Happy Trees! Paint Like Bob (Ross)

Have you been yearning to try a Paint Night for your patrons, but can't afford the cost?  Maybe you have an avid group of artists always looking for a new challenge?  You should host a Bob Ross Painting Party!

For those of you unaware of the calming majesty of Bob Ross, his Emmy-Award-winning Joy of Painting program--aired on public television in its heyday, but now also available on Netflix, Youtube, and in DVD format--is one of the most popular and recognizable art programs on television.

For our first go, we decided to pick the Bob Ross video tutorial "Grey Winter" - - only three paint colors were necessary and most of the brushes were readily available through our craft suppliers of choice.  We had 20 of each brush available, but depending on your budget, you can always add or subtract (and have folks share.)  We decided against buying the painter's knives and instead encouraged participants to use the back end of their smaller brushes or popsicle sticks for the portions of video that called for that particular technique.

For canvases, we ordered these handy-dandy 9x12 boards from Nasco.  At $1.20/each, we knew we'd be hard-pressed to find a better bang for our buck.  We also purchased our three acrylic paint colors from Nasco and had more than enough for two separate sessions of Bob Ross goodness.

On the day of the program, we set up our room and dispersed the necessary materials, giving each participant a paper plate to use for their paint palette.  Each station also had a book display stand to serve as an easel.  NOTE: Make sure to cover the base of your book stand with masking tape or the like, as they're likely to be painted upon!

Before beginning, reassure folks that everyone's art will look different--and that's ok!  Rather than focusing on the finished product, they should instead enjoy the process and exploration. 

While each Bob Ross tutorial is around 30 minutes, plan for at least 60-90 minutes for your program, as you'll like want to pause the video after each step.  This allows folks to catch up without feeling like they need to create at professional-artist-speed, as well as gives them the opportunity to replenish any supplies, review a previous step, or simply take a break.

Other supplies that will come in handy:

• paper towel (lots!)
• individual cups of water

We had a blast with this program and definitely plan to revisit Bob and his happy, happy trees in the future.