How to Host a Paint and Sip Night at Home
Author: The Art Shed Team Date Posted:16 July 2025
If your idea of the perfect catch-up is equal parts creativity, conversation and cheese, a DIY paint-and-sip night belongs on your social calendar. Think of it as a pop-up studio you can build anywhere: the dining table, a picnic rug, even a Zoom grid for long-distance mates. With the right paint party supplies, a few clever styling tricks and an easy project that works for complete beginners, you’ll have everyone laughing, sipping and brandishing a paintbrush like a pro.
Below you’ll find a step-by-step game plan packed with Art Shed tips, product picks and budget-friendly shortcuts so you can focus on the fun rather than the fuss.
Step 1 — Choose a Paint Party Location
Dining-room studio (in person or via Zoom)
Clear the table, roll out a drop sheet and position a laptop at one end so remote friends can join the class. Mail or click-and-collect a Paint & Sip Kit beforehand so everyone has matching gear.
Park picnic paint-off
Pack portable easels, picnic rugs and a cooler of mocktails. Natural light is unbeatable, and cleanup is as easy as rolling up a tarp.
Community hall takeover
Many local halls, cafés and art clubs rent rooms by the hour and include trestle tables. Great for big groups and zero furniture rearranging at home.
Let Art Shed host for you
Rather skip the setup? Keep an eye on upcoming Art Shed Paint-and-Sip Nights and simply arrive with a smile.
Step 2 — Decide What to Paint
Art Shed Paint-by-Numbers
Stress-free, colourful and beginner-proof. Every kit comes with numbered paint pots and a pre-outlined canvas. Click To Shop, Paint By Numbers
Pinterest mood boards
Search “easy acrylic painting ideas” or “cute easy paint and sip inspo” and pin three options. Share the board and let the crew vote.
Mont Marte or Art Shed YouTube tutorials
Free step-by-step videos using exactly the paints you’ll find in our kits.
Classic Bob Ross
Happy little trees are back in fashion. Stream an episode on the TV and follow along, palette knife and all.
Art Shed inspo blogs
Our blog library is full of quick project ideas — each post links straight to the supplies you need.
Step 3 — Find a Teacher (or Be One)
DIY host
Paint the piece once beforehand so you have a reference, then guide everyone through each layer. If a section goes rogue, just tell the group you’re “leaning into the abstract”.
Guest artist
Hiring a local painter adds pro tips and supports the creative community.
Step-by-step books
Titles like Still Life: Techniques & Tutorials or Oils: Techniques for the Complete Beginner break projects into bite-sized chapters you can display on a book stand.
Shop All Art Shed Tutorial Books
Bob-Ross-roulette
Set up mini phone tripods; each guest follows a different Bob Ross video in silence. Reveal the canvases at the end for maximum laughs.
Step 4 — Gather Your Supplies
Paint-and-Sip Kit for Four – 76 pc (medium canvases)
Pop a single box on the doorstep and you’re instantly party-ready: four pre-primed 30 × 40 cm canvases, twelve assorted brushes, full 20-colour acrylic palette, four tabletop easels and mixing palettes. Perfect for birthday groups, hens’ nights or the “just because” Friday crew. Everything is rinse-and-reuse except the canvas, so stash it all for next month’s theme night.
Paint-and-Sip Kit for Two – 32 pc (date-night / best-mate set)
A scaled-down twin pack with two canvases, a curated 12-colour paint range, six versatile brushes, twin easels and palettes. Great for anniversaries, Galentine catch-ups or a cosy mother-and-daughter session. Same quality gear, half the footprint, and every tool is built to survive round two.
Paint Your Partner’s Portrait Acrylic Paint & Sip Kit – 38 pc
Turn date night into a brush-stroke roast with: 2 × 20 × 25 cm Mont Marte Discovery canvases, 2 mini display easels (30.5 × 19 cm), 2 round 17 cm plastic palettes, a 6-piece brush set for broad strokes, a 6-piece detail brush set for cheeky finesse, and an 18-colour Signature acrylic paint set (36 ml tubes). Perfect for couples or brave best mates, ready to swap smiles and critique each other’s “good side.” All gear rinses clean, so the laughs (and supplies) live on for the next creative showdown.
B. Extras & Styling
Drop sheets — plastic or thrift-store sheets for retro vibes.
Water jars — tie ribbon scraps around mason jars so no one mistakes rinsing water for rosé.
Decor tips — kraft-paper table runners for doodles, fairy lights in empty wine bottles, and terracotta pots splattered with leftover paint as utensil caddies.
Step 5 — Set Up Paint-and-Sip Stations
Cover tables with your runner and drop sheet.
Place settings- palette with paint blobs, ribboned water jar, three brushes (detail, round, flat), paper towel stack, apron on the chair and blank canvas on a table or desk easel.
Gallery wire - across a wall with mini pegs so wet canvases dry on display.
Ambient lighting- battery fairy lights clipped around easels cut glare and boost the mood.
Step 6 — Drinks & Grazing Zones
Colour-palette cocktails
Mix drinks to match primary paint colours. Freeze edible shimmer in ice cubes for extra sparkle.
Charcuterie colour wheel
Arrange cheese, meats, veg and fruit by hue so guests “mix flavours like paint”.
Mocktail mason jars
Pre-batch berry spritzers; label jars with paint-chip tags.
Snack ideas
Bruschetta “colour crawlers”, sushi rolls lined like pastel sticks, chocolate-drizzled popcorn that mimics paint splatter.
Step 7 — Loose Hosting Guide
Welcome selfies in aprons.
Warm-up doodle: two-minute blind drawing of the person opposite.
Main painting session in bite-size steps with pauses for refills.
Snack break: switch the playlist to chill jazz or Lo-fi.
Grand reveal: hang canvases on the gallery wire and hold a tongue-in-cheek “People’s Choice Award”.
Encore: throw on a favourite film and speed-paint a scene for round two.
Cleanup dance: early-2000s pop makes brush washing strangely upbeat.
Encourage guests to adapt the timeline, art doesn’t wear a wristwatch.
Step 8 — Reuse & Cleanup Hacks
Two-jar rinse system keeps colours clean and brushes healthy.
Swirl brushes in Art Shed Brush Cleaner before bedtime; they’ll be soft by morning.
Roll up drop sheets paint-side-in and dispose or hose down outside.
Store leftover paint in snap-lock bags sorted by colour for future crafts.
Ready to Get Started?
Load a kit into your Art Shed cart, cue your favourite playlist, light jazz, lo-fi beats or retro throwbacks, and let your inner artist loose. When the canvases are dry, snap a pic, tag @artshedonline, and share your creative chaos with the community.
With reusable supplies and endless prompt ideas, you might find yourself hosting a paint-and-sip night every month, and we’ll be here with fresh canvases, new tutorials and plenty of cheeky inspo whenever you need us.
