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‘Art Events’ is the umbrella term I’ve given to in-person events where we create art. This includes painting parties, art camps, and art classes.
We’ve talked about art events on the podcast before when we heard from Emily Magone in episode #48, where she explained HOW to conduct painting parties. Now we want to explore the topic again, but look broadly at the pros and cons of all kinds of art events!
This is not exactly the order we mentioned everything in, but here are the points we discussed:
Pros of Art Events
- Art events can be a really fun social event! I’ve always enjoyed attending art events where I’m getting together with others to create!
- There’s a market for art parties! This can easily be a side-hustle, with an income.
- Parents have kids who want to do art but the parents don’t want to do art. Anyone CAN teach art but, not everyone WANTS to.
- Even people who say they aren’t artists would LIKE to have some art skills. You’re providing them an opportunity to create something beautiful.
- You’re able to provide a big service to others: You’re sparing others from having to pick out the project, buy the supplies, etc.
- It’s good for kids to have other adults who teach them
Cons of Art Events
- It’s harder to paint quickly, standing up in front of others, explaining what you’re doing, than to paint by yourself at home.
- If you’re developing your own painting idea, it can be time-consuming.
- Alternatively, you can purchase other people’s step-by-step painting ideas or find free ideas online. Check out my Pinterest board of Acrylic paintings.
- It’s some work to gather supplies. (I suggest Amazon, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby.)
- It can be hard to sneak an art event into your schedule. We all have our life about as busy as we can handle it. If you’re adding another thing, you’ll probably need to cut something else out.
- It can be stressful as you try to figure out if there are enough people who can come to meet your minimum.
Tips for Art Parties
- Be prepared: some people (especially adults) will be stressed.
- Have a script of some sort you can use to help people. For example: “Getting better at art is all about practice- if you don’t like your art today, it’s ok- you’re allowed to throw it away or paint over it later! No one here has expectations of you. No one will judge you. Even if you throw your art away, the time has still been well spent because you practiced and learned.”
- Plan your time!
- Plan your steps and write out the steps so you don’t forget any.
- If you’ve practiced your art, you’ll be MUCH faster than the people who are new to your medium or your subject. I’ve found I need to allow 4 hours for others to paint and allow the paint to dry what took me 1 hour to paint. (I don’t count my own dry time because it’s often overnight. In my world, I paint in a few minutes here and there when I can- not all at once.)
- Plan for time to let the paint dry between layers and after it’s finished. You or your host can provide snacks as a diversion while people are letting their paint dry.
- Tell people ahead of time how much time they need to plan to spend. (I’ve found 3-4 hours for a 16×20 acrylic painting)
- I suggest you set a minimum number of people for the party to ‘make’.
- You put a lot of time into preparation and you’ve flexed your family’s schedule around the hours you will devote to the day of the art event.
- I have found that 10 is a good minimum for art events. I’m somewhat flexible with that number for events at my own home, but not when I’m traveling elsewhere.
- How to price your art event?
- Look around at other local art events and see what they cost. Estimate the cost of your expenses (easels, canvases, paint, brushes, disposable table covers, cups, plates for palettes, paper towels…) and round up.
- I started charging $20 per person and now charge $25 per person.
- It is probably better to start higher and offer a coupon or discount than to start too low and have people be surprised when the price increases.
Personal Renaissance
- The Anyone Can Teach Art eBook launches on April 19, 2020! This is your last chance to join the launch team and be a beta-reader! After April 12, they’ll be no more beta-readers!
- Julie has started on a new art lesson plan about Picasso, which should be available mid/late April.
- Julie continues to work on commissioned art– some pet portraits and a wood-burned serving tray.
- In preparation for a Watercolor cards art party, Julie has been on a watercolor kick!
- Deanna’s planning a trip to France in March. Which art museums will she visit???
- Deanna is taking 2 theology classes this semester. She highly recommends N.T. Wright’s book, Paul, a Biography