A quick note before a great tip for using brush sizes cleverly…

In case you missed it... Last week I shared the beta version of my Pattern Play Classroom Toolkit, and I’ve loved seeing how many of you have taken a look: WOW.    If you’ve had a chance to explore it (even briefly), I’d still really value your thoughts.

Even just one quick observation is incredibly helpful at this stage.

👉 [Access the Toolkit here →] 

Here’s a simple tip you can try in your very next collaborative painting session:

Use a different size brush for each layer 🖌️

It sounds small — but it changes everything.

In the Messy Playing stage, go BIG. (1 inch brushes)

Give everyone larger brushes. Encourage sweeping marks, big loose shapes, overlapping clusters. Bigger brushes help people loosen up faster, stop overthinking, and cover the surface quickly as a group. The energy builds. The canvas fills. Confidence grows.

In the Exploring stage, shift to medium brushes.

Now you’re experimenting with patterns. Repeating. Varying. Playing with rhythm. Medium brushes naturally slow the pace just enough for people to settle into flow without getting tight or fiddly.

Then in later exploring layers bring out the small or even fine brushes.

This is where the magic deepens.

Fine brushes invite detail. They encourage careful additions. Painters start layering confidently. They relax into pattern making and often add far more than they would have earlier in the process.

And here’s the exciting part that naturally happens:

🖌️Each brush-size shift builds depth.

Then in the Bling stage you switch to paint pens or markers that are even finer still.

Large shapes peek through medium patterns. Medium marks peek through fine details. Those layered “peeks” are what create visual richness and sophistication — without anyone needing advanced skills.

It’s structured.

It’s inclusive.

And it makes the whole process feel natural.

🖌️Next time you paint with a group, try consciously changing brush sizes with each layer.

You’ll feel the difference.

Happy Painting,

Charndra

P.S. Remember how good it feels to open a shiny new brush pack? That’s your 50% off code* - go see what it paints in the product description. *Applies to single products, as bundles are already discounted.

NB: March is the final month of my Welcome50 subscriber code (50% off singular resources). It will retire at the end of March (Australian time). From April, the standard subscriber welcome gift will be 25% off — so if you’ve been meaning to use it, now’s the time.

Each Pattern Play resource is a practical tool within the Pattern Play framework.

It gives you:

• Clear structure to guide your group
• Confidence when facilitating
• Less planning time
• An easy way to build group connection

This week's blog post is the ultimate collaborative art round-up: (i.e. My BIGGEST round up post!)

The Different Types of Collaborative Art: 18 Inspiring Projects and Ideas!

The image above is from the 'Incognito Art Show: 2025' group artwork I paint annually with my kids as a joint collaborative artwork  - 12 panels are painted as one by all of us together, layering across them all, then at the 'Bling' stage we each get our three pieces and personalise them with paint pens in any way they like, within the colours of the project. We're in the process of doing this year's entry at the moment in fact, due in by June to Sydney for the exhibition, which raises money for art studios supporting artists living with disabilities. Each artwork sells for $100, then they learn the artists' names.