Collaborative Murals

Collaborative Murals: Explore vibrant collaborative murals created with groups of all sizes, from small classes to larger community gatherings. Each mural is painted together step by step, using playful, beginner-friendly processes that make it easy for anyone to join in. Collaborative murals celebrate creativity, teamwork, and inclusion, with contributions from children, teens, adults, seniors, and participants with diverse abilities. These projects bring colour and energy to schools, community centres, and public spaces while giving participants a sense of pride and ownership. Browse examples to see how collaborative murals can transform blank walls into meaningful artworks that reflect the voices of everyone involved.

All of these mural projects use my Pattern Play Collaborative Art approach — a fun, inclusive process that encourages Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling to help participants of all abilities create expressive, collaborative murals together. Get your free guide to start.

How to make a collective artwork using the ‘Find Your Courage’ mural as a step-by-step creative guide with collaborative art techniques.

How to Make a Collective Artwork: A Step-by-Step Guide Using the ‘Find Your Courage’ Mural

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

Quick Takeaway

Curious about how to make a collective artwork? In this post, you’ll see step-by-step how the Find Your Courage mural was created using my Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework.

This is the same process I use in my collaborative school murals, guiding over 60 community and school-based projects with more than 2,000 participants.

You’ll learn simple, practical ways to involve everyone and create a shared artwork that shines — for murals and smaller group art projects.

Underpainting ready for Messy Playing - added decorative patterns and bold shapes over a cosmic underpainting in a large-scale collaborative artwork.
Close-up of a collaborative mural with textured layers of teal, pink, and purple marks created through Messy Playing.
Subtle glitter accents and personal decorative marks in the final mural stage from a group painting session.

Pattern Play Collaborative Art is a FUN, beginner-friendly way to bring people together through painting. It’s my signature method for guiding collective visual art projects, and it’s built around three simple, creative stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling.

This step-by-step guide shares exactly how to make a collective artwork using that process — including tips, examples, and real-life insight from the Find Your Courage mural.

That mural — 2 metres high and 7 metres wide — was created over five weeks by 20 teen girls aged 15-17. Through shared painting sessions, layered textures, and shimmering details, we built something magnificent and meaningful together.

If you’re curious about how to create a collective artwork that’s inclusive, expressive, and engaging for all skill levels, this is for you.

Planning a collective mural

Every successful collective visual art project begins with a clear intention and a flexible plan. That’s the heart of my method, called Pattern Play Collaborative Art.

In this approach, flexibility is built in — but the clear intention is always to give participants ownership, agency, and ultimately, the courage to try new things. When people help create a mural together in public, they often walk away with a new sense of creative confidence.

Pattern Play Collaborative Art unfolds in three simple stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling. These stages guide painters of all ages and abilities to build up layers, follow their instincts, and contribute freely, without fear of doing it “wrong.”

In the case of the Find Your Courage mural — a large-scale collective painting project with 20 teenaged girls — the plan was simple:

  • Start with a unifying underpainting – primer over the old mural then tinted primer as our second coat.
  • Invite playful mark-making through guided collective painting activities – Messy Playing with marks and circles.
  • Encourage pattern repetition and experimentation with Pattern Play Exploration.
  • Finish with highlights, shimmer, and detailed ornamentation in the BLING stage.
Teen girls using rollers to apply thick primer during mural prep — the first step in how to make a collective artwork.
Side angle of girls painting a mural wall with tinted primer using rollers as part of a collaborative artwork process.

This kind of planning isn’t rigid — it’s a loose framework designed to welcome all kinds of participation. If you’re wondering how to create a collective artwork that feels inclusive, empowering, and joyful, starting with these three stages gives you a strong foundation.

Art preparation table with paint trays and rollers ready for use in a group mural painting session.
Close-up of prep table with paint cups and house brushes, used in the first step of creating a collaborative artwork.

Underpainting as a key to a group mural’s beginning

Teen girls creating the underpainting for a collective artwork using soft gradients of blue and violet in the 'Find Your Courage' mural project.
Group of teen girls collaborating on a large canvas during a social art project using the Pattern Play Collaborative Art approach.
Underpainting ready for Messy Playing - added decorative patterns and bold shapes over a cosmic underpainting in a large-scale collaborative artwork.
Close-up of a blended galaxy-style background in a collaborative mural, featuring charcoal lines and layered blue-violet hues.

How To Make A Collective Artwork: Underpainting

Before the fun begins, we create an underpainting — a base layer that helps unify the final piece.

For the ‘Find Your Courage’ mural, we painted the whole wall with white primer using rollers and house brushes. This gives the girls ownership of the entire process from preparation to final bling layers.

Then we painted soft gradients using large brushes and sponges in shades of light blue, light violet, and a charcoal meandering line representing the milky way’s depths. This formed the cosmic background on which all the later layers would shine with our ‘Galaxy’ colour scheme.

Collective painting lessons often emphasise this step as a great way to build confidence — everyone contributes in a loose, abstract way without needing to “get it right.” It’s relaxing and gives the whole piece a beautiful, blended foundation.

Messy Playing to loosen up and start the fun!

Group of girls painting freely together in a large collaborative mural, enjoying the Messy Playing stage.
Teen girls painting overlapping swirls and marks during the Messy Playing stage of how to make a collective artwork.
Detail of overlapping brush marks and circles in soft blue, teal, and violet, part of a collective artwork mural.
Close-up of a collaborative mural with textured layers of teal, pink, and purple marks created through Messy Playing.
Layered marks bring energy to how to make a collective artwork.

Messy Playing is all about letting go of perfection and enjoying the process. In this phase of the mural, the girls painted swirls, splashes, circles, and arches in lighter galaxy tones — pinks, teals, purples and blues— layering marks to create texture and energy. I primed the surface with large chalk circles and arches to get them started – this session was called our “Go BIG and Make Your Mark” day. The goal of this was to encourage the girls to really get into the creativity and power of painting out in public on a large artwork. To find their courage!

These kinds of collective painting activities are ideal for getting everyone involved, especially those new to art. They allow for freedom, expression, and a sense of playful exploration.

Everyone’s contribution matters, and because the marks overlap and blend, the artwork feels unified from the beginning.

Exploring circles, patterns and decorations

Spirals and dotted accents painted in layers as part of a large collaborative artwork.
A mix of small detailed patterns and large sweeping shapes in a painted mural panel.
Organic painted shapes layered over a soft blue-violet background during mural pattern exploration.

