How to Throw a Spectacular Painting Party

A couple of months ago I was invited to a friend’s house for an “Arts & Crafts & Talking & Sharing & Playing” party. She lives a couple of hours away, and so I wasn’t sure if I could swing it. But I quickly realized that this was the type of thing that I needed to make a priority. As the date approached, I began planning what I would create during this gift of an afternoon with artsy friends. The night before I left for my road trip, I gathered some art supplies to bring.

Throw a Painting Party! | ClothPaperScissors.com
A behind-the-scenes photo from the filming of our painting party

With a trunk stuffed so full that it looked like I had robbed three art supply stores on a binge, I turned on my GPS, turned up my music, and headed out.

The gathering was eclectic, enlightening, relaxing, and left me with that wonderful feeling of being in the moment. Now, I want the same for you. Here are a few tips for throwing your own creative get-together.

How to Throw a Spectacular Painting Party 

Throw a painting party! ClothPaperScissors.com
My friend Tammy’s door sign: “Come in and Art!  (Even you, mailman!) Make yourself at home. Mind the introverts and toes.” (Pin this!)

1. Food and drink: My friend provided two delicious soups (a beef stew and a vegetarian potato soup), and welcomed the rest of us to bring a side or dessert. When you host a potluck, there’s less pressure to prepare a lot of food, and it gives your guests the opportunity to share one of their favorite party dishes. This keeps it casual and fun, and creates an immediate sense of community, even if your guests don’t know each other. A glass of wine can help keep everything relaxed and fun, which brings me to the next point.

2. Keep it fun: Throwing a painting party is all about fun, so remind your guests that it’s not an art competition. This is a great way to welcome those new to art into the process of painting, and you’ll all have a great time together. When you start with Painting Party Pack Hostess Set, everything you need is included: canvases, paints, brushes, and more, plus a video download that leads you through the painting from beginning to end.

3. Be prepared: Before the painting party begins, cover your table with a drop cloth and set out items such as cups of water (to clean the paintbrushes), paper towels, sharpened pencils (to draw a sketch), and paints, brushes, canvases, etc. Sound expensive? It’s not, when you and four of your friends go in together on the Painting Party Pack Hostess Set.

4. Take pictures and have fun! Remember, it’s a party! Encourage your guests to find humor if mistakes happen on the canvas, and keep it positive with a mantra, like “It’s only art. No one’s going to get hurt if a stroke isn’t perfect.”

I wish I could express how much joy I found in attending the “Arts & Crafts & Talking & Sharing & Playing” party, and hope you feel inspired to host your own event. Invite new friends and old friends, make it a family night, or have a girl’s or guy’s night in. You’ll be fostering relationships and encouraging creativity, and in my humble opinion, few things matter more.

Have fun, friends!

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Categories

Blog, Mixed-Media Painting Techniques

19 thoughts on “How to Throw a Spectacular Painting Party

  1. Loved this post. I recently hosted a book making party with snacks, wine and my husband made us soup. We made journals using a Japanese stab binding pattern. I supplied the materials from my personal stash. It was tons of fun and we plan to repeat it.

  2. Danny is a great inspiration for me. His art is unique also he is kind and loving. He supports all my crazy art adventures and encourages me to continue.

  3. This is a fantastic post. I’ve seen a lot of those pay-per-class events where friends can get together and create a painting. I always thought that my friends were pretty creative and we might be able to do a party on our own. Now I am sure of it! Btw I love Cloth Paper Scissors!!

  4. My friend Pat often invites a group of us to her house for a get-together to create and celebrate. Sometimes, they are planned and sometimes they are impromptu. Every one has had its memorable moments and all of them have left me with a feeling of great joy (and paint or ink or gel medium stuck somewhere on me!).

  5. Hello: As a retired highschool art teacher, I hail the art party concept! Anyone can have fun and be inspired making art.

    I admire my best friend Wendy Storey. She has been retired from nursing for eight years and is challenged every day with
    Fibromyalgia. Always a great photographer and with a love of drawing, she began to take a few classes in watercolour, clay, sculpture and oils. With oil paint, it was love at first brush and she has gone on to create paintings using her own photography. She is active in her arts community, been on the local studio tours, displayed and sold her paintings in cafes and restaurants, shops and art shows as well as on facebook. She even works part time at a friend’s art gallery. On days when she is too unwell to paint, she walks and photographs around her lovely lakeside town. Wendy is living the artist’s life and I could not be more proud of her. See her work at Witzend Studio.

    Signed, Wendy’s admirer, Caron

  6. I’ve run a couple of Friday evening Paint Parties for our local arts council non-profit and am still trying to gradually get stocked up on supplies for a monthly series.
    People love to share experiences and have gotten really aware that they enjoy that more than material gifts or standing around trying to make small talk, plus they do go home with artwork to show for it or gift to someone else.
    One of my former students who has become a friend is now also an inspiration for me; Carly has dived into life after college, tried all kinds of jobs, pushed her skills to the max, and keeps on learning…

  7. This sounds like so much fun! I live in a rural mountain community and most of my friends are “arty” to some degree. One is a art therapist and when we get together – not enough I am afraid – for lunch, the discussion is always about art. I bring some things I have been working on since our last time, and she “critiques”, and helps me figure out what I can do to improve. This would make a fun get together for all of us. Thanks for the ideas. I hope to hostess one of these!
    Janelle R

  8. My friend Chanda inspires me because she has a mild learning disability but still managed to get a master’s degree. That is something I still have not obtained.

  9. I would love to win this, we have a fund raiser for our local cancer center “orchids an dcandlelight”. The host provides the activity (dinner, outing anything they can plan) and the invitees make a donation to the event. This would be so much fun.

  10. Thanks to everyone for sharing your enthusiasm! Our winner is SouthWestByEast. Congratulations to her, and best wishes to you all!

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