Last Updated on December 19, 2022
What Is A Sip and Paint Party?
A sip and paint party refers to a social gathering where the attendants engage in creative painting lessons as they seamlessly sip their wine or other beverage drinks. It’s also known as social creativity or social painting.
Paint and sip parties are an exciting way to learn the art of painting in a rather relaxed atmosphere while catching up with your friends or networking with people you don’t already know. And the best part is that you don’t need to be a modern-day Picasso to enjoy these parties. You can have all the fun even if you know nothing about painting.
But if you’re planning to host a sip and paint party, whether in your home or over a social networking platform, there are several tips to implement in making the occasion fun and memorable. Those tips shall be the focus of this post.
Why Host a Sip and Paint Party?
Sip and paint parties are a creative way to hone your painting skills as you socialize with other invitees. Although not always the case, these parties are normally graced by local professional painters who showcase their artistic flair free of charge or for a negligible fee. You can take advantage of the affordable painting workshops to learn a thing or two about the art of painting. Even if you’re not an aspiring painter, there’s a lot more art-related information to learn by simply brushing shoulders with renowned painters.
Paint and sip parties are also relatively affordable. While the idea of wine may sound grand and pompous, it’s possible to plan a sip and paint party without breaking the bank. You also get to determine the amount charged for the painting instructions. In most cases, these sessions are either free or reasonably priced.
Versatility is another notable benefit of paint and sip parties. The parties are perfect for routine family get-togethers, team-building sessions, or fundraising events. You could also host a paint and sip party on your next baby shower, kid’s birthday party, or couples events.
The following are other reasons to consider a sip and paint party on your next social gathering:
i. Easy to set up
Setting up a sip and paint party is remarkably easy. All you need to do is to understand the needs of your invitees, choose a suitable theme, and then make arrangements for the paints and drinks.
ii. Great for self-improvement
Sip and paint parties are definitely more beneficial than many social gathering ideas. Not only do you get to interact with other attendants as you relish your favorite drinks. You can also learn a tip or two about the art of painting.
iii. Prevents over-indulgence
With a paint and sip party, you don’t need to worry about getting wasted. That’s for the simple reason that your attention will be split between sipping your wine and taking the painting classes.
And since you need to stay focused to learn how your painting projects will pan out, you’ll naturally find yourself resisting the urge to over-indulge in alcohol.
Tips for Hosting an Amazing Sip and Paint Party
1. Understand the Structure
Each paint and sip party is unique. However, the events typically follow the below structure:
i. The host formally welcomes the guests to the party.
ii. The attendees quickly make each other’s acquaintance, during which drinks and snacks may be served.
iii. An artist takes to the podium and offers detailed painting instructions.
iv. Other guests take turns to try their luck on a painting project.
v. The fun continues as everyone indulges in their favorite drinks while freely socializing with each other.
2. Determine the Reasons for Hosting
As we’ve already pointed out, there are several reasons to host a sip and paint party. In fact, the paint and sip concept pretty much fits into any social gathering.
Some of the top occasions you might consider hosting a sip and paint party include:
• Bridal shower
• Baby shower
• Birthday parties
• Couples parties
• Housewarming parties
• Team building sessions
• Fundraising events
3. Select a Medium
Sip and paint parties are more exciting if hosted physically than over the internet.
Physical paint and sip gatherings allow you to socialize with others while working on your painting projects in a real-life environment. Plus, you get to sample a variety of wines and other beverage drinks.
You’ll only need to settle on a perfect venue. In most cases, your house or backyard will suffice. Alternatively, you can hire a local venue for a small fee.
But what if your current circumstances cannot allow you to hold an in-person sip and paint gathering?
Well, it’s still possible to host the party over a virtual platform like Skype, Zoom, Webex Meetings, WhatsApp, GoToMeeting, etc. Just remember to integrate these services with various online painting tools and other productivity software.
4. Send Creative Invites
Sip and paint parties are meant to be fun and creative. So, you want to begin by sending creative invites. That way, the invitees can get a sneak preview of what to expect when they finally attend the event.
There are several ways to send creative invites.
The first is by playing around with the wordings. Instead of a plain and boring invite, why not try the following phrases?