After the first layers are down, it’s time to start playing with more patterns and circles! We did two weeks of circle and pattern play, using the Easy Pattern Play Pages that I have developed to give hesitant painters easy creative confidence. During this stage, the group explored ways to connect shapes, repeat patterns, and build clusters of marks. They ranged across the surface, changing colours and shapes, doing individual or group combinations. It was like they all did a dozen artworks, super-charging their confidence as they created together!

Get Your Free Group Art Guide
Simple hand-drawn patterns repeated across a painted background, created in a collective art mural.
Abstract mural section with bold patterned contrasts and blended colour transitions.
Visual textured mural detail with circular motifs layered over brushy backgrounds during the Exploring stage.

Using inspiration from collective painting examples, we encouraged the girls to try new things — like layering spirals over smudges, or repeating a pattern in different sizes and colours, up high and down low.

This is where creative confidence grows. Participants start to trust their instincts, add more meaningful details, exploring their own creative flair. Collective art activities like these go beyond just painting as participants have the opportunity to experiment within the safety of an immense artwork and the safety of a group.

Repeating brush marks in soft pinks, purples, and blues showing a playful part of a collaborative mural.
Detail of painted pattern clusters in pink, teal, and violet from a mural exploring how to make a collective artwork.
Overlapping painted circles and spirals in layered colours as part of exploring how to make a collective artwork.

Bling to decorate, embellish and finish the collective mural

Shapes outlined and enhanced with paint pen sparkle during the final Bling phase of a group mural.
Paint pen clusters added over galaxy inspired colours during the Bling phase of a collaborative artwork.
Fine paint pen detailing added over colourful painted patterns in the Bling stage of a group mural.

The final stage that we call Bling! – is where everything comes to life.

For this mural, the group added highlights with paint pens, including fine metallic paint pens, adding subtle glitter accents. They outlined shapes, added fine detailed versions of the patterns used in the other stages, and created bursts of detail all across the mural.

This part of the process makes the whole mural shine, both literally and emotionally. It gives participants a chance to finesse details and add their signature touches to the piece.

All of my collective painting workshops end with a Bling session, as it helps people feel extra proud of what they’ve helped create, as it’s so much fun adding decorative details.

Subtle glitter accents and personal decorative marks in the final mural stage from a group painting session.
Outlined swirls and shapes in silver paint pen from the final mural layer, enhancing a collective artwork with bling details.
Metallic paint pen highlights and tiny dot patterns added in the BLING stage of a mural showing how to make a collective artwork shine.

How To Make A Collective Artwork: In Conclusion

Making a collective artwork is about connection, contribution, and creative FUN. If you’re looking for inspiration to try your first group mural, this process can be magical.

The ‘Find Your Courage’ mural is just one example of what can happen when you invite people to create together. With some thoughtful planning, guided phases, and playful activities, you can create something meaningful that everyone is proud of.

So grab my Pattern Play Pages (the ones I used with the kids for this project) or my Pattern Play Cards, collect your brushes and external paints, gather your group, and start painting – together.

Happy Painting!

Charndra,

Your Collaborative Art Guide

P.S. Explore more collaborative mural project examples to see how different groups adapt the process.

Discover simple tips about how to make a collective artwork like this beautiful mural:

FREE Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

You’ll get weekly creative tips and group art ideas from me.

Bonus: You’ll also receive a special offer inside.

Your guide arrives instantly after you confirm your email.
Unsubscribe anytime.

For schools in Adelaide

If you’re based in Adelaide and would love to bring a collaborative mural to your school, you can learn more about my school mural projects here → Collaborative Murals for Schools

Explore more collaborative murals for schools:

How to make a collective artwork using the ‘Find Your Courage’ mural as a step-by-step creative guide with collaborative art techniques.
How to make a collective artwork with your group – the ‘Find Your Courage’ mural painted in Adelaide, South Australia using the Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework.
Three collaborative artworks created by families and community groups, with the title “How to Make Collaborative Art – Easy Step-by-Step Group Projects”

How to Make Collaborative Art – Easy Step-by-Step Group Projects

Beginner-friendly ideas for inclusive, joyful group art activities

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

✨ A collection of my most popular and practical “how-to” collaborative art tutorials — perfect for home, school, or community groups. Discover real artworks created by community groups, school groups, family groups, teams, at conferences, community events and exhibitions in Adelaide, South Australia.

🎨Are you looking for a fun, simple way to create art together?

This post brings together some of my most-loved how-to guides for creating collaborative art in groups. Whether you’re working with kids, adults, mixed ages or mixed abilities, these tutorials are a great way to get started. Each project is beginner-friendly, accessible, and proven to bring joy, confidence, and connection through shared creativity.

Get a feel for what Pattern Play Collaborative Art is all about — and catch the bug to start creating with this unique and simple style of group painting.

These are tried-and-tested ideas that people just like you are already searching for — and loving!

🖌️ 9 step-by-step collaborative art projects to explore:

Art Article: Bringing Creativity Together: How To Start Collaborative Art Projects At Home showing one of the 12 completed artworks submitted to the Incognito Art Show in 2024
How to do a group community painting project showing the finished artwork created with 80 people.
Showing the Bling stage (in detail) - painted by Painting Around is Fun as we discover how to paint a group artwork
Feature graphic for How to Make an Inclusive Social Artwork showing a detail of Myriad in Harmony.
How to Make a Cooperative Artwork showing an artwork called Aspiring to Excellence in cool blues, aquas, greens and gold accents.
Feature image for my article about how to plan a successful collective painting project for your team, featuring a stage of "We Talk Together" created with around 40 painters (so far), one session at a time.
My group of 3 kids and I painted together on a large shared collection of 12 A6 artworks—capturing the fun of cooperative artwork.
Feature graphic with the title “How to Create Participatory Art Projects That Feel Natural and Fun,” featuring the collaborative artwork ‘King Leo’.
Small children painting together on a large cool-colored canvas, applying patterns with big brushes and playful strokes.

📸 More creative inspo from my 60+ community art projects:

Collaborative painting in cool tones created by a group of teens, featuring calming colours and layered designs
Collaborative mural of dancing figures in cool colours painted by over 30 primary school students on a sunset-inspired background
Collaborative artwork created by 600 community participants using multicoloured layers, paint pens, and expressive marks
  1. This layered group artwork (detail) was created by teens exploring the theme of safety through collaborative painting, called “Safety”
  2. This vibrant mural (detail) was created with 30+ primary school students using expressive figures and a warm background, called “Movement is Life”
  3. This large collaborative artwork was created by over 600 people during a public community art event, called “Community”

FREE Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

You’ll get weekly creative tips and group art ideas from me.

