Some ladies have book clubs, some ladies lunch, my group of ladies make.
At least once a season, we try to get together for a “Make n’ Mingle.” The point is not so much what we make; it’s how we make it. We make it together with friends, sitting around a table, sharing ideas, telling stories, and enjoying each other’s company.
How To Host Your Own Canvas Painting Party
My Instagram feed is frequently filled with pictures of large groups of ladies proudly displaying the same painting and holding a glass of wine. My real-life friends can never seem to agree on what we want to paint or a date that works for all of us.
Then one day, inspiration hit me, as it usually does, at the strangest of times. While scrolling through the depths of Hulu, I stumbled across my old friend, Bob Ross, and his happy little trees. If he can teach generations of artists how to paint an entire forest, my Make n’ Mingle ladies could certainly handle one little tree.
Inspiration
First things first, you need to choose your canvas design. We turned to social media for inspiration. There are hundreds of examples on Pinterest and YouTube. I was particularly inspired by this collection of step-by-step tutorials.
Supplies
After you figure out what you want to paint, it’s time to gather your supplies.
- Paint: Bob may use oil, but we decided to use acrylics. They are more affordable and generally easier to use. They are fast-drying and mix easily.
- Canvas: We grabbed some ready-to-paint canvases at our local big box craft store.
- Brushes: An inexpensive brush set will get this party started.
- Table-Top Easel: These aren’t completely necessary, but they did make painting a bit easier
- Pallet: Plastic pallets are perfect for mixing colors
Food
Keep it simple, and have make-ahead dishes and pre-made batches of cocktails. We stuck with simple finger foods so we could get right to painting. I asked my guests to bring something to share with all the budding artists.
Set-Up
I hosted the party in my dining room. I covered my table with butcher paper and set up a painting station for all my guests. Each lady had a canvas, a jar of water, and a pallet. I placed jars filled with paintbrushes and other accessories in the middle of the table. We also had a few tablets and laptops to watch tutorials.
For this get-to-gether, we all decided to paint our own thing. We all worked at our own pace and enjoyed checking out each other’s artwork as the night progressed. All in all, it probably took us about three hours to complete our canvases.
Love this!