Welcome to our DIY family art party adventure—where we turned a simple family activity into a colourful, collaborative experience using my Pattern Play Collaborative Art approach. Over a series of relaxed sessions at our kitchen table, my kids and I created twelve small artworks together for the 2023 Incognito Art Show. In this article, I’ll walk you through the three simple stages we followed: Messy Playing, Exploring, and finally Bling! Each phase encouraged creativity, connection, and just the right amount of chaos. The finished artworks were then sent off and sold at the Incognito Art Show in Sydney, New South Wales for $100 each, helping raise funds for studios supporting artists living with a disability.
DIY Family Art Party: Incognito Art Show Underpainting
We began our DIY Family Art Party with all twelve mini canvases taped together to form one big surface. Using a mix of brushes and sponges, we layered mottled blues across the whole panel, creating a calming base. Then we added random shapes and playful patterns over the top—nothing too planned—just a way to relax into the process. This was our underpainting stage, where we set the tone for the rest of the project and let go of expectations. Painting around is fun when there’s no pressure—just colour, movement, and curiosity. That’s my daughter, Mia.
DIY Family Art Party: Incognito Art Show Messy Playing
Messy Playing Begins
Once the base was dry, we moved into the Messy Playing stage—our favourite part. We started by adding simple clusters of marks: a dot here, a swirl there, maybe a few arches in a row. We repeated the same shape or colour in three places, often overlapping the original A6 card outlines or spreading elements across different panels. This kept us moving, responding to what someone else had painted, and having fun without overthinking it. If anyone hesitated—worried they might ‘ruin’ something—I’d gently remind them to imagine it’s all blank. That simple mindset shift helps everyone, including the kids, relax and truly play.
DIY Family Art Party: Incognito Art Show Exploring
Exploring Together
In the Exploring stage, things began to slow down a little. We took more time to notice what was already on the canvas and respond to it. One of the images shows Maven deep in the zone, adding shapes and patterns to the evolving artwork. Unlike the Messy Playing stage—where I might suggest imagining the artwork as blank to help get past hesitation—here I encourage the opposite. Now it’s about seeing, noticing, and interacting with what’s already there. That might mean outlining a shape someone else painted, adding dashes or a fine line inside a thicker mark (what we call in-lining), or simply following a creative impulse sparked by one of our Pattern Play Cards. It’s collaborative and intuitive—each mark building on the last. We do a variety of layers for this stage – this artwork we alternated between cool and warm colours each layer. Three layers might do it, or simply continue on the rest of the term, or YEAR!
DIY Family Art Party: Incognito Art Show BLING!
Bling & Sending Them Off
For the final Bling stage, I carefully peeled off the blue tape holding the card panels together and handed out three pieces to each of us. With the panels now separated, it was time to make them truly our own. Using whatever paint pens took our fancy, we personalised each artwork—adding detail, highlights, and a few finishing flourishes. It’s amazing how much personality they took on at this stage! Once finished, everyone gave their pieces a name (the titles the kids come up with are always a highlight for me), then we popped them into protective sleeves and posted them off to Sydney for the Incognito exhibition. It’s such a thrill when collectors reach out through my Instagram to thank us—especially for the kids, who feel so proud seeing their work appreciated (though yes, they did ask if they get the money! 😂). Still, they’re genuinely happy knowing it goes to such a worthy cause.
DIY Family Art Party: In Conclusion
Our DIY family art party was more than just making art—it was about playing together, responding to each other’s ideas, and building something beautiful as a team. Starting with Messy Playing to get things flowing, then moving into Exploring to build depth, and finishing with some joyful Bling, we followed the same Pattern Play Collaborative Art process I use in my community projects. If you’re looking for a fun, creative way to connect with your kids (or friends!), try your own DIY family art party—you might be surprised where the paint takes you. We are currently doing our third collaborative Incognito Art Show, using the exact Printable Pattern Play Cards available in my collaborative art shop:
Ready to try your own DIY family art party?
Download my free guide, How to Start Your First Social Artwork at Home, for step-by-step instructions and printable Pattern Play resources to get you started. And if you give it a go, I’d love to see what you create—tag me on Instagram or send a photo my way! This simple 7 page guide makes it effortless for you to paint a unique artwork using this fun style of collaborative art.
Happy Painting! Charndra, Your Inclusive Social Art Guide.
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Are you keen to try this form of collaborative social art? It’s called ‘Pattern Play Collaborative Art’ because we layer approachable and accessible patterns from my ‘Pattern Play’ visual resources. These resources are tools. They help you create unique and beautiful collaborative art projects. You can paint with groups of people in your life too.