Monday, September 23, 2013

A Little Bit of Whimsy and a Whole Lotta Fun!

Have you ever fancied yourself an artist, if you only had the chance? Have you ever wanted to take lessons? Do you like to hang out and drink with your friends? If it's even one “yes” then you need to try “Paint and Sip”

This brilliant concept comes from Whimsy Paint and Sip Art Studio.  There are other ways to enjoy their facilities: open studio (come use their supplies, for a fee, paint what you want), kids' classes, and of course, the ever popular Paint and Sip sessions.

I've been twice now and I'm really learning some cool techniques. Everything is already set up for you when you arrive, you just have to show your ID and pick a seat (reservations required). Next you head for the bar! Prices are completely reasonable, and they have quite the selection of non-alcoholic but special drinks, too.

We start with a group toast, and then the teacher begins taking us through the steps of the painting. Very calmly she explains that you just “go for it” and “we can fix most things”. Leaving you to complete just that one step, and let it dry, she cranks up the music (the old rock favorites of the 70s and 80s along with some contemporary music) and then wanders the room answering questions. There are about 35 students, so it's not hard to get her attention if you want help.

So you're painting, and drinking, and giggling with your friends, and watching an actual painting come to life before your eyes. Dancing in your seat, singing along to the music, you realize you CAN make some of the clouds look for away and some near. You learn how to mix paint, how to use the white to your advantage, when your brush should be wet and when it should be drier.

Of course you're not a perfect artist on the first try. The wheat grass still confounds me, though the instructor admitted some ten year old must have rammed my tiny brush into the bottom of the glass and brought me a new one. Helped a lot, but fixing the wheat grass wasn't really an option since I liked my mountains so much.

We (my Swissie and my friend) picked our class not just for scheduling convenience, but for which painting they were featuring. Swissie, who is now a five-time veteran decided to go for the option of painting something else that she liked -their walls are covered with samples from previous classes. That's really nice in another way, too. Scattered around the room they have several versions of the “same” painting so that you can see the variety and non-conformity. Creativity and personal choice is highly encouraged.

I don't know if they have something like this in your area, but I sure hope you do. I've linked their website , and this is their facebookpage. With your permission, they take pictures of you while you're painting and as you're walking out the door with your finished masterpiece. Then you're on fb on their page! Almost famous and all that...(no, as of 6:30 this morning, our pictures weren't up yet.)


As you can see by our grins, a good time was had by all!


15 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Glad you are enjoying it! Although who wouldn't have a fun time painting and drinking? And who knows what you might create at that point?

Unknown said...

Nice paintings!
They could take all the pictures of me they wanted it would break there camra, then the internet!

Unknown said...

*their camera*

Jeremy [Retro] said...

that is cool... you should make that your new design... for your site.

Brian Miller said...

he. and you can def tell those that sip too much eh? smiles..ha...this does sound cool

D.G. Hudson said...

A little bit of wine can loosen the artistic impulses - eh? Will try that next time.

The results look very nice as a set! Love the colors.

Michelle Wallace said...

Seems like you had lots of fun. You've got to start somewhere, and you never know what might come of these lessons...
I'd love to take drawing lessons. Proper ones.

~Sia McKye~ said...

I enjoy the physical aspect of being creative. I've always drawn people and landscapes. I love to do trees. Oils and I don't get along too well but I love acrylic and watercolor. It's fun and it feeds something inside that nothing else can.

Looks like you had loads of fun.

Sia McKye Over Coffee

JoJo said...

Your paintings came out great!!! There's a paint n sip here too, and I almost signed up for a class but I don't drink.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Drinking and painting! That would be fun. Almost as fun as doing photography and drinking. Yes, I've done that...

Rob Z Tobor said...

I love art and it sounds a very good idea but I don't drink although I reckon it would still be great fun....

Andrew Leon said...

I've thought about canvas painting, but I think I have too much miniature painting I'd rather do. Which, of course, I don't do because of the writing.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Tina .. sounds a fascinating concept - and one I think I might give a try to .. not sure if they do similar here - but I know what to look for if they do.

I'm not an artist .. but can always give it a go ... so pleased you had a happy day - I do notice one of you is propping the bar up -so wonder what was in the drinks????

Cheers and happy days - Hilary

klahanie said...

Hey Tina!

"Have you ever fancied yourself an artist, if you only had the chance?"

Yes, I fancied this one artist when she said to me, "Can I paint you in the nude?" To which I replied, "Sure thing, but I hope you don't get too cold."

And thus you paint and you drink. I'm glad you are enjoying yourself. I'm sure this is a positive resource for you and all involved. Well done.

Gary :)

Cara said...

I've done this before too - it was so fun! I need to get mine framed. I did an ocean scene, so I'm envious of the bright colors in yours!