Bonus: You’ll also receive a special offer inside.

Your guide arrives instantly after you confirm your email.
Unsubscribe anytime.

❤️ What is Pattern Play Collaborative Art?

Looking for a creative way to bring people together? Pattern Play Collaborative Art is an inclusive process where you layer easy-to-use patterns from my Pattern Play visual tools. These resources make it simple for people of all ages and abilities to join in, express themselves, and create a shared artwork that celebrates community and connection.

Here’s how to create your own collaborative artwork using the Pattern Play method:

Pattern Play is perfect for beginners of any age — no experience needed!

  1. Messy Playing – Start with big brushes and easy shapes like circles, arches, and spirals. Add clusters of simple marks like dots or dashes. There’s no right or wrong — just play with colour and enjoy getting started.
  2. Exploring – Use smaller brushes and try a few accessible patterns from Pattern Play Cards or Pages. Start with just one or two patterns and repeat them. Mixing small and large patterns helps your artwork feel fun and full.
  3. Bling! – Add finishing touches using paint pens, white highlights, or a sparkle of stickers or glitter glue. It’s easy to outline your favourite shapes or add a bit of shine — this stage brings everything together!

💫 Perfect for first-time (or long-time-since) painters, cautious creatives, or anyone needing a gentle way to ease into making art, especially in a group setting!

Collaborative painting in cool tones created by a group of teens, featuring calming colours and layered designs
This layered group artwork (detail) was created by teens exploring the theme of safety through collaborative painting.
Collaborative artwork created by 600 community participants using multicoloured layers, paint pens, and expressive marks
This large collaborative artwork was created by over 600 people during a public community art event.
Collaborative mural of dancing figures in cool colours painted by over 30 primary school students on a sunset-inspired background
This vibrant mural (detail) was created with 30+ primary school students using expressive figures and a warm background.
Get Your Free Group Art Guide
Feature graphic with the title “How to Create Participatory Art Projects That Feel Natural and Fun,” featuring the collaborative artwork ‘King Leo’.

How to Create Participatory Art Projects That Feel Natural and Fun

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

Quick Takeaway

How to create participatory art projects is easier than you think. I’ve guided over 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with more than 2,000 participants using my simple Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework. In this post, you’ll discover practical tips and ideas to run group art activities that feel natural and fun, and I want to help you do the same with my helpful digital resources.

‘King Leo’ – a bold lion face surrounded by painted paper spirals, created by 30 children using collage, paint, and pens.
‘Safety’ – a collaborative artwork created by teenagers in blue, aqua and green over three creative sessions.
‘Movement is Life’ – a gym mural showing abstract blue figures in gymnastic poses, painted by 30+ students of mixed ages and abilities.

How can you create participatory art projects that are simple, fun, and engaging?

Participatory art is about joining in, not standing back. At Painting Around is Fun, I focus on shared painting experiences that build connection through colour, movement, and layered marks. The Pattern Play style of collaborative art is designed so people of all ages can contribute freely, without needing a plan or prior art skills.

Each of these participatory art projects demonstrates how creative flow can emerge naturally when everyone joins in.

  • “Safety” was created by teenagers over three sessions, blending blue, aqua, and green to express calm and connection.
  • “Movement is Life” is a dynamic gym mural painted by over 30 school children of different ages and abilities, showing abstract blue figures leaping across a warm, sunset-coloured background.
  • “King Leo” brought together 30 children to create a lion portrait using collage, painted spirals, and bold patterning.

These examples highlight how participatory art projects can feel natural, inclusive, and deeply engaging—making it easy and enjoyable for everyone to join in.

‘King Leo’ – a bold lion face surrounded by painted paper spirals, created by 30 children using collage, paint, and pens.
How to create participatory art projects: ‘King Leo’

Three simple stages guide your freeform creativity with ease

In each session, we move through three loose stages:

  • Messy Playing – anything goes! This stage encourages budding creativity and playful experimentation.
  • Exploring – shapes and patterns begin to emerge in layers, giving structure while maintaining freedom.
  • Bling – the finishing touches, using paint pens, dot stickers, or gem stickers, bring the artwork together.

It’s participatory art by design, because the process belongs to everyone, and each contribution adds to the collective creation.

‘Safety’ – a collaborative artwork created by teenagers in blue, aqua and green over three creative sessions.

Want to try it in your group? Grab the Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art via the form below to see how easy participatory art can be.

Happy Painting!

Charndra,

Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

‘Movement is Life’ – a gym mural showing abstract blue figures in gymnastic poses, painted by 30+ students of mixed ages and abilities.
How to create participatory art projects: Movement is Life Mural

FREE Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

You’ll get weekly creative tips and group art ideas from me.

Bonus: You’ll also receive a special offer inside.

Your guide arrives instantly after you confirm your email.
Unsubscribe anytime.

Group of adults painting on a large shared canvas—feature graphic showing fun team artwork ideas in action.

Fun Team Artwork Ideas: 3 Easy Painting Projects for Kids, Adults, and Inclusive Groups

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course
Parent Carers add alternating layers of warm and cool colours to a shared canvas during a team painting session—part of the We Talk Together project.
Primary school students painted this colourful soccer goal mural as part of fun team artwork ideas using Pattern Play Collaborative Art.
Bright, layered abstract canvas painted by a support group of adults with disabilities—an example of fun team artwork ideas using Pattern Play.

🎨 Need some fun team artwork ideas to spark connection and creativity? Here’s three accessible ideas for you…

There’s something special about creating team artworks—the way painting together helps people connect, relax, and discover new sides of themselves. Whether you’re working with kids, adults, or mixed-ability groups, collaborative art can offer a joyful, low-pressure way to build community and confidence.

In this post, I’m sharing three real-life examples of fun team artwork ideas—each one created by a different group using my Pattern Play Collaborative Art approach. This method follows three simple, accessible stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling. It’s designed to work with any age or ability, making it easy to adapt to your own group or setting.

Let’s take a look at how these artworks came together—and why this kind of shared creative experience is such a powerful way to bring people together.

Fun team artwork ideas: A team mural with kids on a soccer ‘Kicking Wall’

Primary school students painted this colourful soccer goal mural as part of fun team artwork ideas using Pattern Play Collaborative Art.
Painting a soccer mural together – a fun team artwork idea using Pattern Play.