• Come, sip, and paint…Wine not?
• Come get your creative juices (and lots of booze) flowing!
• Wine not join us on our next sip and paint party?
Besides playing around with words, another way to send creative sip and party invites is by choosing a suitable medium.
a) Mini-canvas
Mini-canvas is preferable as it’s big enough to include as much information about the party as possible. Plus, canvas is highly durable.
b) Traditional paper
If you’re averse to canvas, you could still opt for traditional paper invitations.
NOTE: Whichever option you prefer between traditional paper and canvas, ensure the invitation card contains a thematic print. You can make these prints yourself or download them from the internet, based on the specific party you’re planning to host.
c) Social media
You can also invite people to your next sip and paint party via Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking platforms. However, ensure you send out messages to the specific people you intend to invite as opposed to making a public post. Unless, of course, the occasion is open for everyone.
Last but not least, tailor the invitation cards to each recipient. Customized invites make the recipients know how truly you appreciate them and look forward to their attendance.
The best way to customize your sip and paint party invitation cards is by including the recipient’s name. If possible, also handwrite the invite messages as opposed to printing them.
5. Get Everything Ready
At this point, the assumption is that you’ve already determined the number and type of guests to invite to your sip and paint party.
You may also want to invite a professional artist to take the attendees through some fun painting lessons. However, this might not be necessary if you’re planning to host the event at home.
Instead of hiring a painting instructor, you can simply set up your television screen to project video tutorials of the various painting projects you’ve lined up for your guests. Once you’ve got this sorted out, the next step is to assemble the following supplies:
• Enough wine and wine glasses
• Plenty of water
• Other non-alcoholic beverages
• Plenty of party food
• Acrylic paint
• Canvases
• Paper plates or palettes
• Paper towels
• Paintbrushes
• Tables
• Table-top easels
• Instructional easels
• Table cloths
• Chairs
• Water containers
• Aprons
• Hair driers
• Masking tape
If you’re ordering the above supplies from a vendor, it’s best to place your order at least two weeks before the event to allow ample time for shipping.
The same time span is recommended if planning to host the party online. During this period, you can receive the supplies and disburse them to the various participants. Plus, the 2-week period allows the other participants to download and try out any software they’ll need during the event.
6. Set Up the Workstations
After assembling the necessary supplies, it’s time to set up the workstations.
For starters, the number of workstations should be slightly higher than that of invited guests. The surplus stations will take care of any uninvited attendees who may choose to tag along.
Ideally, every workstation should have the following items:
• A table
• A chair or couple of chairs if you wish to have the painting sessions conducted in groups
• Wine and wine glasses
• Party foods and snacks (you can make provision for these on the morning of the event in the case of perishables)
• Canvas
• Paintbrushes
• A paint palette
• Paper towels
• A jar of clean water
• Aprons
• Hairdryers
NOTE: It’s recommended to place the paint in the middle of the table so that everyone can access it with ease.
Once you’ve sorted the supplies for each station, cover each table using a tablecloth. This will prevent the surfaces in the event of accidental spills. Do the same to the floors.
Next, make provisions for good lighting. Not only can proper lighting complement your drawings. It may also come in handy in case the sip and paint party continues into the night. Fairy lights or additional lamps will work just fine.
Last but not least, remember to make the instructional area visible from each workstation. If you’ve hired a painting instructor, you’ll need to designate a prime spot from where they can be seen by everyone else in the space. Similarly, if the video tutorials will be projected on a screen, be sure to position the screen at a vantage point.
7. Start Painting
You’re now all set, so paint away as you enjoy your drinks and socialize with other attendees.
Remember, no one is counting on you to make Picasso-style paintings. The main objective is to have fun. So, mistakes are totally allowed and even encouraged.
If your paintings turn out gorgeous, take pride in them. If they turn out deplorable, laugh your heart out and begin all over again.
This is also the part where you’ll experiment with all manner of painting ideas. Common ones include:
• Floral shapes
• Plants and trees
• Animals and insects
• National flags
• Famous personalities
• Emojis
Final Word
Sip and paint parties are an excellent way to have fun as you get your creative juices flowing.
And contrary to what many may think, hosting a paint and sip party is nearly as easy as hosting any other social gathering.