About You (Yes, You!) – And the Spark Behind Pattern Play Collaborative Art
You’re here because you’re curious. Maybe you’re an educator, a facilitator, or a parent. Or perhaps you’re simply looking for a creative spark to bring people together. You want to make art more inclusive, joyful, and a lot less intimidating.
And the good news? You can do it.
I’m here to guide you through the process.
What you’ll find here
With Pattern Play Collaborative Art, I believe that anyone — no matter their experience level — can create beautiful, meaningful art together. Whether you’re leading a classroom project, facilitating a community art event, or simply gathering with friends or family, I’ve got you covered with easy-to-follow resources that inspire creativity, connection, and shared joy.
The spark behind the art
Pattern Play started with a simple idea: to create art that brings people together. It’s a process that’s rooted in inclusivity, creativity, and a shared experience. By using accessible techniques like my Pattern Play method, groups can easily connect, explore, and create — without feeling overwhelmed by traditional art-making rules.
I help groups make art that feels free, fun, and connected
I love it, it’s a thrill every time, and I want to share that with you.
Meet your guide to collaborative art
Hi, I’m Charndra, the artist and guide behind Pattern Play Collaborative Art — a simple, inclusive way to create shared artwork that brings people together.
Years ago, I saw how powerful it could be when people of all ages and skill levels added their marks to a canvas — from toddlers to teachers, kids to carers. That spark eventually became Pattern Play Collaborative Art, a system that makes it easy for you to run a creative group painting session — no art degree, no teaching qualification needed. Just a love of colour, creativity, and people.
The spark that led me here
It all began with the simple idea that art can bring us together in ways words can’t.
My journey: From art teacher to collaborative art guide
I started out as a secondary art teacher, working across metro and country schools for 12 years. I taught everything from Year 6 students to adults in a local TAFE leisure course. Like most art teachers, I was a generalist — teaching drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and more.
I always enjoyed creating murals with kids — it was an occasional activity back then. But over time, I discovered something deeper: creating with others helps free people from comparison anxiety and performance pressure. What you paint becomes part of a bigger whole — and it looks amazing. This builds creative confidence through fun and connection.
If you’re laughing, you’re learning. And when you’re painting with others, you’re relaxed and in the zone. That’s the sweet spot where creativity thrives.
Using success strategies to build creative confidence
Then life shifted. I had three children, and my second child was born with special needs. That led me to become one of his behaviour therapists, where I learned the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) — the science of learning that focuses on helping individuals succeed step by step.
Through that work, I saw firsthand how success builds confidence, and how simple, thoughtful strategies can unlock real progress. These are known as Success Strategies, and they’ve shaped the way I design every stage of Pattern Play Collaborative Art.
What works in therapy also works in creativity: when people feel safe, supported, and successful, their confidence grows — and so does their willingness to explore, express, and enjoy the process.
Discovering the power of process art in playgroups
During this time, I also ran our school’s tiny local playgroup — a gentle, welcoming space for parents and kids to connect before starting school.
At first, we decorated a large cardboard box each week using process art techniques. The kids just wanted to play and explore, and I helped them develop fine and gross motor skills without pressure — drawing on both my art education background and behaviour therapy experience. Pull it out, add some collage, blue paint, stencilling, stamping or nail polish, then pop it back in the corner until next week — easy to do in a shared space where we didn’t have room for bits of paper to dry.
Then came a breakthrough: collaborative canvases. A 1m x 1m canvas is a huge surface to play on!
Each week, we’d bring out our shared canvas for just 5–10 minutes (or more). We used one colour, a new or favourite technique, and simply added our marks. The goal wasn’t perfection — it was expression, connection, and skill-building. While the kids painted, we practiced communication and cooperation skills — like compromising when someone’s bothering you. And the parents? They loved that they didn’t have to take home piles of paper with bits stuck on them!
By the end of the year, we had a visually rich and sophisticated collective artwork the kids were so proud of — especially as each week we’d look at “Our Artwork” and give ourselves a round of applause.
A new path: Inclusive collaborative art with children
During this time, I was invited to run a session at Holiday Care. I suggested a collaborative art activity and created the Autumn Banner with the children, inspired by the Circle Paintings of Hiep Nguyen. It was such a joyful, inclusive experience that I began doing a project each school holidays, then during term OSHC sessions.
Gradually, I found myself developing a system that worked for all ages and abilities — no judging, grading, or assessing required. Just encouragement, play, and creative confidence.
I went on to run many projects with my ‘Painting Pals’ as I refined and expanded my process. The kids loved it — especially those whose school no longer had an art teacher. It felt good to give them hands-on creative experiences that built their confidence and gave them real moments of artistic joy and pride.
