There’s a time every fall when collegiettes™ at Wake Forest start to ignore their schoolwork, even amidst midterms and internship searches, in favor of a more creative endeavor: painting coolers for mountain weekend. Many a dorm hall can be found filled with girls hunched over your standard Igloo Wheelie, paintbrush or paint pen in hand, ThinkPad open at their side with team logos and music quotes on the screen. While some of us may be old hands at this fine art, newcomers, however, may have several questions about cooler painting: What do I need? What should I paint? Is it okay to push back studying for my Art History exam that’s in 12 hours to do this? (After all, this is an established kind of art … right?)
No need to fret. Her Campus is here to provide you with everything you need to know about cooler painting, from what to buy to where to get inspiration to actually painting the dang thing.
1. What to buy
The Cooler
Ideally, you won’t be buying at $70 cooler last-minute at Dick’s Sporting Goods (a mistake I made my first mountain weekend) and will instead go to Target or Wal-Mart to make your purchase. There are several options as to which cooler to buy. First, what’s your budget? Once you have that, your choices will be much simpler. Do you want a cylindrical cooler or a rectangular one? Keep in mind that standard rectangular coolers hold more, but that cylindrical ones can provide a lot of creative options (e.g. painting it like your date’s beer can of choice as Nancy Ronalter did). Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which kind you buy as long as it has enough flat surfaces to be a good canvas.
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Paints and Brushes
You can use any kind of acrylic paint or paint pens to paint your cooler. The most accessible are the ones by the brands FolkArt and Apple Barrel® which come in a large variety of colors. As far as paint pens go, while on the more expensive side, they are very helpful for painting details and smaller pictures you may be adding. They can also be easier to handle than a paintbrush for those who are not the most artistically-inclined. However, in order to do things such as paint an entire side of the cooler one color, you will need to use a brush. I recommend getting a variety-pack of paintbrushes, simply because you will get big background brushes, sponges, and thinner brushes for painting more intricate designs.
Semi-Optional: Sandpaper and Spray Fixative
Some girls like to sand their coolers before painting to provide a smoother surface. I’ve never done that before (perhaps because I hate sandpaper and the sound it makes) but it can be helpful not having to deal with weird bumps and ridges.
Spray fixative is generally very helpful for setting the final product. You don’t want the cooler to get scratches or have paint come off before you even get to the mountains, so a spray fixative is always a good preventative measure.
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2. What to paint
Finding Inspiration
I cannot speak highly enough of the Facebook group “The Cooler Connection.” With over 6,000 pictures of coolers submitted by the painters themselves, you are bound to find a design or idea that you love and want to either emulate or base your cooler off of. Knowing what your date is into is also key: if he loves Disney, he’d probably appreciate an original (or stenciled, shh!) painting of his favorite character more than a recycled song lyric about the mountains or drinking. Personalizing the cooler is the whole point of making it – besides that it will actually help you transport your food and drinks. If you’re really struggling, feel free to ask some of his friends or some of yours for ideas. You never know what a small suggestion will spark!
3. Painting!
Logistics, logistics.
Make sure when you are painting that you are not in a small space with little airflow. This may sound like your mother speaking, but who knows what those paint fumes are doing to your body! Crack a window open or work in a bigger space. Also, lay down newspaper or a big garbage bag under your cooler before you begin. No one wants to paint a masterpiece cooler and realize the floor got a makeover as well. Keep paper towels handy for cleanups and mess-ups, as well as a paper plate or some other medium to hold the paint. Solo cups with water will also be helpful for cleaning your brushes off. And if you want to make the paint dry faster, have a hairdryer on hand to use after you finish a layer (just use a cooler heat option to avoid any kind of fire hazard). And once you have yourself situated, turn on some music, watch some TV or hang out with friends (who are also, hopefully, painting coolers). When you’re finished, but sure to use either spray or paste Mod Podge all over your cooler to set the paint, create a glossy finish and protect your precious masterpiece.
4. Have fun!
If you’re scrambling at the last minute, painting mountain weekend coolers becomes much more of a stress than it has to be. Plan your time, make sure you have all your materials, and most of all, have fun painting. Use this as a break from your hectic schedule, and take advantage of your chance to show your date how much you appreciate his inviting you. After all, mountain weekend is something that girls obsess over and always hope to be invited to! So snap a few pictures of your finished Mona Lisa before throwing it in the back of the car toting you to the mountains and load ‘em onto Cooler Connection!