Paint Your Own Souvenir from Vienna!

When I received an offer from KreativReisen for a meeting of several bloggers with the opportunity to make our own souvenirs from Vienna, I did not hesitate at all. On the one hand, because I consider myself a creative person, and on the other hand, I found the idea very intriguing. I have already written about souvenirs in an earlier article on the blog – on how increasingly difficult it is to bring something original to your loved ones: What to bring from your trips?

Well, making your own souvenirs is one of the ways to solve this problem. It’s both original and very personal – because, while you’re making such a souvenir, you’re actually thinking about the person for whom this gift is intended and thinking about what that person would like the most, what would please them the most. In addition to the souvenir, you also give this person your free time which is one of the most precious gifts.

We were to spend the first part of our creative afternoon in the pleasant surroundings of the MuseumsQuartier. The benches – painted orange this year – had already announced the early arrival of summer. Here, we met Melanie Eckl-Kerber, who came up with the project Paint Your Souvenir.

During lunch at the restaurant Die Halle im MuseumsQuartier, Melanie presented her project to us, in which she engaged artists of different languages to reach the widest possible audience. Every Friday afternoon, there is an opportunity to participate in a creative workshop right here in this restaurant. No reservation is needed, just come and join the workshop.

Even our own table turned into an art workshop after lunch. Thin, thick and permanent markers and pens for porcelain landed on the table… but also mugs, balls in which it “snows”, magnets, postcards…

It doesn’t matter at all if you’re not very artistic, Melanie had thought of everything and prepared various aids, like these templates.

Everyone can choose what they like best and what would most appeal to the person for whom the souvenir is intended. While someone prefers the most famous historical buildings in Vienna, music lovers can use a template with the portrait of one of the music composers who had worked in Vienna, while romantic souls can choose the picture of Sisi… I also used the template with St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which I set in the night scenery.

There were no limits to imagination. During the workshop, we painted mugs and magnets as well as the inside part of the snow globe. By the way, this is not just a typical souvenir from Vienna, it is also a Viennese invention! More in the article: Magical Balls Where It Snows

In the second part of our creative afternoon, we moved to a building that should not be missing from any depiction of the skyline of Vienna. It is the Wiener Donauturm (Danube Tower), the highest building in Vienna – 252 m.

Watercolours, brushes, drawings and other supplies for painting had already been prepared for us here.

At a height of 150 meters, we enjoyed the view of the city and then tried to transfer on paper the most famous buildings of Vienna with a brush. While painting, we were guided by a young artist from the Melanie team – she explained to us the technique of painting watercolours, how to mix colours, how to “spread” them on the paper, how to make “random” drops…

Once again, it was confirmed that when two do the same thing, it is never the same. Although everyone in our group painted the same buildings, each resulting picture was completely different. That’s how it should be – if we want to make our own souvenir, each one will be a unique original!

We ended this pleasant, inspiring afternoon in the revolving panoramic restaurant of the tower at a height of 170 meters. An excellent three-course menu added the finishing touch to the successful event.

The amazing views of the city where we were looking for the buildings from our watercolour pictures, the sunset and dusk slowly hovering over Vienna was just an extra bonus.

If you too are interested in painting your own watercolour (or a painting on canvas) – whether you are a tourist or a local – more information here: Art Adventure. It doesn’t have to be only at the Danube Tower, but also at some other famous Viennese tourist sites (Schönbrunn, Prater…). The offer has been extended to Lower Austria and Burgenland as well. All the necessary material is available, no artistic skills are needed and all the necessary instructions will be provided in different languages.

Don’t forget that it is not important at all if the finished souvenirs turn out perfect. It is much more important to put a piece of your heart into it!