Complaints that Mama was getting to go to Painting Parties while children missed out were countered by having a “Paint Nite” style birthday party for 9 year old Daisy. She is an avid artist and was very excited to host a painting party for her friends.
Guests were asked to bring an art smock or old shirt and when they all arrived we headed down to the basement to the spare bedroom aka The Art Studio!
Everything was ready and waiting ahead of schedule and included:
- Easels
- Canvases
- Paintbrushes
- No-spill water pots
- Paint
- Paper towel (spare in case of messes)
- Sample painting
The paint was a mixture of tempera and then for the white, we used acrylic. I did notice the white on top pulled colour from the background which you can notice in the completed painting. When looking at paint night style paintings they usually layer darker colours on top, probably for this reason.
Here the artists are adding green to their background. A simple painting of a panda was chosen to tie in with the theme Daisy wanted. As I painted the example, prior to the party, I noted the stages and steps. In the style of a paint night party, I talked through each step and emphasized the importance of enjoying the painting and not comparing with each other. Everyone’s painting will be different and we are all artists.
Then bamboo was created with white paint. This was the perfect time for supper which allowed the paint to dry.
After tummy’s were full, back to painting. The black paint was great for coverage but even the white acrylic struggled. As mentioned earlier, I recommend dark colours for top layers when working in a tight timescale.
We noticed the easels were designed for smaller canvases so they did cause an indentation on the canvas while painting. I am wondering if they could be adapted to a bigger canvas? …next time!
The finished Panda by Daisy. One of the artists mentioned that this painting was easy when it was broken down into steps and you were guided through it. What more of an endorsement does this style of painting need? This party was a lot of fun and the entertainment from the guest artists was awesome! As they painted they told ghost stories, sang and chatted. It was a wonderful glimpse into the life of a 9 year old!