How to Work as a Clown

Clowns are entertainers and have skills that are geared towards making an audience laugh or become happy. There's more to being a clown than just dressing up in a colorful, silly outfit and putting on clown makeup.

Things You'll Need

• clown costume
• clown makeup
• magic kit
• face paint
• props
• business cards

Instructions

1. 

   Decide what your clown name will be. Think about your personality and an alter ego. Tap into your inner clown. What type of clown would you like to be? Pick three different characteristics of your clown personality.

2. 

   Get a clown costume. You can make your own costume by going to thrift shops and choosing large, colorful clothing, ties, hats and big shoes. Clown costumes can also be bought ready-made. How much did you want to spend on a clown costume? The prices range from very inexpensive to several hundred dollars. To look like a real clown, you don't really have to spend a lot of money on a clown costume.

3. Invest in good quality clown makeup. Don't use arts and crafts paint because it will melt and drip. Also invest in the perspiration blocker. No matter how cool the weather is, you are bound to perspire during your clown routines. If you don't draw well, use stencils or use a minimum of makeup on the main areas of your face: around the forehead, eyes, cheeks and chin. Either use a red foam nose or draw a red ball at the tip of your nose to make a clown nose.

4. 

   Learn face painting. If you don't draw evenly, get a few stencils of shapes, such as stars, circles, squares and flowers. Use professional face paint, particularly on children's delicate skin.

5. Learn some magic tricks. There are books and videos that teach magic tricks, and some websites sell small magic kits. The magic trick doesn't have to be elaborate. Kids generally like the magic tricks to be simple, plain and to the point. Adults also appreciate an uncomplicated magic trick routine that makes them laugh. Buy your own magic kits, consisting of magic cards, hats and disappearing objects.

6. 

   Practice balloon twisting. Videos detailing how to twist balloons into flower, animal or cartoon caricatures can effectively teach you to twist balloons. Practice along with the videos and soon you will have a collection of balloons that you know how to do. Take pictures of your balloon creations for future reference.

7. 

   Learn a few clown stories or make up your own. Actually write down any funny story that pops into your head that you think will make people laugh. Incorporate your stories into your clown skits that you perform for your audience. Each skit doesn't have to be longer than five minutes in duration. Perform at least one skit that is interactive with your audience, particularly that which requires your audience to respond with a missing word or phrase.

8. 

   If you have great balance, invest in a unicycle. Clowns are notorious for riding a unicycle, maintaining balance while feigning clumsiness. If your balance is not so great, you could invest in an adult tricycle, especially if you are working in a large park or carnival area.

9. 

   Get little party favors to give out to your audience, especially if your audience is a small one. For larger audiences, spend a few days twisting paper napkin flowers to give away. The best napkins to use are colorful cocktail napkins. They make great paper roses. You can also find instructional books on how to create paper flowers. Children also like Styrofoam or cardboard painted paper doll cutouts. These are easy and you can make a batch of paper doll cutouts before going on a clown job.

10. Get a background check done on yourself. Have your paperwork ready for potential employers to see. Having a background clearance could mean that you will be eligible for more clown jobs for children's parties, pediatric hospitals and neighborhood and school carnivals. Keep your background clearance handy and make copies that you carry on your person when arriving at your clown job.

11. Practice your clown routines in front of a mirror in full clown costume. After you have trained yourself to be the best clown you can be, you will be ready to advertise your clown services. Send your flyers to children's recreation centers or restaurants that host children's birthday parties. Get some business cards printed and present your clown profile to an online clown registry. It's likely that you'll get more clown jobs from a registry than striking out on your own.

12. Decide how much money you want to be paid for your clown jobs. The usual fee is between $75.00 and $150.00 an hour for clown performances. You could charge according to how elaborate your clown routine will be or how many people are expected in your audience.

13. Keep track of your clown jobs and the payments you receive so that you can accurately record the amounts on the self-employment portion of your tax return if you've earned over $400 for the year. The money you earn working as a clown is still income and you will have to pay taxes on it.

14. Send out thank you cards to those that have hired you as a clown. Send them a few flyers and business cards advertising your services. Including a discount referral coupon may get you additional clown jobs.

Tips & Warnings

• Do a little research and look at other clowns to see how they wear clown costumes and makeup.

• Make sure the magic tricks are acceptable for the age-range of your audience.

• Let children know that they cannot touch the clown's props.

• Reward audience members when they answer a clown question.

• Some children and adults are afraid of clowns.

• Audience members may ask to keep parts to a clown's magic trick kit.

• Unicycles are much more difficult to balance, even if the rider can ride a bicycle.

Resources

• Professional Clown Makeup
• Magic Trick Kits
• Clown Costumes
• Clown Magic Books