Are you wondering how to start collaborative art projects at home? My Pattern Play Collaborative Art style offers a fun and simple way to get started. Using just three stages—Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling—you can create vibrant, layered artworks with family or friends. Our recent entry for the Incognito Art Show 2024 followed this process. It brought together our unique ideas into a cohesive and exciting piece. The kids had a hands-on experience in creating and exhibiting their art.

How To Start Collaborative Art Projects At Home 1: Messy Playing

Our family project for the Incognito Art Show 2024 was a joint creation with my kids. After registering, we received three A6 cardboard panels. We decided not to work on them separately. Instead, we taped the backs together with blue tape to form one large piece. I started by creating a blue and white marbled background, and then we dove into the Messy Playing stage together.

Using black conte crayons, we all added gestural drawings across the panels. With big brushes in hand, we layered large, repeating shapes over the drawings, working as a team. I encouraged everyone to add something to each section with every layer. We overlapped the edges to connect all the parts of our artwork. It was such a fun and spontaneous process that brought our creativity together.

How To Start Collaborative Art Projects At Home 2: Exploring

For the Exploring stage, we each added new layers, with every pass using a different colour and pattern. My son was particularly drawn to the infinity symbol. He boldly incorporated it into every panel. It became a central motif. We worked with a limited colour scheme of blue, orange, and pink, along with pops of black for contrast. We mixed in white. This created variations in the colours. Each layer became more dynamic and added depth to the patterns.

How To Start Collaborative Art Projects At Home 3: Bling!

For the final Bling stage, we each took one of the three panels. We personalised them with paint pens and fine liners. Everyone brought their own ideas to life, adding unique details and patterns. It was exciting to see how differently we approached this stage! Once finished, we named our artworks based on what we could see emerging from the designs. This made the process even more fun and meaningful. After completing the backs and adding our details, we uploaded the information to the website. We also sent our entries back to Sydney, New South Wales, for the exhibition.

How To Start Collaborative Art Projects At Home : In Conclusion

How to Start Collaborative Art Projects at Home is as simple as gathering a few materials and letting creativity flow. Our family’s entry for the Incognito Art Show was a perfect example of this. At the show, each artwork sells for $100. The artist remains anonymous until after purchase. We started with the Messy Playing stage, adding gestural drawings and large shapes. Then, we moved to the Exploring stage, layering colours and patterns. Finally, in the Bling stage, we each personalised a piece. The entire process was a fun and meaningful experience. The profits from the sales support studios like Studio A, which provides opportunities for artists living with disabilities. It’s always exciting to hear from the collectors who purchased our works. The kids loved creating, exhibiting, and selling their art within the safety of a family project.

Discover more simple tips about how to start collaborative art projects at home like these. Join my Inner Circle email list. I’ll give you “Starting Your First Social Art Project at Home”, my free 7 page guide. It 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.

Let’s Chat:

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!

Want to join the conversation? Head to my Facebook | Instagram | Threads to find the featured image. Share your thoughts on collaborative art.