This franchise location has been at this plaza for a few years now. It's just south of Highway 7 in…read morethe same plaza as the Burger King and Vivo Pizza and Pasta. My husband asked about it as we were passing by one evening and I explained the concept, i.e., an art class where you hang out, paint, and if you want, drink along the way. I decided that this would be a great activity for the 3 of us on Family Day. I was delighted to find that it was indeed open that day and so I booked.
The class started at 7 but we were encouraged to come 20 to 30 minutes prior to settle in, get our aprons on, get comfortable with any snacks and beverages we wanted, and be ready to begin promptly at 7. When we came in, we were greeted by one of the staff who walked us through what to expect. There are cubbies to put your things away. The seating is somewhat snug so that's the way to go.
Kids 13 and up are allowed to join in the painting. You can bring your own food, but not beverages. They sell a fair array of wines, beers, and mixed drinks, including their own signature drink, Dirty Paint Water. We had to try that! It's made with coconut rum, blue curacao, and pineapple juice. I'm not a huge fan of pineapple juice, but it was tasty. At $16 a pop though, we kept it at one drink apiece. They do offer a number of non alcoholic hot and cold beverages. The snacks are limited to a very few prepackaged items such as chips and beef jerky. I read on their website that they have a partnership with Domino's Pizza which gets delivered if you want to place an order. In any case, you don't have enough room or time to eat during the class, so it isn't a big part of the experience. The class itself lasts 90 minutes.
The instructor stands on a platform with a sample painting to follow, and paints along with you as they go through the steps to create your own version of the finished product. They have a microphone but your classmates need to refrain from chatting or using the hairdryers provided (to help dry your canvas between steps) to ensure they can be heard by everyone. Our instructor was quite good at pacing the class between steps. They gave a short summary of their qualifications, and explained that the bar staff are also actually fully qualified instructors, so if you need any help or have questions, you can flag them down as well for assistance. Her instructions were clear and easy to follow. At a couple of points during the class, we were given formal 10 minute breaks to allow our canvases to dry in between stages. It allows the perfect opportunity to use the washrooms (which were clean and roomy), stretch, and take a mental break, not to mention, grab another beverage!
Our theme that night was Van Gogh's Starry Night. We learned how to divide our canvas, mix some colours, and use the 2 brushes provided to create the desired effects. She gave some hints on cleaning the brushes and thinning the paints to get the desired results. She also gave hints on holding the brushes and applying pressure to create additional effects. The cool thing about our theme and paints was that they are neon acrylics that show under black light. I wish they had that light somewhere in the studio so that we could see it!
The few cons I experienced were that I noticed on their website after booking my spots, that I was entitled to a $10 discount for having a group of 3, but had to add the code given in the website description when I had booked. Idk why they wouldn't just automatically apply it when I'm literally booking 3 people in my group. When I'm paying $16 for one beverage once I'm there, I would have appreciated it that much more. Also, the quality of the paints made it difficult to get even coverage on the canvas, to which almost everyone had a hard time having the paint adhere/get absorbed.
It is a great experience and I might go back if the fam is inclined to return. It's really cool to have your artwork be your souvenir of a good time. They sell frames you can put your painting in if you wish. They offer a newsletter and perks if you want to sign up and/or come more often. Prices vary according to the day of the week, as well as the size of your group. Be sure to look up the codes you have to add manually yourself at checkout if you want to get the group discount you're entitled to. The choices of subject matter are wide and have something to appeal to just about anyone. It would also make for a great team building experience for work groups. Something I'm definitely glad we did at least once!
