There are way more options now for paint parties than there used to be. Let’s take a look at all the ways you can paint & party together! Which one is the perfect fit for you?
This little girl got a space theme paint party at her house with Glow-in-the-Dark paint for her birthday!
1. The Paint Party at Your Home (or private venue).
Paint parties at your home are great. You don’t have to travel anywhere, you can bring your own drinks and food, and the artist comes directly to you with everything you need to paint. You can schedule the paint party whenever you like and don’t have to worry about how busy the restaurant will be. Alternatively, do you have a clubhouse, church, gym or a small business? These are also perfect for private paint parties. Really, all you need is enough tables and chairs for everything, a comfortable environment and access to water. And probably access to wine or beer! I’ve done paint parties at a dog kennel (it was very clean), senior living center and salon before! Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you book a paint party in your home:
Do I have enough space in my home? Most painters will need about 2 feet of table space to paint comfortably. Make sure you have enough tables and chairs for everyone. Make sure the space is clean and roomy enough for everyone to paint with ease. If the weather is nice, you can also have your paint party outside! Wind and too much sunshine can sometimes interfere with your party, so those are some things to keep in mind.
Do I have energetic kids that want to paint and run around? Paint parties at home are perfect for kids! I usually avoid doing kid’s paint parties at bars or restaurants so they have the freedom to be themselves. However some restaurants are fine with kids parties. It really depends on the age group. Check out pricing for kid’s parties here.
What will the parking situation look like? These are just general party questions to ask yourself when hosting guests.
If you are interested in booking a private paint party at your home, check out pricing for adult paint parties here.
This paint party was at Henry’s Place in Okemos!
2. The Paint Party at Your Favorite Bar/Restaurant.
Paint parties at restaurants are my bread and butter. I love supporting a local restaurants by bringing in a group of painters ready to drink and have snacks while they paint the night away. Bars and restaurants love having us paint there as well as it showcases what a fun and hip joint they’re running! We have a whole list of restaurants that we work with to host paint parties near Lansing, Michigan. Most of the time, any restaurant is willing to host your private party for no extra cost other than food and drink purchases. While I do love a good night out painting at a restaurant, there are some things to consider before booking:
Not all venues will be able to host on your preferred time and date. Sometimes it’s harder for restaurants to do a paint party on a Friday or Saturday night, as these are the times they are busiest with their regular guests. A normal restaurant go-er will typically spend no more than an hour at a restaurant, while paint parties can last anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, plus set up and tear down time. If you want your party to be on a day when the restaurant is busy, the restaurant could be losing business by taking up seats for much longer than usual with the paint party. The last thing we want to do is make them lose out on other customers - we are here to support local restaurants, not prevent them from getting more business! It really just depends on the restaurant and it doesn’t hurt to ask. Many restaurants are more than happy to host your paint party on a night when they are not at their busiest, or earlier in the day on Friday and Saturday.
Have several different places in mind when booking. Some restaurants will already have an event or other private party scheduled, so it’s best to have a couple back-up options in mind just in case.
Banquet rooms are best! I love when a restaurant has a separated room just for our paint party. We regularly work with Spare Time in Lansing and Henry’s Place in Okemos - both of these places have amazing rooms for us to use our own music and feel like we have the whole place to ourselves. Please keep in mind that some restaurants charge a room fee - the venues listed on our site do not unless noted. It’s always best to ask the venue before booking to make sure you don’t get a surprise charge. If the venue does not have a banquet room, that’s okay too. It can sometimes get loud but I use a headset and microphone so painters can hear me if that is the case.
Be prepared to order at least drinks and maybe some snacks. Most venues are letting us use the space for free and make it possible for my business to exist - let’s support them! Plus drinks make the paintings look better, that’s a proven theory made by me ;). Some people just order drinks and appetizers while painting, others come out a little earlier to have dinner at the restaurant beforehand. You can book a private party at your favorite restaurant with us and we handle the reservations to keep it carefree for you.
This paint party was actually at an office. Team building events are great when you can do it in the office!
3. The Paint Party at a Paint Studio.
Are you looking for a place that is dedicated specifically to paint parties? This option is good for people who don’t have room to host a paint party at their home, but prefer not to have their paint party in a restaurant setting either. Many franchises like Wine & Canvas and Painting with a Twist will offer drinks and light snacks to purchase from them while you paint. Not all places like these are BYOB however, so check before you go. Paint Your Poison rents studio space at Ledge Craft Lane in Grand Ledge for a small fee to give you that studio experience with a local feel. Our clients are able to rent out spaces like Cedar Street Art Collective, Allen Street Market, The Beeswax Barrn and many other places to host as an alternative option. As a small business owner, I always encourage you to choose a local business instead of a national chain - even if it’s not with me! We are your neighbors and we are committed to the growth of our community. Another option with me could be a virtual paint party.
Ladies paint night online was a blast!
4. The Virtual Paint Party.
This type of paint party is brought to you by (you guessed it!) the COVID-19 pandemic! There are actually some great reasons to do a virtual paint party. It is definitely less hands on and more of a demo, but I am surprised every time by how well everyone’s paintings turn out after a virtual party! Here are some of the perks of virtual paint parties:
Your out of state friends and relatives can join in. It’s a really cool option to be able to paint and party with friends out of state that would not be able to join you otherwise. I’ve even had international painters join in! Just add cost of shipping if it’s needed.
Stay home and paint in your PJ’s. You don’t have to worry about not having enough space for a paint party in your home, but you also don’t have to go out. It’s pretty convenient.
You are out of state but you love Paint Your Poison and want to try it out. I’m a micro business, not a franchise, so I can only service paint parties in Michigan - unless you want to do a virtual paint party! You can gather friends at your place, hook up the visuals to a TV and make fun of my midwestern accent while we paint ;).
At Paint Your Poison, you provide the Zoom or similar link and coordinate pick up and shipping for supplies. Learn more about setting up a virtual paint party with me.
Take Home Paint Kits with Video Tutorials can be a great family activity.
5. The Video Tutorial Paint Party.
Video tutorial paint parties were also brought on by the pandemic. This is a great option if you have a very small group of people, date night, family night or if you just want to have a paint party of one. I supply everything you need for your particular project and can ship or do free local pick up in Lansing, Mi. You set up at your home and paint along to my video tutorial. Here are the perks of going this route:
You can do the paint party whenever and wherever. No need to schedule anything with me as the link doesn’t expire. Change your mind on the night you want to paint? No problem. I can ship these all across the US also.
You can pause and replay certain parts of the video if needed. Painters LOVE this option, especially young teens and aspiring artists. Need drink refills? Pause and carry on whenever you like.
You get a zoomed in look at what we are painting from start to finish. It’s really nice to see the whole painting up close through every step of the way, and that isn’t something you usually get with other paint party options.
You still get to hear all of my lame jokes and listen to me talk to myself for an hour and a half. Seriously, I did not set out to be a YouTube star, but here we are. Check out all of my video tutorial kits. Most of the kits come with Video instructions. If you are purchasing at least 5 kits, I can create a custom video tutorial painting from my gallery, or I can work with you to create a new painting just for your group.
Did you know there where so many different options to paint and party? Each of these are fantastic paint party experiences. If you are hesitant about painting, I can assure it is one of the easiest art forms. A little instruction and the right materials goes a long way! I hope you try it out sometime and see for yourself! If you want to set up a private party with me, email me at info@paintyourpoison.com with any questions you may have.