Painting Date Ideas & Inspiration

Inventive date ideas can be hard to come by. If you’re hitting the dating scene hard, you might feel stuck in a rinse-and-repeat formula of dinner and drinks. So let’s give a warm welcome to the painting date night. Even if you haven’t picked up a paintbrush since pre-school, this is a super chill yet fun date idea that can get your creative juices (and thoughtful conversations) flowing. Read on for our ultimate guide on arranging the perfect painting date. 

Well, our short answer would be yes. Painting with somebody is an intimate activity that allows you both to focus on the task at hand, but it also gives you plenty of things to talk about. If you aren’t creative or artsy, a painting date can understandably feel a touch intimidating, but if you can let go of your ego, you can open yourself up to a really enjoyable and unique date experience. Remember, it’s not always about being the best at something, but rather simply giving it a try. 

Now-couple Hannah and Ian went on a painting date in the early stages of their relationship. “Ian is much more creative than me, but when he suggested we went to a pottery painting cafe for a date, I thought it would be fun to try something different,” Hannah says.  

For Ian, it was a nice way to share his interests with Hannah. “I don’t find the time to paint often as life gets so hectic with work and social commitments,” he says. “I thought it might be a nice idea to carve out some time to do it, and bring someone I was starting to fall for along for the experience.” 

Fortunately, Ian’s idea was a huge success. “I still have the mugs we painted on our first date in the cupboard,” says Hannah with a laugh. “It definitely made me want to see him again as it was such a calming, expressive evening.” 

Hopefully we’ve now convinced you that painting makes for a great date. But where to start if you don’t usually do this kind of thing? We’ve got some suggestions:

Lots of art studios host painting classes for beginners. Alternatively, pottery shops often have ceramic painting classes. Find one local to you and pop in to ask for their advice if you’re feeling overwhelmed. 

 If you fancy hosting a painting session at home (more on that later) or even in a coffee shop or park, paint-by-number kits are super handy for beginners. They come with a design ready to be completed with paints provided, all of which are numbered to match the canvas so you know exactly what color to paint where. This means you can relax and focus on your date, rather than deciding what masterpiece you want to create.

It’s not just for kids, we promise! As we grow older, we can lose that sense of imagination and playfulness that’s so prominent when we’re young. Recapture some of that magic by painting with your hands or even objects like sponges or cut potatoes on large paper or canvas. Really use the medium to express yourself—it’s not necessarily about how the final product will look. This will help keep the mood light and relaxed and make it easier for you and your date to open up to one another. 

Another way to get the creative juices flowing is by throwing some cocktails or drinks into the mix for your painting date night (responsibly of course). This will allow you both to loosen up and let your imaginations run wild on the canvas. Plenty of pop-ups, cafes, and bars host sip and paint date nights with all the materials provided for a small fee. If you want a more intimate experience and feel comfortable enough with your date, however, here are some tips for hosting the ultimate sip and paint date night at home:

Nobody wants to paint while cramped in a corner. Clear some table space and make sure to put a protective cloth or mat down for any accidental spills. 

Make a playlist, light some candles, lay out some snacks... The painting is just one element of the date night, after all. Make the drinks easy. Go for pre-made cocktails or mocktails, a bottle of wine, or beer so you can focus on your painting and easily refill while you go. 

You can get art supplies pretty cheaply online. Make sure there’s enough canvas/paper, brushes, and paints for you and your date to share. Also think about what kind of paint you want to use—oil paint, for example, takes hours and hours to dry, so it’s probably not the best one to use. Watercolors are very runny, but can work for a certain style of light, fluid painting. Acrylics are the safest bet since they’re thick enough to pop off the page and dry quickly. It might also be worth getting some aprons for you and your date so you don’t ruin your clothes. 

It can be daunting to know what to paint when faced with a blank canvas. Put some items on the table to use as reference, such as a bowl of fruit or a vase. You don’t have to end up painting these things precisely, but they can be helpful to get the ball rolling. 

You could always paint portraits of one another on your painting date night. This can be quite intimate, and it requires plenty of eye contact, so if you aren’t ready for that yet, maybe save it for later down the line. 

For a more social sip and paint date night, invite some other couples or friends along. It will inspire more ideas and you can all judge the paintings together at the end. Loser has to clean the brushes.

Painting is a really fun way to tap into our more expressive and creative energy. This makes it a perfect date idea because you get to see a new side of your partner’s personality. Hopefully we’ve given you plenty of ideas to arrange the ultimate painting date night. And who knows—you (or your date) could turn out to be the next big artist.