One of my most energising team art activities for kids was created with over 30 primary school children who were part of a specialist soccer team program. Across three lively sessions, we transformed their plain ‘kicking wall’ into a vibrant, collaborative mural the size and shape of a soccer goal. From applying the primer to adding finishing touches, the students were involved in every step of the process—building not only their creative confidence but a strong sense of ownership. This colourful wall now serves a dual purpose: it’s a practical space they use daily for soccer practice, and a visual reminder of what they achieved together. The project blended movement, creativity, and teamwork, making it a brilliant example of how to paint a team artwork with kids in a way that’s both meaningful and fun.

Fun team artwork ideas: Peer Support – painting together with adults with disability

Bright, layered abstract canvas painted by a support group of adults with disabilities—an example of fun team artwork ideas using Pattern Play.
Peer Support artwork: a colourful team project created with adults of all abilities.

In this uplifting team art activity for adults, I worked with a group of people living with disability to create a shared canvas artwork titled Peer Support over a series of relaxed, supported sessions. Each participant contributed marks, patterns, and colour using a range of beginner-friendly tools and brushes—many choosing to paint standing up, moving around, or working side by side at their own pace. The environment was intentionally calm and flexible, with music, laughter, and plenty of space for everyone to explore their own creative rhythm. The group co-created every layer of the painting—from background colours to feature details—building connection and pride through the process. Projects like this show how inclusive team building art activities for adults can be, when we focus on expression and shared experience rather than technical skill.

Fun team artwork ideas: We Talk Together – A work in progress with parent carers

Parent Carers add alternating layers of warm and cool colours to a shared canvas during a team painting session—part of the We Talk Together project.
We Talk Together: carers reconnect through this inclusive team artwork idea.

We Talk Together is a long-term collaborative artwork created with a group of parents who are carers of children with special needs, as part of our ongoing My Time program. This team artwork is built slowly, one layer at a time—often just once a term—using warm or cool colours to gently mark each session’s contribution. The rhythm is relaxed, the process is reflective, and the result is a shared visual conversation that grows over time. For many participants, these sessions are a rare chance to step away from their caring responsibilities and reconnect with their own creativity. It’s not just about painting—it’s a much-needed break, a way to bond, and a reminder that they have so much more to offer beyond their role as carers. This ongoing group art project shows how powerful team building art activities for adults can be, especially when the focus is on connection, care, and creative expression.

About MyTime: A Peer support program for Parent Carers in Australia.

My Time is time for you. Being a parent is an important job. It’s easy to get caught up in looking after your child’s needs, but looking after yourself is important too. MyTime is a place where you can unwind, and share ideas and experiences with others who understand. MyTime is for all parents and carers of children under the age of 18 who need a higher level of care than other children. This might be because of disability, chronic medical condition, or other additional needs including developmental delay. MyTime members come from different backgrounds and their children have different abilities and needs.

Fun team artwork ideas: 🎉 Wrapping up: Ready to try your own team artwork?

These three projects—painting a soccer goal wall with kids, creating Peer Support with adults living with disability, and our ongoing We Talk Together artwork with parent carers—are all great examples of fun team artwork ideas that bring people together through colour, creativity, and connection.

Each one follows the same simple approach I use in all my Pattern Play collaborative art sessions, moving through three flexible stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling! This structure makes it easy to adapt for any age, group size, or ability level, whether you’re working with kids, adults, or mixed-ability teams. It’s about making space for everyone to contribute, at their own pace and in their own way.

Happy Painting!

Charndra,

Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

If you’re curious to try a team artwork yourself—at home, work, school, or in a community setting—why not start with something simple? I can help you with that:

REE Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

You’ll get weekly creative tips and group art ideas from me.

Bonus: You’ll also receive a special offer inside.

Your guide arrives instantly after you confirm your email.
Unsubscribe anytime.

'Inclusive Art Activities Using the Pattern Play Collaborative Process' over the Enhancing Voices artwork in warm colours, created at a state-wide conference by 96 members of Our Voice SA.

Inclusive Art Activities Using the Pattern Play Collaborative Process

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

Quick Takeaway

Inclusive Art Activities are a fun way to bring groups together and spark creativity for all ages and abilities. I’ve facilitated over 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with more than 2,000 participants, using my simple Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework. In this post, you’ll discover practical tips and ideas, and I want to help you do the same with my helpful digital resources.

Detail of Myriad collaborative artwork in warm colours over a blue base, created by a mixed age and ability group of 80 people at an art exhibition.
Sensory Garden Mural with layered colours, created by 100 staff and students at a specialist school.
Enhancing Voices collaborative artwork in warm colours, created by 96 staff and members of Our Voice SA at a state-wide conference.

Inclusive Art Activities Using the Pattern Play Collaborative Process

A simple, fun way to create art together, no art experience needed.

Inclusive art is at the heart of everything I share through Painting Around. My Pattern Play Collaborative Art approach makes it easy for groups of all ages and abilities to paint together—no pressure, no perfection, just connection through creativity.

Sensory Garden Mural with layered colours, created by 100 staff and students at a specialist school.
Inclusive Art Activities: ‘Suneden Sensory Garden Mural’

3 simple stages guide your spontaneous creativity with ease:

The Pattern Play process flows through three flexible stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling. First, everyone adds big playful marks. Then we slow down to layer shapes and patterns. Finally, we add highlights, shine, and finishing touches. This way of painting keeps things inclusive, intuitive, and fun from start to finish.

All the artworks featured on this page were created through inclusive art activities with mixed-ability groups—children and adults living with intellectual or physical disabilities. These projects show that with the right strategies, techniques, and inclusive approaches, disability is not a barrier to creativity—it’s simply a different way of engaging. Inclusive art activities like these allow people to create together, learning through observation, demonstration, and modelling. This shared process builds confidence, skills, and a genuine sense of belonging.

Enhancing Voices collaborative artwork in warm colours, created by 96 staff and members of Our Voice SA at a state-wide conference.
Inclusive Art Activities: ‘Enhancing Voices’

These approaches work best in mixed-ability settings where participation is flexible and inclusive. You can explore the full collection of facilitation strategies and examples in the hub for facilitated collaborative art: Facilitated Collaborative Art for Mixed Ability Groups

Detail of Myriad collaborative artwork in warm colours over a blue base, created by a mixed age and ability group of 80 people at an art exhibition.
Inclusive Art Activities: ‘Myriad in Harmony’ (detail)

FREE Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

You’ll get weekly creative tips and group art ideas from me.

Bonus: You’ll also receive a special offer inside.

Your guide arrives instantly after you confirm your email.
Unsubscribe anytime.

Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults showing a blue, green and aqua painting with multiple layers created by junior primary / elementary school children.

Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

Quick Takeaway

Team building art ideas can transform groups of kids and adults into confident collaborators through simple, inclusive mural and painting activities. Drawing on my experience facilitating 60+ community and school-based collaborative art projects with over 2,000 participants, I share practical ideas using my Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework that teachers can apply straight away. I want to help you do the same with clear guidance and helpful digital resources that make group art fun, manageable, and meaningful.

Looking for Team Building Art Ideas that bring people together through creativity?

Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults showing a blue, green and aqua painting with multiple layers created by junior primary / elementary school children.
Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults showing primary children working together as a team on a mural in their school that is warm reds, yellows and oranges.
Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults showing a detail of a blue, green and purple painting created by adults with an intellectual disability and their support team.

Pattern Play Collaborative Art is a fun and inclusive way. It allows groups to create stunning murals and artworks. This process helps foster teamwork. This process unfolds in three simple stages. First is Messy Playing, where bold marks and backgrounds are created. Then comes Exploring, where shapes and patterns take form. Finally, there is Bling, where finishing touches add personality and detail. These projects showcase the power of collaborative art. They range from a vibrant school mural painted by young athletes to an advocacy artwork that celebrates inclusivity. A layered beauty created by 120 junior students demonstrates its ability to unite and inspire.

Team building art ideas: Soccer Mural

Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults showing primary children working together as a team on a mural in their school that is warm reds, yellows and oranges.
Team Building Art Ideas: Mural created by a primary school soccer team.

At a specialist sporting school, a group of enthusiastic primary students worked together. They transformed their soccer training wall into a vibrant mural. This was an inspiring example of Team Building Art Ideas in action. Over three sessions, more than 30 children collaborated. They painted the exact size and shape of a soccer goal. The colors used were warm shades of red, yellow, and orange. This wasn’t just an art project—it was a celebration of their sporting spirit. The mural became the backdrop for their daily practice. They honed their skills by kicking or hitting the ball against it during breaks and training. The students took great pride in their work. They knew they had created something meaningful. It was also functional for their school community.

Team building art ideas: “Peer Support” Artwork

Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults showing a detail of a blue, green and purple painting created by adults with an intellectual disability and their support team.
Team Building Art Ideas: This artwork shows the creativity of a group of adults living with an intellectual disability. They created it together with their team.

“Peer Support” is a collaborative artwork. It was created as part of a networking group for people with intellectual disabilities. It is designed to foster advocacy skills and mutual support. The aim is to encourage a more inclusive society. This artwork is a great example of Team Building Art Ideas. It features a cool colour palette of greens, blues, and purples. These colors are blended in dynamic ways. Deep indigo accents add striking highlights. A closer look reveals the “BLING” stage. In this stage, paint pens were used to add expressive marks. This final layer showcases how it embraces all abilities. The spontaneous, looping lines, affectionately called “spaghetti,” bring a unique energy and charm to the artwork. Displayed publicly on multiple occasions, “Peer Support” has helped raise awareness of the vital role of Our Voice SA. It has also highlighted the significance of the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Team building art ideas: “Encouraging Success” Artwork

Team Building Art Ideas: Murals & Art Activities for Kids & Adults showing a blue, green and aqua painting with multiple layers created by junior primary / elementary school children.
Team Building Art Ideas: Artwork created by 120 Junior Primary Students

“Encouraging Success” is a stunning example of Team Building Art Ideas. It was created by 120 junior primary students. They worked together across three weeks. This detail of a large, horizontal artwork shows rich layers of blue, green, and aqua. These colors were built up through a collaborative process. The journey began with 50 eager reception children diving into the Messy Play stage. They created bold marks and, naturally, made a glorious mess! In the second session, grade one students explored shapes and patterns, adding structure to the piece. Finally, in week three, grade two students brought the artwork to life. They decorated with paint pens in intricate patterns during the “BLING” stage. The single gold paint pen—our coveted ‘pop’ colour—became a prized tool, adding shimmering highlights to the final piece. This joyful, multi-layered creation showcases how teamwork and creativity can come together in a truly inspiring way.

Team building art ideas: In conclusion

These Team Building Art Ideas show how collaborative creativity can bring people together. Primary students painted a soccer training mural. An advocacy group created an artwork to promote inclusion. Young children layered colours and patterns in a large-scale school project. Through Pattern Play Collaborative Art, the stages of Messy Playing and Exploring are fun. The Bling phase makes the process accessible and engaging for all abilities. By working together, participants create meaningful art while building connections, confidence, and a sense of shared accomplishment. You can create artworks like these with the people in your life, be that family, friends, students or clients. Discover Pattern Play Collaborative Art today!

Happy Painting!

Charndra, Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

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🎨 Enjoying this guide? Here’s what to explore next:

If you’re excited to try collaborative art, here are a few more helpful reads and real-world examples from my blog:

👉 Four Collaborative Art Examples to Inspire You – See how real groups brought their artwork to life (no experience needed!)

👉 Circles of Connection: An Easy Collaborative Art Project for Groups – A beginner-friendly project perfect for schools, teams or community events

👉 Social Art Projects for Special Needs Adults – Ideas and insights for inclusive, joyful creativity

👉 How to Do a Group Community Painting Project – Step-by-step advice for larger or public-facing projects

👉 Messy Preschooler Paintings into Collaborative Art Treasures – One of my favourite playful approaches for early years

🎧 Listen to the Podcast – Bite-sized tips and stories to support your next group art session

🎧 Hear more about fun group murals and team-building art on the Easy Collaborative Art Podcast.

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity

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Quick Takeaway

Group mural painting ideas can be simple, inclusive, and deeply connecting when you use the right structure. In this post, you’ll learn how Pattern Play Collaborative Art—my three-stage framework of Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling—helps teachers and educators confidently guide groups to create expressive murals together, even if participants haven’t painted in years. This approach is grounded in real experience from facilitating over 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with more than 2,000 participants, making group mural painting accessible, fun, and meaningful for everyone involved.

Do you want to create a mural with a group of people and you’re unsure how to make it easy?

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity
Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity
Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity

Discover Pattern Play Collaborative Art!

You want to create a mural with a group of people who haven’t painted recently. Your goal is to help them feel empowered, connected, and part of something bigger. With Pattern Play Collaborative Art, they’ll build a vibrant, expressive artwork together that reflects their shared creativity—and inspires others in the community to start their own projects.

