Looking for a fun reason to have a little party? Throw this art canvas painting party with friends and / or family.

Give me one-on-one quality time with family and relaxing time to paint, and I am a happy girl! One of the most fun parties to attend is a paint party. Teaching people how to paint is easy, especially if you are an artist yourself. If your not, no worries! You can do this.

I recently through my second paint party at my home for a few family members. Some folks had painting before, and some were new to painting on canvas, but everyone’s paintings turned out so unique and fun was had by all.

Here are a few ideas on how to make your D.I.Y. Painting Party work:

SUPPLIES
What you will need:
1. Paint – I use acrylic paints
2. Brushes – For this painting party we used 1 round and 1 squareish brush per person. Of course if you are not an artist or don’t want to buy a ton of brushes you share brushes.
3. Painting mixing containers (or paper plates) – I bought these little painting bowls. They are the perfect size for mixing small amounts of paint.
4. Water – Fill up a few large glass bowls with clean cold water. I use measuring cups.
5. Canvases – Buy one per person, of course you can charge your guest if you wish. Especially if you paint on larger canvases.
6. Newspapers
7. An open mind 🙂

PAINTING TEMPLATE
Prepare a painting the night before to use as a template. I love flowers and my cousin requested we paint a Spring painting, so I created a fun floral painting. You can google paintings to get ideas. Never copy off of other artists. If you are not an artist, mix ideas from 2-3 paintings and come up with your own art style. It makes the paintings even more unique and fun to create. Depending on the art level of your guests, try to keep it simple. Note dry time, colors used, and other details to help your party go smoothly.

MIX UP THE PAINTS
Once you prepared your painting template for your party, mix up a few extra bowls of paint for your guests. This way they don’t have to mix the paint and it is ready to go.

LET THE PAINTING BEGIN!
Gather your friends or family around a large table. I have a pub style table that fits 8 of us perfectly so this works great. We laid down newspaper to keep the table free from paint. The paint used is Acrylic and can normally be washed easily off of any surface with soap and water. When painting smaller paintings 5 x 7″ or 8 x 10″ you can lay the canvas flat on your table to paint and there is no need for an artist’s easel. Show your guests step by step how to paint the painting. For example, I started with the blue sky and we graduated the paint into white then painted the greenery. Next, we painted the flowers, with a double coat (paint petals, wait until dry, then paint over each petal again for an opaque finished look). Then, added the stems and flower center. Encourage your guests to change their painting to their liking. Remind them, it is their painting and they can make it exactly like they wish. Remember, painting is like handwriting, we all have different handwriting. Your paintings should reflect your unique style. And your guests’ paintings will reflect their own personal style. I never ask my guests to change their paintings to be exactly like mine. What fun is that? Have fun and enjoy the creative experience.

ENJOY EVERYONE’S ART
Wow! You and your guests did it. Note how different each painting looks. Your guests will discover their very own artistic style. Now your guests have a truly unique painting to hang in their home, sell, or giveaway as a gift. What a great way to build your own gallery wall in your home. Hurry and plan your next painting party so time doesn’t slip away! Gallery walls are trending and super popular in homes today.

HAVE FUN
You do not have to be an artist or teacher to host a painting party. Do a little research on painting via YouTube.com and you will sound like a professional artist. After all, we were all artists once. 🙂 “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” ~ Pablo Picasso

Cheers!