A little friendly competition
How to Do a Long-Distance Sip and Paint Date—Without the Alcohol
Different rooms, reference portraits, and a timer. Turn your next long-distance date into a playful painting challenge with Lovla Color Battle.
You have agreed on a video call. You have caught up on your days. Now you are both waiting for something more interesting to happen than another conversation about what to eat.
A long-distance paint date gives you something to do together. The appeal of a sip-and-paint evening is easy to understand: a little creativity, a shared challenge, and the possibility of laughing at a portrait that went spectacularly off course. You can bring that painting activity into your relationship without alcohol or a table full of supplies.
Lovla’s Color Battle makes it a virtual, timed challenge. Two users paint each other in Lovla from a reference image. You are in different places, but you have the same kind of task to focus on: turning the person you know into a portrait before the time runs out.
What is a long-distance sip and paint date?
For this date, take the painting-together idea and adapt it to two locations. Instead of attending a studio or getting matching art supplies delivered, you paint digitally in Lovla. Color Battle provides the timed portrait-painting activity; alcohol is not part of it.
The subject is personal, too. You are painting your partner from a reference image, and they are painting you. A familiar smile, hairstyle, or expression gives you something more meaningful to work with than an unrelated still life.
How Color Battle makes the date work from different places
An ordinary remote paint night can involve finding supplies, choosing what to paint, and agreeing when to stop. Color Battle brings the activity into Lovla: two people, reference-based portraits of each other, and a timer.
That gives your evening a clear focus. You are not responsible for keeping a conversation going every second because you both have something to work on. A quiet minute can simply mean someone is concentrating very hard on an eyebrow.
The timer also gives you a reason to make a choice and move on. You might spend your attention on the expression rather than every detail of the outfit. Treat that constraint as part of the fun, not a demand to produce professional art.
This is different from coloring one shared photo together. In Color Battle, the activity is painting each other from a reference image in a timed round.
What to prepare before your virtual paint date
- Lovla for both people. Have the app ready before your planned time together.
- Clear reference images. Choose pictures in which you can easily see each other’s faces and expressions.
- A comfortable place to paint. Charge your phones, settle in, and give yourselves room to concentrate.
- Time around the round. Leave space before you start to catch up and after you finish to talk about the experience.
If you want to chat while you paint, arrange a separate call using the calling setup you normally use. You can also catch up before and afterward. The date does not depend on filling every moment with conversation.
You do not need physical paint, brushes, or matching canvases for Color Battle. The painting happens in Lovla.
A simple plan for your first Color Battle date
Invite your partner to something specific
Try: “Want to paint each other in Lovla tonight? I cannot promise a convincing nose.” Agree on a time when neither of you needs to rush straight into another task.
Choose references you both like
Use a clear photo with one obvious subject. A face hidden in shadow or a tiny person in a large landscape makes the task harder. Choose a photo your partner is happy for you to use, especially if you plan to joke about the result.
Agree on the mood
You can aim for a recognizable likeness or enjoy a more playful interpretation. Neither person needs to be a skilled artist. Agree that the portraits are a creative attempt, not an opportunity to criticize how someone looks.
Paint each other in the timed round
Use Color Battle in Lovla and work from your reference images. Follow the timer in the app. Start with the large shapes, then choose the features you most want to capture instead of trying to perfect every line.
Make time for the stories afterward
Talk about which part was hardest, what you noticed in the reference, and where your artistic confidence got ahead of your abilities. Give your portrait a ridiculous title if you like. The conversation afterward can be as enjoyable as the painting.
Choose a reference that makes painting more fun
A simple photo gives you more time to enjoy the challenge. Look for a face that is large enough to see, natural light, and an expression you recognize. A plain background helps keep your attention on your partner.
You could choose recent photos, pictures from an early date, or portraits from a trip you both remember. Avoid a complicated group shot for your first attempt. The point is to paint each other, not spend the round working out which tiny shape is an eye.
For another creative activity built around your photos, read our guide to turning a photo into a coloring page. That is a separate date idea from the timed portrait challenge.
Keep the battle playful
The name can invite a little competitive energy, but your evening does not need to turn into an art exam. Notice the detail your partner got right before laughing at the part that wandered off course. “You got my smile” is a nicer opening than a list of anatomical complaints.
If one of you draws more often, avoid comparing speed or polish. Each person can choose a personal goal: capture the hairstyle, try an unexpected color, or finish without endlessly reworking one feature. Those are your own creative challenges, not extra app rules.
Stop while you are still enjoying yourselves. One round and a warm conversation can be a complete date. If you need more ideas for another night, explore our 35 things to do on FaceTime.
Different rooms. A shared challenge.
Make your next date a Color Battle.
Paint each other from reference images in a timed round on Lovla. Bring your favorite person and a willingness to try. A perfect portrait is optional.
Explore more creative date ideasQuestions about a long-distance paint date
Does this involve drinking alcohol?
No. The sip-and-paint comparison describes the shared painting-date idea. Color Battle is a virtual, timed portrait-painting activity in Lovla; there is no alcohol component.
Are we painting the same picture together?
In Color Battle, two users paint each other from a reference image. It is a portrait challenge rather than both people coloring one shared picture.
Do we need to know how to paint?
You can approach the date as a playful first attempt. Choose a straightforward reference, focus on a few recognizable features, and let the result be imperfect.
How long is a Color Battle round?
Color Battle is timed. Follow the timer shown in Lovla for your round, and leave extra time before and after for choosing references and talking.
What if we are in different time zones?
Choose an overlapping time when you can both participate. Keep the rest of the plan simple, especially if it is early for one person and late for the other. A short painting date can be enough without adding a full evening of activities.
Written by The Lovla Team. A practical guide to making time together through a virtual painting challenge.