Using group mural painting ideas with three simple stages—Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling—you can guide participants step by step. This approach keeps the process accessible, fun, and rewarding, while encouraging spontaneity, discovery, and joyful collaboration. It transforms a blank canvas into a vibrant, community-driven creation that everyone can enjoy contributing to.

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Soccer Mural

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity
Group Mural Painting Ideas

Soccer Mural: One of the best group mural painting ideas comes from the Soccer Mural, created by over 30 primary school students from a specialist gymnastics team. Over three sessions, they painted a vibrant and colourful mural. This artwork serves more than just a decorative purpose—it’s also functional. Sized to match the soccer goals, the mural allows the students to practice their kicking skills while enjoying the energy and creativity of their own design.

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Find Your Courage Mural

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity
Group Mural Painting Ideas

Find Your Courage Mural: This mural showcases the power of collaboration and self-expression. A group of 20 teenage girls participated in a SACE program designed to encourage them to take risks and find their voices. Together, they transformed a blank wall into a vibrant, dynamic work of art over five two-hour sessions. The project embraced freeform, guided spontaneity, allowing each girl to add her own unique marks, which enhanced the overall piece. Covering the entire side of the school canteen, the mural serves as a daily reminder of the courage and creativity that flourish when young people are given space to express themselves. The admiration of passing students further fueled their enthusiasm, making this both an empowering experience and an eye-catching mural.

Group Mural Painting Ideas: “Sunny Den” Sensory Garden Mural

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity
Group Mural Painting Ideas

Specialist Disability School Mural: This vibrant mural is a celebration of inclusivity and creativity. A group of 100 students and staff at a specialist school for students living with disabilities collaborated to create a 9-meter square mural that wraps around a large concrete round. Students can step inside for a moment of quiet in this cool, sheltered space. It now serves as the centerpiece of their sensory garden.

Over ten sessions, nine classes worked together, alternating warm and cool colours each day. They explored a wide range of process art techniques, including sponging, brushwork, rollers, and stamping with shaped sponges, corks, and bubble wrap. Stencils made from paper, plastic, and peel-off stickers added intricate details, while large suns symbolised the school’s “Sunny Den” origins. A special touch was the inclusion of all the students’ names in a strip around the middle—this not only celebrates every individual contribution but also creates a fun, interactive activity for anyone viewing the mural.

Group Mural Painting Ideas: In Conclusion

These group mural projects demonstrate the power of art to unite people, spark creativity, and transform spaces. The “Find Your Courage” mural showcases a vibrant galaxy-inspired colour scheme, while the “Sunny Den” sensory garden mural celebrates inclusivity. Each project highlights how collaborative art can inspire, empower, and celebrate the unique skills of every participant.

The Soccer Mural blends functionality with beauty, giving young athletes a space to practice their skills surrounded by their own artwork. These murals are more than decorative—they are living examples of the transformative power of art and the magic that happens when people create together. With my accessible group art tools and resources, you can bring your own collaborative mural ideas to life.

Free Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

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For schools in Adelaide

If you’re based in Adelaide and would love to bring a collaborative mural to your school, you can learn more about my school mural projects here → Collaborative Murals for Schools

Explore more collaborative murals for schools:

Group Mural Painting Ideas: Bringing Communities Together Through Creativity
Group Mural Painting Ideas
Feature image showing a warm-toned detail of the collaborative “Enhancing Voices” artwork with the title “Inclusive Art Projects: 6 Heartwarming Ways to Paint Together as a Group”.

Inclusive Art Projects: 6 Heartwarming Ways to Paint Together as a Group

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

Quick Takeaway

Inclusive art projects are a powerful way to bring people together, no matter their age, ability, or experience. In this post, you’ll discover six real-life examples packed with practical tips and easy-to-follow ideas that make group painting accessible and fun. I’ve facilitated over 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with more than 2,000 participants, using my simple Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework to help everyone create with confidence and FUN.

Peer Support collaborative artwork in cool colours, painted by a mixed-ability group of 16 participants.
Inclusive process art mural with layered warm and cool colours, created by 100 students and staff at a specialist disability school, featuring all students' names hidden in the design.
Full view of the “Enhancing Voices” collaborative artwork in cool colours, painted by 95 people at a community conference.

Looking for creative, inclusive art projects that welcome everyone – no matter age, ability, or experience?

These six projects show how group art-making can be fun, confidence-building, and meaningful. Packed with real-life examples, practical tips, and easy-to-follow ideas, they make art accessible for children, adults, and mixed-ability groups alike.

Inclusive art is at the heart of what I do. Over the years, I’ve supported people who often miss out on quality art experiences – children with additional needs, adults living with disabilities, older adults, and beginners. These experiences inspired my Pattern Play Collaborative Art process, designed to make group painting approachable, enjoyable, and rewarding for everyone.

Creating Inclusive Art: Social Art Projects for Special Needs Adults from Painting Around is Fun!

Creating Inclusive Art: Social Art Projects for Special Needs Adults

Discover how to create welcoming art experiences for people with diverse abilities. This post shares ideas for social art projects designed for special needs adults, making it easy to build connection and creativity in a supported environment.

✅ Best for: support workers, facilitators, day program coordinators

Feature graphic for How to Make an Inclusive Social Artwork showing a detail of Myriad in Harmony.

How To Make an Inclusive Social Artwork

This guide breaks down how to plan and facilitate a truly inclusive painting project, especially in community or educational settings. You’ll find gentle ways to adapt your approach and create a space where everyone contributes meaningfully.

✅ Great for: schools, therapy groups, community centres

Effective Collaborative Art Projects: 3 Inclusive & Accessible Ways to Create Together featuring 'King Leo', 'Messy Mandala' and 'Growing Together'.

Effective Collaborative Art Projects: 3 Inclusive & Accessible Ways to Create Together!

Three brilliant, tried-and-tested approaches to inclusive group painting—each one designed to be easy, inviting, and low-pressure. It’s ideal for facilitators looking for simple entry points into group art.

✅ Try this if: you need something beginner-friendly and mess-friendly!

Feature image for “Your Collaborative Art Guide to Creating Inclusive Group Paintings,” showing three highlighted artworks.

Your Collaborative Art Guide to Creating Inclusive Group Paintings

A deeper dive into group painting processes that foster participation, confidence, and teamwork. If you’re planning your first big collaborative canvas, this is the practical guide you’ll want on hand.

✅ Helpful for: teachers, workshop hosts, art therapists

'Inclusive Art Activities Using the Pattern Play Collaborative Process' over the Enhancing Voices artwork in warm colours, created at a state-wide conference by 96 members of Our Voice SA.

