give yourself a break.Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Sponge Stories, I’m chatting with international award winning face and body artist Helene Rantzau.We talk competitions, continuing to learn even when you’re at the top of your game, finding your face paint family and why conventions can completely change the way you paint.Helene shares what it was really like winning the International Face Painting Competition in Helmond, why competing keeps her humble, and the techniques she’s picked up from other artists along the way, including a Wolfe Brothers layering technique that changed the way she approaches her on the job designs.Plus, we chat about UKFABAC and Spons!, where Helene will be joining the instructor line up next March.A really lovely conversation about staying curious, pushing yourself and remembering that however good someone looks now, we all started with that first brush stroke.Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually feel like to be a brand new face painter?This week I’m chatting with Laura from Sparkle Inc about the bit we don’t always see online: the nerves, the overthinking, imposter syndrome and the reality of trying to build a business from scratch.We talk about getting that first paid booking and suddenly realising you actually have to do it, learning to trust yourself, posting on social media when it feels like nobody is listening, and why sometimes you just have to keep showing up anyway.A really honest conversation about those early days of face painting, from someone who is right in the middle of them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Sponge Stories, I’m chatting with Samantha Helen, face and body artist, educator and founder of Essentials by Samantha Helen.Samantha shares her slightly unconventional route into the industry, from working on a MAC counter and painting herself with some very old Snazaroo, to teaching, building a team of artists and creating her own range of professional face painting products.We get properly behind the scenes of Essentials, including how products are developed, what actually goes into making face paint safe and compliant, why different paint formulations behave differently and how Samantha decides whether a new product idea is worth pursuing.We also talk corporate face painting, building a business, social media pressure, supporting other artists and why sometimes you need to remember that, actually, no one cares quite as much as you think they do.A really interesting look at the business and science behind the products sitting in our kits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I’m joined by face painter and body artist Jade La Forest Wolfe.We chat about Jade’s first chaotic face painting jobs, nightmare clients, knowing your worth, burnout and finding your own style.Jade also shares how she entered her first body painting competition having never completed a full body paint, her journey into competitive body art, meeting Nick Wolfe and what they’re building together with The Witch & The Wolfe.A really fun conversation about creativity, taking chances and simply keeping swimming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.