✅ Why You Should Try Coffee Painting

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Coffee painting is exactly what the name suggests – painting with coffee! In this article, I thought I would find out exactly why people use this medium for art and how anyone can start coffee painting.

Can coffee be used as paint?

Yes it certainly can. Coffee painting is very similar to watercolor painting but easier, in my opinion. When faced with a large palette of colors, as with watercolor paints, it can sometimes be daunting and you can be at a loss as to where to begin.

Coffee is simply mixed with water to create different hues and you can build up the painting using the lightest colors first.

Is it easy to paint with coffee?

Nothing could be simpler! Painting with coffee is so easy because you don’t need much in the way of equipment and it’s quick to prepare.

You can make your painting as simple or as complicated as you like. If you’ve never tried painting before then try starting with a smaller area in which to draw. It will be less daunting than having to fill a large piece of paper with art.

If you find coffee painting a bit daunting, why not take a look at this course by Yasmina from Yasmina Creates.

She has created an amazing coffee painting course ‘Easy Instant Coffee Painting! Fun Techniques & Mini Illustrations‘ on Skillshare.

What type of paper to use for coffee painting?

As coffee painting uses a fair amount of water, you cannot use standard printer paper. This type of thin paper will buckle and tear. This is the reason watercolor artists use watercolor paper as it is specifically designed to hold larger amounts of water. And watercolor paper is what you should use too.

Watercolor paper is recognisable by being thicker and having a dimpled effect.

Coffee painting equipment:

To begin with, all you need is the following:

watercolor paper or watercolor pad/sketchbook

instant coffee
paintbrushes
water

containers, such as old yoghurt containers, or a cheap palette tray
paper towel or clean rag (clean but old cut up t-shirt material will work well too)

Most people will have most of these items at home already.

How to paint with coffee

As you by now know, you don’t need much to start painting.

Step 1. Gather all your materials (see above).

Step 2. In your containers or palette tray, mix instant coffee with water to create varying shades of color from dark to light.

Step 3. Choose your reference picture, if you are using one, and start painting!

You can paint anything. Just look around you and I’m sure you will find something to paint. It could be a mug of tea or coffee, a vase of flowers or a box of tissues. If you can see it, you can paint it.

Why should you try coffee painting?

Coffee painting is so worth trying if you enjoy being creative or need to do something relaxing. Here are the reasons I recommend giving it a go:

Affordable – Coffee is something that a lot of people already have at home, or if they don’t, it does not cost a lot to buy. This means that it can be accessed by many who can’t afford expensive paints and the results can be just as impressive.
Enhances your ability to see things differently – Working in monochrome allows you to really focus on the various hues and color values.
Stress relieving – In our busy world today, people are suffering from increased stress levels which can be detrimental to our health. Art has been shown to reduce stress levels as dopamine increase when doing something creative.

Not only is coffee all of the above but it really is fun too. If you do give it a go, tag us on our Instagram page because we’d love to see it.

In summary

Grab that jar of coffee and start experimenting!

Coffee painting is not only affordable but stress relieving and enjoyable. Not only that but put your artwork in a frame and give it as a gift to a loved one or friend. You could also use your paintings to make greeting or birthday cards using blank cards.