Inclusive Art Activities Using the Pattern Play Collaborative Process

Learn how to use the Pattern Play method to structure an inclusive art session. This resource focuses on circles, spirals, marks and layers—perfect for group artworks that feel open-ended and achievable.

✅ Includes: playful prompts, creative freedom, and built-in success

Group of adults painting on a large shared canvas—feature graphic showing fun team artwork ideas in action.

Fun Team Artwork Ideas: 3 Easy Painting Projects for Kids, Adults, and Inclusive Groups

Looking for light-hearted, colourful, and totally inclusive team art ideas? These three quick painting projects are flexible enough for any age or ability level—and guaranteed to leave everyone smiling.

✅ Ideal for: classrooms, family reunions, team-building events

Final Thoughts

Inclusive art is about how we make it possible for everyone to take part with confidence and fun.

Each post in this collection offers tools, techniques, and creative processes that open the door for full participation, no matter the barriers someone may face. These inclusive art projects are designed to unfold over time, giving space for reflection, conversation, and discovery across multiple sessions. This slow-build approach means everyone can contribute in their own way and at their own pace.

What matters most is the shared experience: being part of something creative, being seen, and being proud of what you’ve made together. With the right approach (and a bit of Pattern Play) creativity becomes truly inclusive.

These approaches work best in mixed-ability settings where participation is flexible and inclusive. You can explore the full collection of facilitation strategies and examples in the hub for facilitated collaborative art: Facilitated Collaborative Art for Mixed Ability Groups

Start Your Collaborative Art Journey – Free Guide + Mini Course

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Explore more collaborative art ideas →

Best Collaborative Art Ideas: Projects, Guides & Resources for All Ages

Inclusive process art mural with layered warm and cool colours, created by 100 students and staff at a specialist disability school, featuring all students' names hidden in the design.
A joyful process art mural created by 100 students and staff at a specialist disability school, layered in warm and cool colours with every student’s name hidden in the artwork.
Full view of the “Enhancing Voices” collaborative artwork in cool colours, painted by 95 people at a community conference.
The “Enhancing Voices” artwork was created by 95 people at a community conference, layered with cool tones and collaborative expression.
Peer Support collaborative artwork in cool colours, painted by a mixed-ability group of 16 participants.
The “Peer Support” collaborative artwork was painted by 16 people in a mixed-ability community group using layered cool colours.
Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course
Team Artwork Ideas feature showing a WIP artwork called "We Talk Together" in warm and cool colours layered separately over many sessions.

Creative Team Artwork Ideas to Inspire Collaboration and Fun

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

Quick Takeaway

Team artwork ideas can turn groups into confident collaborators through simple, fun, and inclusive creative processes. In this post, I share practical ideas drawn from facilitating over 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with more than 2,000 participants, using my Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework. I want to help you do the same with clear guidance and helpful digital resources designed for educators and facilitators.

Team Artwork Ideas showing an artwork called the "Find Your Confidence Mural" in vibrant pinks, oranges, yellows and pops of burgundy over a cool aqua background.
Team Artwork Ideas showing an artwork called "Aspiring to Success" in cool blues, aquas, greens and gold accents.
Team Artwork Ideas showing a WIP artwork called "We Talk Together" in warm and cool colours layered separately over many sessions.

Are you looking for team artwork ideas for every age?

Creating team artwork is a powerful way to bring groups together, spark creativity, and celebrate diverse perspectives. Teenagers painted the vibrant Find Your Confidence mural, children created the calming Aspiring to Success piece, and adults contributed the thoughtful We Talk Together artwork.

Collaborative art shines when teamwork is at the heart. Using the Pattern Play Collaborative Art approach, groups of all ages can enjoy three simple stages:

  1. Messy Playing – unleash creativity with freeform marks.
  2. Exploring – develop patterns, layers, and visual texture.
  3. Bling – add dazzling finishing touches.

These projects transform individual contributions into cohesive, expressive artworks that tell a shared story.

Team Artwork Ideas showing an artwork called the "Find Your Confidence Mural" in vibrant pinks, oranges, yellows and pops of burgundy over a cool aqua background.
Team Artwork Ideas – The Find Your Confidence Mural

Creative Team Artwork Ideas: Find Your Confidence

Find Your Confidence Mural

The Find Your Confidence mural showcases the transformative power of collaborative art. A group of teenage girls brought this large public mural to life using a vibrant colour scheme and a spontaneous, freeform style. They worked together through the three Pattern Play stages—Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling—discovering their confidence by embracing creativity and teamwork. The project not only brightened the school’s community space but also highlighted the empowering impact of artistic collaboration.

Team Artwork Ideas showing an artwork called "Aspiring to Success" in cool blues, aquas, greens and gold accents.
Team Artwork Ideas – Aspiring to Success

Creative Team Artwork Ideas: Aspiring to Success

The Aspiring to Success artwork inspired creativity in 120 primary school children from Reception, Grade 1, and Grade 2. Over three joyful sessions, the students collaborated with ease using the Pattern Play stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling.

The result was a vibrant, playful piece filled with their unique expressions, guided by simple and accessible Pattern Play tools (available in my online shop). The sessions were full of energy, laughter, and imagination, making the process just as memorable as the final artwork. This colourful creation stands as a testament to the power of teamwork and the fun of collaborative art.

Team Artwork Ideas showing a WIP artwork called "We Talk Together" in warm and cool colours layered separately over many sessions.
Team Artwork Ideas – We Talk Together

Creative Team Artwork Ideas: We Talk Together

The We Talk Together artwork is an ongoing collaborative piece created by a group of parent carers—including myself—as we take a well-deserved creative break. Together, we work through the Pattern Play stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling, layering patterns with alternating warm and cool colours.

Using only three colours plus white in each session, the limited palette encourages thoughtful choices and creates striking contrasts. The result is a dynamic, visually rich painting that provides both a creative outlet and a meaningful way to connect while navigating the challenges of being a Parent Carer.

My Time is a federally funded peer support program in Australia for parent carers of children with extra needs, including disabilities, chronic health conditions, or other developmental delays. It offers supportive help from people who truly understand.

Creative Team Artwork Ideas – In Conclusion

Team Artwork Ideas for Every Group – Pattern Play Collaborative Art is a style of group artwork making that YOU can do that is accessible to the beginner and results in beautiful artworks.

The empowering Find Your Confidence mural was created by teenage girls. The joyful Aspiring to Success piece was crafted by primary school children. The richly layered We Talk Together artwork continues to evolve as parent carers contribute each term.

