Festive Fun Art- Halloween Painting Party

A fun painting party evening with family or friends? A perfect idea anytime of the year but during spooky or Christmas season, even more festive and fun. My daughter, husband and I decided to do a Halloween painting party this weekend and paint some ‘spooky’ art- and it was a ton of fun! It was so easy, inexpensive and we had a great time working on our art projects while watching a spooky movie. Of course, this trend went around on social media a couple years ago- I didn’t invent it but I did thoroughly enjoy it and I highly recommend giving it a go!

Thrift Store Artwork for a Halloween Painting

We started by shopping the thrifts and gathering a few pieces of art that spoke to the spooky look. We actually bought this art for Halloween painting last year and planned to do a spooky painting night. We ended up being up out of state unexpectedly during Halloween and didn’t do the artwork last year -but this year, it was happening.

What you Need

1. Artwork- vintage, new, framed, unframed, anything that speaks to you will do for a Halloween painting. A tip is to just look for scenes that speak to you- big, small, any size works and the best part, they are usually just a couple dollars at the thrift stores so this is an inexpensive project too.

2. Paintbrushes and paint we used regular craft store paint and some acrylic type paints and brushes that my daughter had on hand.

3. A cup of water for rinsing your brush, paper towels & a piece of cardboard for dabbing paint on and mixing colors.

Scenes from a city

I chose a small artwork of a scene that looked to be from a charming city like Paris. A couple little cafe areas, cobblestone streets and all the tall buildings and charm. Are you surprised I would gravitate towards that art? It actually was a 2 piece set and my husband chose the other one for his painting. My daughter chose a beautiful autumnal forest view that was perfect for spooky touches. The key is just choosing something that speaks to you! We actually have a stack of art that we have collected for just this purpose- halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter- you can fancy up any artwork all year long- and I do think we will be doing this again soon! These are quick iPhone grabs while we worked and painted and watched ‘The Haunted Mansion’ so please forgive the evening phone quality photos.

Paint on the glass – or on the artwork

Once you choose your art-the next question is- do you want to paint on the glass or directly on the art? I decided to go with the glass- I am one of those kinds who start painting, wipe off and start again so I knew it would make it easier to do that if the paint was on the glass. Side note though- the glass on my artwork was a bit movable so it shifted a few times and the painted on art did not line up and I had to adjust again- just something to be aware of if leaving the glass in place.

What do you want to paint?

I decided to add a few festive friendly ghosts first. On the sidewalk. In the windows, on the buildings, looking out doors- and pretty much anywhere that looked like a good spot for them. I am definitely not a pro so won’t be giving advice on painting but a little dab of white and a couple spots of black for eyes and you have a little ghost. Up next, I added a whole lot of black crows or ravens to the branches of the trees. These were just dots of black paint and that was it. Then it was time for pumpkins. On the steps. By the doorways. On the roof. Even peeking out the windows. Anywhere is a good spot for a bit of pumpkin cheer don’t you think?

Finally, it was all about creating a bit of a mood with moody skies, a big old full moon and a witch flying across. My daughter suggested the witch when I wasn’t happy with the moon. This was actually my second attempt at the moon and when I started adding some texture to it with the gray and got some on the side of it, instead of wiping it off again, the sky got some misty moody gray clouds too.

Party Idea

I am now on board for seasonal paintings and will be collecting more artwork as I find it at the thrifts and I am thinking it would be so much fun to do a project like this for a dinner party and gathering with friends. Just collect the amount of art you need for the size of the party, grab the paints and brushes and then let guests choose which one to work on.

What do you think?

What do you think of the finished Halloween painting artwork?

I think it turned out so cute! And the best part- I had such a good time with my daughter and husband doing this. It was surprisingly relaxing and I can’t remember the last time I painted anything with a paint brush smaller than one for painting the house or projects.

Get the Look

If you would rather just order some art to fancy up a bit- sharing a few painting kit options I found below. Happy painting!