Don't know what to do on a weekend? Running out of ideas for group social activities? My friends and I decided we wanted to reconnect with our inner-artists, so we went to a paint and sip event last weekend. None of us has painted since high school (mandatory art classes) and it was so much fun to pick it back up!
The art room provides everything: the canvas, the brushes, acrylic paints, and some snacks. I thought they were providing wine too, but I misunderstood. You bring your own wine and they have wine openers and glasses. Anyways, although we did not have the wine, we still had a really great time painting Van Gogh's Café Terrace. I have to say, you appreciate the talent of artists more when you try to paint it yourself. It was very difficult to even paint a simplified version of it, and it was supposed to end at 9:30, but we stayed till 10:30 because it was so hard to finish. The artist hosting the event provides step-by-step instructions on how to attempt the painting, which was very helpful because a lot of us would not know where to start. At the same time, if you know what to do, or even want to paint something different, it was totally fine as well. I was debating whether I should show my painting here, but I decided not to because I found it too embarrassing..... maybe next time when I get better!
There are also a lot of other similar events hosted by different artists around LA, and they do different paintings all the time. You can definitely pick the one you like best or pick an easier painting to start with. On average, it's about $25 - 35 per person, and it is really fun to do it with a group of friends. What's interesting is that the paintings can look very different even though we are all trying to paint the same thing. Everyone can be an artist with a little practice, right?