These projects demonstrate how Pattern Play Collaborative Art brings people together using three simple stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling. This approach offers endless possibilities for team artwork, no matter the age or background of your group. Each creation celebrates collaboration, creativity, and the meaningful connections formed through shared artistic expression.

Happy Painting!

Charndra, Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

FREE Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

You’ll get weekly creative tips and group art ideas from me.

Bonus: You’ll also receive a special offer inside.

Your guide arrives instantly after you confirm your email.
Unsubscribe anytime.

Social painting examples feature showing a work-in-progress stage of a painting with young girl carers.

Social Painting Examples: Empowering Girls Through Collaborative Art

Start Here: Free Guide + Mini Course

Are you looking for social painting examples that inspire creativity? Do you want to build connections?

Social painting examples featuring "Find Your Courage" mural created by teenaged girls
Social painting examples featuring "Find Your Confidence" mural created by teenaged girls
Social painting examples featuring a work-in-progress stage of a painting with young girl carers.

Explore the possibilities of Pattern Play Collaborative Art. This style combines three simple stages—Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling—to create visually striking, collaborative artworks. The Find Your Confidence and Find Your Courage murals are bold and empowering. The ongoing Girl Power artworks are created in small group settings. Each project highlights the power of social painting to foster confidence, creativity, and community.

Social painting examples: Find Your Confidence Mural

Social painting examples featuring "Find Your Confidence" mural created by teenaged girls
Social painting examples: Find Your Confidence Mural (WIP detail)

The ‘Find Your Confidence’ mural was brought to life over five weeks. A group of Year 10 and 11 girls at Aberfoyle Park High School created it together. We started with ‘Messy Playing’ by using rollers to apply a heavy primer coat of white. Then, we applied a second layer of primer tinted with cool blues and greens mixed into aquas. To create a dynamic motley background, we added sponging for texture and variation. This stage encouraged the girls to relax and embrace their creative side. It was non-threatening and fun. They freely added colours while making a bold impact on the old grey wall in a public setting.

Next, we painted big circles and added mark-making, introducing warm tones from what I now call the ‘Vibrant’ colour scheme. Each session used white to create variations and limited the palette to no more than four shades for harmony. To tie it all together, we added burgundy, a nod to the school’s uniform and logo. This is the ‘Exploring’ stage of Pattern Play Collaborative Art.

Vibrant colour scheme used by Painting Around is Fun in Pattern Play Collaborative Art
‘Vibrant’ colour scheme – use a max of three any session (cool in the underpainting!)

We explored patterns for a couple of weeks. Then, we moved on to the ‘Bling’ stage. At this stage, the girls used paint pens to embellish the mural with decorative touches. They also had fun experimenting with nail polish and glitter glue to add unexpected details. The glitter will eventually wash away in the rain. Yet, trying something new and playful was the most important part of the experience. And painting dots with nail polish? That was an unexpected highlight!

Group Art Mural Examples: The Find Your Confidence Mural Created by Teenagers showing the work in progress.
A Social Painting Mural Example: The Find Your Confidence Mural

Social painting examples: Find Your Courage Mural

Social painting examples featuring "Find Your Courage" mural created by teenaged girls
Social painting examples – Find Your Courage Mural (detail)

The ‘Find Your Confidence’ project had such an impact on the girls. I came back the next year to create another mural with almost 20 girls. We called it ‘Find Your Courage’. We used my ‘Galaxy’ colour scheme, which is very popular with, well, everyone. The mural became part of a SACE 1 program. It contributed 10 points towards the girl’s SACE, which stands for the South Australian Certificate of Education. This is our name for their high school diploma completed over year 11 and 12. We used the same process of ‘Messy Playing’, ‘Exploring’, and ‘Bling’ that I use in all my collaborative art projects. This allowed us to create this massive mural. It now decorates the canteen wall.

'Galaxy' colour scheme used by Painting Around is Fun in Pattern Play Collaborative Art
‘Galaxy’ colour scheme – use three in any session!
Social painting examples featuring "Find Your Courage" mural created by c20 teenaged girls
Find Your Courage Painting in Public!

Social painting examples: “Girl Power” (Artworks in Progress)

Social painting examples featuring a work-in-progress stage of a painting with young girl carers.
Social painting examples – Girl Power (in progress)

My daughter is a ‘young carer,’ providing support to her sibling with complex needs. While this role helps her develop valuable skills and empathy, it also comes with challenges to her education and wellbeing. In my parent carer group, we regularly bring our young girls together to chat and play. During these gatherings at my home, I set out two canvases. Every time we meet here, the girls add another layer to the artwork. It is a fun, ongoing activity. The image above shows one stage of the process, reflecting the collaborative spirit of eight girls contributing their unique marks. We’re using a cool colour scheme, intentionally avoiding a mix of warm and cool tones. For each session, I offer 3–4 colours, with a particular size of brush. Several of my Pattern Play visual resources are nearby, allowing the girls to freely experiment. Once the layers feel done, we’ll move on to the ‘Bling’ stage. We’ll decorate with paint pens to add the finishing touches. That’s the beauty of Pattern Play Collaborative Art. It’s all about spending time together. It also focuses on exploring creativity without the pressure of performance or comparison. We simply keep adding layers until the artwork becomes visually dynamic, rich, and beautiful. Regular people like you can do this with a canvas. Use three related paint colours and white. Choose some nice synthetic brushes you can get at your local variety store. Synthetic brushes are preferred to hog hair brushes. Join my list below. Get your free guide. It’s the most minimal form of art your family can do.

Social Painting Examples: In Conclusion

These social painting examples show you the transformative power of collaborative art in fostering creativity, connection, and empowerment. The bold colours and textures of the Find Your Confidence and Find Your Courage murals stand out. The intimate creativity of the Girl Power artworks shines through. Each project reflects the beauty of shared experiences. Participants follow the simple stages of Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling. They create vibrant, layered pieces. These pieces celebrate individuality. They also strengthen their sense of belonging. Pattern Play Collaborative Art offers a fun and accessible way for anyone to engage in the joy of social painting.

Happy Painting!

Charndra,

Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.

FREE Guide + Mini Course: Learn the Easiest Way to Run a Collaborative Art Project

Sign up to get the Beginner’s Guide and a short email course that shows you how to plan, start, and guide your first Pattern Play project with confidence.

You’ll get weekly creative tips and group art ideas from me.

Bonus: You’ll also receive a special offer inside.

Your guide arrives instantly after you confirm your email.
Unsubscribe anytime.