Fun ways to paint at home, with options from local studios (including pottery!), every Bob Ross episode, and even paint-by-number kits for adults

If you’ve already made quick work of the Netflix catalogue, and you’d like to do something a little bit different during your time at home, how about painting? Even if you don’t have any artistic talent that you know of, there is plenty of help available to guide you as you create your masterpiece.

Paint and Sip at Home

Local studios that offer “paint and sip” events have had to close their doors to in-person events, but they are adjusting by offering “take-home” paint kits and virtual classes.

Meg-Art Pottery Painting Studio: Buy a pottery kit, including the pottery piece and 7 paints. Brushes are available to borrow or purchase. Pick up curbside or have your kit delivered. It’s free within 15 miles of the studio, and $2/mile over the first 15 miles. You’ll paint at home, and then drop it off to be fired. Purchase kit (and learn more) here. 15940 Northcross Drive, Huntersville.

Painting With a Twist: Buy a painting kit that includes painting surface, up to 7 paints, gently used brushes for you to keep, paper plates, towels and paper for table, and, most importantly, detailed instructions. The kits will be available for curbside pickup at specific times. 4724 Sharon Road.

Wine & Design: Buy a paint kit in advance and tune in to the Zoom painting class. When you buy your kit, you’ll get the invitation to the Zoom session. The virtual classes are happening almost every evening, at 6:30 p.m. Pick up your painting kit curbside at 1419 East Boulevard 2 days to 2 hours before the class. Paint kits include a pencil-traced canvas, paints, a set of brushes, mixing plates and a napkin.

To be fully prepared, you might want to have some wine handy. Here are four ways to get wine delivered to your home.

Follow a YouTube Tutorial

There are countless YouTube channels with painting tutorials. We’re highlighting a few that we like, but your best bet is to just search YouTube for one that feels good to you. You can find tutorials for painting with oil, acrylic and watercolor, for all levels.

Bob Ross: You can find every episode of Bob Ross’ The Joy of Painting on his YouTube channel. 402 episodes in all. That’s a lot of happy trees. Paint along at home with TV’s most popular art show. You can buy Bob Ross branded art supplies on Amazon.

Want to start with an easier, smaller-scale project? Get a Bob Ross by the Numbers set. It has everything you need to paint three paintings — two landscapes and one Bob Ross face.

Jay Lee Painting: The tutorials on Jay Lee Painting’s YouTube channel show how to paint with acrylic, watercolor and more. This channel is great for absolute beginners. They “show,” rather than “tell.” Soothing music plays while the artist creates paintings with simple steps, even using household materials like cotton swabs. These videos are actually relaxing and enjoyable to watch even if you’re not painting along. There are also fun art projects for kids.

Will Kemp Art School: One excellent YouTube channel for art instruction is Will Kemp Art School. There are tutorials for both oil and acrylics. and the videos include both step-by-step tutorials for specific paintings, and classes on skills like color mixing.

Host a Remote Painting Party

Once you find a video you like, why not host a virtual painting party? The host will play the video on a computer and can share the screen through videoconferencing software like Zoom. Please check out our getting started guide to Zoom and Google Hangouts.

During the party, you’ll get to see everyone’s work in progress. Let’s be honest–these days it’s nice to even see friends’ faces!

If you need to order art supplies, make sure to leave some extra time, as shipping on non-essential items can be a little bit slow right now.

Paint by Numbers

Another approach is a “Paint by Numbers” kit. These days there are kits made for adults, some even offering an easy way to create your own version of a classic work of art.

The kits will contain everything you need, and you just need to fill in the clearly marked areas with the pre-mixed paint.

If you remember doing paint-by-numbers as a child, these are similar, but much larger and more intricate. You need a steady hand and lots of patience. If you find it relaxing to immerse yourself in a detail-driven activity, this is for you. Coloring books for adults have been very popular for a few years for the same reason.

Whatever kind of painting project you do, just remember that the goal is to have fun. Let go of your expectations about the finished project and just enjoy the process.