Every year the same question comes round: what do you buy the person who already has everything? More candles, another jumper, a gadget that ends up in a drawer by February? If you're looking for something different this Christmas, a gift experience is hard to beat, and a day learning to paint like Bob Ross is one of the most memorable you can give.
I'm Mark Terrell, a certified Bob Ross and Bill Alexander instructor, and I run one-day oil painting classes in Whitstable, Kent. Every December I see a rush of gift vouchers, and every spring I see those same people arrive at class, a bit nervous and completely new to painting, and leave a few hours later holding a finished landscape they can't believe they painted. That's the gift.
What the gift voucher includes
A Paint with Mark gift voucher costs £69 and covers one full-day class. Everything is included:
- A full day of step-by-step tuition, from 9:45am to 4:00pm
- All materials: canvas, oil paints, brushes, palette knives and mediums
- A finished Bob Ross style oil painting to take home the same day
- Free tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day
- A small, friendly group, so there's plenty of one-to-one help
The voucher is a beautiful printed card, posted to you by Royal Mail, so you have something lovely to wrap and put under the tree. It's valid for 12 months from the date of purchase, and the person you give it to picks whichever class date suits them.
Who is it for?
The honest answer is almost anyone. Over the years I've taught:
- Complete beginners who haven't picked up a brush since school, and they're the majority
- Bob Ross fans who have watched The Joy of Painting for years and always wanted to try it
- Retired parents and grandparents looking for a new hobby
- Couples and friends who book the same date and make a day of it
- People who need a calm day out. A lot of students tell me it's the most relaxed they've felt in months
No experience is needed at all. The wet-on-wet method breaks a whole landscape down into simple steps, and I demonstrate each one before you try it yourself.
Why an experience beats another "thing"
An experience gift gives the person a day out, a new skill and, with a painting class, something physical at the end of it. I've had students hang their first painting in pride of place and send me photos of it years later. Some go on to buy their own kit and keep painting at home, and some come back to class again and again.
It also gives them something to look forward to after Christmas. January and February can be long, grey months, and having a painting day booked in the diary really helps.
Make it a day out in Whitstable
Classes are held at Seasalter Christian Centre on Faversham Road, Whitstable. Students travel from all over Kent, Essex, Sussex and London. Whitstable itself is a lovely place to spend a weekend, with the harbour, the seafront, and plenty of good pubs and restaurants for a meal once the painting's done.
Top tip: buy two vouchers and go together. Painting side by side with a partner, friend or grown-up son or daughter makes it even more special.
When to order for Christmas
Because vouchers are posted by Royal Mail, it's worth ordering in good time before the Christmas post rush. The earlier in December you order, the more relaxed you can be. The voucher itself is valid for 12 months, so there's no pressure on them to use it straight away.
You can buy one online in a couple of minutes on the gift vouchers page, with secure card payment through Stripe. If you have any questions, call me on 07736 204 441.
"The best part of my job is the moment someone who swore they couldn't paint steps back from their canvas and just goes quiet. A voucher gives someone that moment." – Mark Terrell
If you'd rather give something they can enjoy at home, my online video tutorials are just £10 each and make a great stocking filler for anyone who already has some painting kit.