Quick takeaway
Want to make cooperative painting projects easier and more accessible for your group?
I’ve facilitated more than 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with over 2,000 participants, and I’ve developed a simple way to help people of all ages and abilities create an artwork together.
In this post, I’ll share five practical tips for planning and facilitating a cooperative painting project, including how to make it easier for people to get started, how to guide the painting without taking over, and how to encourage participants to build on each other’s ideas.
My Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework gives you a simple structure to work with, while still leaving plenty of room for individual creativity.
How can you make cooperative painting projects fun and accessible for everyone?
A successful group painting project doesn’t require everyone to paint in the same way. The key is to give people a simple way to get started, then gradually introduce new possibilities as the artwork develops.
That’s the approach I use in my Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework. The process moves through three main stages:
- Messy Playing – making bold marks and adding colour without worrying about what the artwork will become
- Exploring – developing those marks into shapes, patterns and clusters
- Bling! – adding the smaller details and finishing touches that bring the artwork together
I often prepare an Underpainting before the group begins. This gives people somewhere to start and removes some of the pressure of facing a completely blank canvas.
Tip 1: Set the stage for success
Before anyone picks up a brush, make the painting space easy to understand and easy to use.
Think about where people will stand or sit, how they will move around the artwork, and whether everyone can comfortably reach the materials. Keep the paint and brushes simple and clearly organised so participants can get started without having to ask for help with every little thing.
I also like to begin with an Underpainting rather than a completely blank canvas. This might be a wash of colour across the whole surface, with some visual prompts of a large circle, a spiral or a cluster of dots. You could also add an arch along one edge or a trailing line across the canvas – giving them something to paint on, around, inside or to copy. They simply give participants somewhere to begin.
For the paint, I usually use a cup tray with four cups and one brush in each cup. I choose three main colours, with the fourth cup containing one of those colours mixed with white. Keeping the choices limited makes it much easier for a group to get started – and it also helps the finished artwork feel connected. Add more such sets for larger groups.
With the space prepared, the colours ready and the first marks already on the canvas, you’re ready for the fun part: Messy Playing!
Tip 2: Start with Messy Playing
Once everyone is ready to paint, start with simple, playful mark-making using big brushes and a small selection of colours.
This is the Messy Playing stage of Pattern Play. There’s no need for anyone to worry about making a picture or getting it “right”. The aim is simply to put paint on the canvas and see what happens.
I often start by asking people to make big circles. Then we might make smaller circles, dots or other simple marks. Because the instructions are easy to follow, people can join in at their own level without having to know how to paint.
Encourage participants to move around the artwork rather than staying in one spot. They can add marks in different areas, overlap what someone else has painted, and see how the colours and shapes start to interact.
This is often the point where people realise that cooperative painting really can be as simple as playing with paint together. Once the whole surface has some colour and energy, you’re ready to start Exploring.
Tip 3: Give people patterns to explore
Once the artwork has some colour and marks on it, I introduce simple patterns to give participants something new to explore.
I like to scatter a few visual guides around the workspace so people can look at them for inspiration without being told exactly what to paint. My Pattern Play cards have 48 different patterns, so there are plenty of options to choose from.
I recommend laminating the cards in sets of three and putting out just a few at a time. This gives people some choice without overwhelming them. You can rotate the sets between sessions and choose patterns that suit the group, the colours in the artwork or the feel you want to create.
Some participants might copy a pattern quite closely. Others might change its size, colour or arrangement. That’s all part of the process.
The important thing is that the patterns are there as ideas, not instructions. People can choose a pattern that appeals to them and explore it at their own pace, adding their own version to the growing artwork.
Tip 4: Balance guidance with freedom
Give people enough guidance to get started, then let them decide what to do with it.
I use simple, step-by-step prompts throughout a session. For example:
“Pick a colour pot. Make three BIG circles. Then move to another spot and do three small circles in a cluster.”
That’s enough to get someone started without telling them exactly what their painting has to look like.
You’ll often see people watching what others are doing, then trying their own version. Someone might make their circles larger, change the colour, add more marks or repeat an idea somewhere else on the canvas.
Remind yourself, as well as your group, that the instructions are a starting point, not a set of rules. Once people understand the basic idea, encourage them to experiment and find their own ways of making and repeating marks.
This balance gives people the security of knowing what to do next while leaving plenty of room for individual choices.
Tip 5: Encourage people to copy each other
One of the things I love about collaborative painting is watching people respond to what someone else has created.
Instead of worrying about who painted what, encourage participants to look around the artwork for a pattern, shape or interesting cluster they like – and copy it!
They can recreate it in a different colour, make it bigger or smaller, turn it into a line, start it from an edge, or repeat it in a cluster somewhere else.
Copying gives people an easy way to try something they might not have thought of themselves. It also means that one person’s idea can travel across the artwork, changing and developing as different people interpret it.
As the facilitator, be genuinely interested in those changes. Point out an idea you like, ask someone where they got their inspiration, or celebrate when you notice a pattern appearing in several different forms.
This is one of the ways the artwork becomes a shared creation. People are learning from each other, adding their own variations and building on what is already there.
In conclusion
A successful cooperative painting project doesn’t have to be complicated. Give people a clear way to begin, then let the artwork grow through their ideas and interactions.
The five things I’d keep in mind are:
- Prepare the space so everyone can access the materials and the artwork.
- Start with Messy Playing to get paint on the canvas without the pressure of creating a finished picture.
- Give people patterns to explore so they have simple ideas they can copy, adapt and develop.
- Balance guidance with freedom by offering clear prompts without telling people exactly what their artwork should look like.
- Encourage people to copy each other so ideas can travel across the artwork and become something shared.
That’s the beauty of Pattern Play Collaborative Art. Everyone can contribute at their own level, and you don’t need to know exactly what the finished artwork will look like before you begin.
I hope these ideas help you feel more confident about running your own cooperative painting project. Give it a try, have fun with it, and see where your group takes the artwork.
Happy painting!
Charndra
Your inclusive collaborative art guide
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Explore more collaborative art resources
Ready to take the next step? These guides can help you choose an approach, plan your project and work out how to make a collaborative artwork with your own group.
Creative ideas for large group collaborative art – Find ideas and practical approaches for creating artwork with larger groups.
Different types of collaborative art projects for all groups – Explore different approaches for groups of different ages, abilities and settings.
How to create a collaborative artwork step-by-step – Follow a simple process for planning and creating a collaborative artwork with your group.