Scaling up: From group projects to community murals
Around the time of the Autumn Banner, I ran a group art session with adults — and it was a hit. That same month, I facilitated my first community mural with the same group of people. I was all in. They went from not having picked up a paintbrush since high school to creating a public mural!
I coined the term Inclusive Social Artist to describe the work I was doing: helping groups of people create something together through freeform, expressive art. Since then, I’ve led more than 60 collaborative art projects with over 2,200 participants across South Australia. I love EVERY PROJECT.
How pattern prompts help fast-track creative confidence
As I continued leading school murals and community art sessions, I realised something powerful: the simple patterns I offered children were the key to fast-tracking their creativity. These visual prompts gave even the most hesitant painter a way in — something clear, doable, and fun.
So I began developing more and more of them. First, I created Easy Pattern Play Pages — themed sheets where people could either copy a pattern directly or create their own inspired version. All artists develop skills by copying in the first instance; then their own creativity takes over with experience.
Then came the Printable Pattern Play Cards — 48 cards in a set, designed to be chosen by the individual or selected to suit the artwork or needs of the group.
Project after project, it just worked. These easy prompts gave people of all ages and abilities a way to start painting, keep going, and feel proud of what they made together.
Why Pattern Play works
Everything I’ve developed — from the Pattern Play Cards to the Essential Colour Schemes — grew from these real-world experiences with kids, parents, carers, and communities.
Whether you’re creating art with a classroom of students, a group of adults, or your own family at home, Pattern Play Collaborative Art gives you the tools to make it easy, joyful, and accessible for everyone.
A Quick How-to Guide
Here’s a simple, beginner-friendly way to create a collaborative artwork using the Pattern Play method.
1. Messy Playing
Start with a shared canvas. Use big brushes to add circles, spirals, and arches from the edges. Add clusters of marks like dots, dashes, and smiles. Overlap your marks to build a playful base layer.
Tip: Big brushes help everyone loosen up and get painting!
👉 Pairs beautifully with the Mark Making and Circle Play from my Easy Pattern Play Pages for a playful, cohesive look.
2. Exploring
Add a layer of repeating patterns in a few related colours — rainbows, zigzags, leaves, or more circles. Use medium brushes to vary the lines and fill in spaces.
Tip: Medium brushes let you add variety and rhythm. Use one colour family per layer — only warm colours or only cool colours — for clean, vibrant results.
👉 Try using the Pattern Play Cards for simple, beginner-friendly patterns that anyone can follow.
3. Bling!
Use paint pens to decorate and doodle — outline, highlight, and add fine details. This part is often quiet and focused, bringing the artwork together beautifully. Use the same Pattern Play shapes and patterns from earlier layers to add ornamentation and a sense of cohesion.
Tip: Paint pens create clean lines and are loved by kids and adults alike.
Real stories from real groups creating artworks and murals together:
✨ Growing Together Social Art Project – 30 kids, 1 joyful canvas
✨ Inclusive and Accessible Group Art – adults living with disability creating as a team
✨ Group Art Murals – children to teens to adults creating murals together
“I enjoyed having complete creative freedom and knowing that it didn’t need to be perfect. I noticed that students and teachers alike said it looked cool, and they wanted to join in. My favourite stage was the fine details; it allowed me to be really creative. I learnt that I’m allowed to not be perfect; I can go outside the lines and over the top!”
– Bella, from a school group creating a spontaneous mural using Pattern Play Collaborative Art.
“I enjoyed the messy play, and the fact that I couldn’t do anything wrong. People who don’t even go to our school that I work with have said (the mural) looks really good, and other people from our school as well. I learnt that it’s ok to not be perfect. The mural has helped my confidence a lot, not caring about what people think while they walk past.”
– Zinny, from a school group creating a freeform small scale mural using Pattern Play Collaborative Art.
Ready to make something together? Join my Inner Circle!
Thanks for reading — I’d love to help you bring collaborative art to your space, too.
🎁 Get my free guide: “Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art: The Pattern Play Method”
It’s a step-by-step introduction to my approach — perfect for families, schools, or anyone curious about group creativity. Discover more at the link, or simply join up below and start as soon as you like:
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Ready to dive in and create together?
Whether you’re a teacher, a facilitator, or simply someone who loves the idea of bringing people together through art, I’ve got everything you need to start:
👉 Get your hands on the Pattern Play Cards — 48 creative, beginner-friendly prompts that’ll spark something beautiful in any group.
👉 Check out my Easy Collaborative Art Colour Schemes — Seven colour sets that make picking the perfect hues a breeze.
👉 Download my free guide — “Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art: The Pattern Play Method” — to see how it all fits together.