4 TIPS ON HOW TO START YOUR OWN SUMMER PAINT CLUB

Summertime is the perfect season to indulge in a few fun, artistic, creative activities. If you’re surrounded by kiddies that enjoy a little adventure mixed with a little drawing, coloring, and painting, have you ever considered engaging in (or hosting) a “Paint Club?” Sounds like fun? ABSOLUTELY! Here are four (4) tips on how to start your own summer paint club with friends.

We enjoy painting at home more-so in the summer months because we have much more time daily to explore different art materials, try different paint processes & finishes, and expound on each project. During regular school days, we’re often rushed to move on to the next subject or pack up to literally move on to the next event away from home. Plus, there are more daylight hours in the summer.

If you’re interested in creating a paint club with family and friends during summer months, there are several places to meet each other, multiple ways to get inspired, various themes to consider, and many materials to paint directly onto. Here are a few ideas we’ve enjoyed over the years

1) LOCATION INSPIRATIONS
If you’re seeking inspirations on what to paint (or draw), try taking your art materials to these locations around town, set up shop, and be inspired to recreate the world around you.

• Your favorite park under your favorite pavilion - observe the animals, birds, trees, bugs, etc.
• Find a spot at your favorite lake or pond - listen to the sounds around you and draw from imagination
• Downtown at a picnic table or a blanket on the lawn - observe the tall buildings, their windows, company logos, maybe even company flags
• A spot near your airport, in the back of a pick-up truck or under a tree and watch/draw airplanes or passing cars (see more on ways to explore your airport here)
• Your favorite mall in the food court - see the people, families, human interaction around you, or indulge in the many delicious fragrances and let food be your marker’s or crayon's guide
• (Click here to read about fun, educational locations right in your hometown, and things to do while you're there.)​

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2) THEME INSPIRATIONS
If you’re seeking something more specific for all the members of your club to think about painting together, like a theme or topic, here are a few themes to consider. You can pre-determine the “theme of the week” before you meet in order to give your creative juices a jumpstart.

• Things with stripes or spots
• Things that fly or have wings
• Things that are soft and furry, or rough and bumpy
• Your favorite place in the world to visit (or one day travel to)
• Things that start with a specific letter of the alphabet
• Things that make noise or sounds
• And many, many more - just be creative
• Read more about how we incorporate our favorite furry friends into year round activities and subjects here

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3) MATERIAL INSPIRATIONS
So, you’re tired of drawing or painting on regular paper. There are many items you probably have on hand and hadn’t thought of using, or items you can easily access. Here are a few of our favorites and mediums we enjoy using with each.

• Rocks - regular, bumpy rocks discarded on the side of the road, or smooth ones you can find (or buy), we enjoy painting and drawing on with markers (read more about our painted rocks in the article "Summer Craves Craze" here)
• Canvas - paints are generally associated with canvas art, but markers, pencils, water color paints, even glue and glitter work well on canvas
• Wax/Cookie Paper - Sharpies work really well on wax paper, creating a faux stained glass window effect (read more about our love for Sharpies here!)
• T-shirts (aprons, blankets, anything cloth) - work well with Sharpies, acrylics, and puff paints

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4) UTENSILS
We're calling it a "paint club," but it can also be extended into an overall art club. Here are a few other tools you may have on hand but hadn't thought to include during the creation of your many masterpieces, and that are easy to carry along with you.

• Paints - acrylic, water color, puff paints, glitter paints, etc.
• Rubber stamps and stamp pads in various shapes, sizes, ink pad colors, etc.
• Stickers - puff stickers, alphabet stickers (great for letter art), numbers, animations, etc.
• Stencils - alphabet, shapes, flowers and animals, etc. (great for teaching how to trace)

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Now that you have your group of friends that have agreed to meet with you periodically over the summer, all you have to do now is choose a gathering location, select your theme of the week, mix and match your materials, bring along a nice snack to share, and VIOLA! You’re off to a great summer filled with artistic expression.

​Remember, little ones enjoy being creative just as much as older kids. Just have fun…together!

For more ideas on fun, summer activities to engage in with your family, click here. Please leave a comment sharing with us your thoughts on creating painting or reading clubs in your homeschool community. Or just leave a comment about your thoughts on this article.

​For more creative ideas on how to create art and educational projects in your home school, remember to friend and follow ArtEase! on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Enjoy! :)
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"A person's a person, no matter how small."
Dr. Seuss, author

Check out additional ideas on products and items we love and use at the links below.

SHARPIES ART US!

DIY TIC TAC TOE

ITEM OF THE WEEK