Slow down, pick up a brush and paint handmade cards in this relaxing watercolor class, one of the gentlest creative team building activities on the Bay Area Peninsula. Your group learns how to guide water and pigment into soft washes, then turns those skills into finished cards and postcards that are ready to send.
The class runs two hours and is priced at $45 per guest for private groups of 12 to 100 guests. It is perfect for beginners, and no prior painting experience is needed.
What's Included
- One 5 x 7 blank greeting card with an envelope
- Two 4 x 6 postcards with a preprinted back, ready to be addressed and mailed
- All the art materials you need for the session
- Step-by-step guidance from a talented teacher from
Slow down, pick up a brush and paint handmade cards in this relaxing watercolor class, one of the gentlest creative team building activities on the Bay Area Peninsula. Your group learns how to guide water and pigment into soft washes, then turns those skills into finished cards and postcards that are ready to send.
The class runs two hours and is priced at $45 per guest for private groups of 12 to 100 guests. It is perfect for beginners, and no prior painting experience is needed.
What's Included
- One 5 x 7 blank greeting card with an envelope
- Two 4 x 6 postcards with a preprinted back, ready to be addressed and mailed
- All the art materials you need for the session
- Step-by-step guidance from a talented teacher from start to finish
- Your finished artwork to take home at the end of class
What You Will Learn
Watercolor rewards a light touch, and this class teaches the fundamentals in a calm, encouraging way. You practice wet and dry painting techniques, color building, gradients and washes, and you experiment with color, shadows and blending to create one-of-a-kind illustrations. The teacher helps each guest perfect the washes of color that this medium is known for, so even a first attempt looks clean and intentional. Many guests find that guiding the water across the paper helps them slow down and live in the moment.
Why It Works for Groups
Everyone works on their own cards, yet the room stays social, with colleagues comparing colors, swapping ideas and admiring each other's landscapes and characters. Because the project is small and forgiving, people who say they cannot paint usually surprise themselves. It is one of those team building workshops where quiet personalities and outgoing ones both feel comfortable.
The class is a natural fit for a team building activity, a birthday or a bachelorette party, and it works beautifully as christmas team building, since every guest leaves with a handmade card and postcards they can send to family and friends. For anyone looking for fun team building activities for adults that do not require a big time commitment, two hours is just right. Handmade cards also make thoughtful additions to birthday gifts or other presents later on, which gives the afternoon a life beyond the studio.
Ideas for Your Cards
Card designs can range from simple skies and landscapes to plants, fruit and short handwritten greetings, so each guest can paint for a specific person or occasion. The teacher helps you pick a scene that suits your comfort level and shows how to layer color so it stays fresh and bright, then how to finish the card neatly for mailing.
About Your Host
Your host is a women-owned art studio in San Mateo built around creative social gatherings for all ages. It runs an adult studio where friends paint side by side, and a kids and family studio where parents and children explore art together. Professional instructors guide every session, and the studio supplies everything you need, so your group simply shows up and enjoys the time together.
The studio specializes in groups large and small, from team building and corporate events to birthdays, bachelorette parties and nights out with friends. Guests give it a 4.8-star rating across 193 reviews, and reviewers often mention good instructors, attentive staff and a comfortable party space. One recent guest wrote that the owner and instructor were kind, accommodating and patient with their whole group.
Getting There
The studio sits in the heart of San Mateo, just minutes from Highway 92 and U.S. Route 101, which makes it easy to reach from Foster City, San Francisco, the Peninsula and the East Bay. There is ample parking nearby. The exact address is shared once your date is confirmed.
Good to Know
- No experience is needed; the teacher walks the whole group through each step
- All art supplies are provided in the studio
- Your cards and postcards go home with you the same day
- The team can also travel within 20 miles of San Mateo to a venue of your choice for a private class, on request
- Food and drinks are not included in the per-guest price
Plan Your Workshop
Share your preferred date and group size to check availability. At $45 per guest with materials and instruction included, this is one of the easiest team bonding activities to plan for a group of colleagues, friends or family.
