What are Creative Canvas Classes?

Creative Canvas Classes are a time to hang out, relax, and paint with or without step-by-step instruction. The classes are taught in a way that even an individual with little to no painting experience can walk away with a masterpiece. While we do offer event options where everyone paints the same thing, most of the time we run our painting events a little differently. At our events everything is set up for participants except paint and brushes. Painters have the option of doing their own thing or following along and adding their own personal touches. When painters arrive they have the option of receiving step-by-step instruction on how to paint any of our samples on our website or banners, they can choose to use one of the hundreds of stencils we bring along, or they can choose to do their own thing with the over 24 colors of paint and variety of brushes we bring to each event. We also offer Mandala Dot Painting events where we supply everything including professional dotting tools. Creative Canvas Classes are meant to be a time for calm, creativity, and self-care, while doing something fun and taking a break from the daily grind. Our events are great stress relievers and allow individuals to refocus, rejuvenate, and have fun all while being creative.  

We’ll bring canvas for painting, paint, brushes, easels (for canvas 12x12 or larger), aprons, stencils, water cups, plates for paint pallets, and paper towels. The host needs to provide a well lit venue with bright lights, hard floors, COVERED tables, chairs, and participants. For Mandala Dot Painting events we provide the above materials plus professional dotting tools, but do not use easels at Mandala Dot Paintings Events. 

Most events are typically 60-90 minutes, but the memories last forever. Depending on the group size and the difficulty of the painting, some events may be longer or shorter. By the end of the class, individuals will have their own canvas creation to take home and display. Smaller and simpler paintings may be able to be completed in an hour or less. You should encourage participants to arrive at least 15 - 20 minutes before painting will begin to find a seat, put on an apron, get settled and prepare to be creative. Mandala Dot Painting can be done as minis for a make & take session or as a traditional painting event. 

We have a few options. Everyone can paint the same painting; everyone can choose to paint their own thing whether they want to DIY it completely, use a stencil, or get individualized step-by-step instruction on any of our samples on our website or banner; or lastly we offer Mandala Dot Painting as a quicker make & take, or as a full painting event. We also bring binders full of other inspiration, laminated guides on brush strokes of different brushes, color wheels, and other educational tools to assist in the creation of a masterpiece.

Canvas Sizes may vary. The most common size for college campuses is 12" x 12" square stretched canvas, we also offer 16” x 20” stretched canvas, 8" x 8" flat canvas panels, 8" x 10" flat canvas panels, 5" x 7" flat canvas panels, and may be available to do other sizes upon request. We generally recommend 8" x 8" or smaller canvas for Mandala Dot Painting Events.

We have a selection of paintings to choose from or you can send us some inspiration and ideas and we can customize some painting options just for your event. Students can choose from multiple options at the event and will still receive step-by-step instruction. We also have hundreds of stencil options and binders full of inspiration. We try to choose paintings that we think can be completed within an hour even if you've never painted before. We also offer Mandala Dot Painting options. Participants are welcome to make changes to any painting and make it their own. The purpose of the event is to get creative in a relaxing environment and take some time for yourself. 

The maximum number of participants that you can have at your event depends on the capacity of the venue and the number of supplies we have available on the date of your event. We have accommodated groups of over 300 painters in a single session, and can accommodate larger groups with advanced notice. We have also done drop-in events for larger groups, and multi-session events. For larger groups, we may require you to provide a sound system so everyone can hear the painting instruction depending on the venue and the event. We do have portable voice amplifiers for smaller events.

We believe art should be inclusive for everyone. We will do everything within our power to help accommodate all individuals at our events. Please reach out to us directly, and also the host of the event to discuss your needs in advance. Our instructor is an award-winning educator with over 15 years experience educating individuals of all abilities and we want to make our events accessible to everyone.   

Yes, you can take your painting home with you, although your painting will still be wet and you should use caution in transporting your painting after the event. You should allow it plenty of time to dry on a flat surface before hanging. Event hosts may choose to provide hair dryers or fans to help speed up the drying process. Please note: Mandala Dot Paintings and other paintings with multiple layers make take longer to cure due to thick coats of paint and should not be stacked even once they seem dry. 

We typically use water-based acrylic paints that are non-toxic but they can stain clothing. Aprons are provided, but you should probably not wear your favorite outfit to a painting event. We suggest you dress to your comfort in clothes that won't be ruined by a rogue splatter of paint and leave any personal items, handbags, or valuables at home that can be damaged by paint. We are not responsible for damaged clothing or personal belongings.