I've been fortunate to take several classes from Elena. Obviously I've enjoyed them because I keep…read moretaking them! She's very knowledgeable and a wonderful, sharing instructor. I highly recommend her for beginners & more experienced artists.

Elena created a beautiful scroll as a gift for my sister; her calligraphy is exquisite. Her art…read morework on the scroll was done to perfection. It was a pleasure working with her; she was responsive to all my questions and the project was finished on time. I recommend her services without reservation.

As much a working artist space as it is a gallery, Flatbed really does a wonderful job of…read moreencapsulating the marriage of East Austin and bleeding edge inspiration. It is, essentially, a large warehouse that's been divided into the aforementioned working spaces and gallery strolls, and the provocative and intriguing nature of the work here is always worth lingering over. I might describe what I've most often seen as 'modern art with a conscience' but ultimately one of the things I think that they offer that really moves the creative needle are the classes they offer. Lithography, monotype, relief work, there's plenty going on if you want to learn how to express yourself. Who knows, maybe one day it'll be your work adorning these walls...or others.

"Let me take you upstairs and show you my etchings..."…read more I am a BIG fan of Flatbed Press. I happened upon their printmaking shop not long after they opened in 1989 and I found their compassionate and intense outlook on printmaking and life to be a haven of creativity and brilliance. Katherine Brimberry and Mark L. Smith have the midas touch for choosing an excellent location for their business and committed people to work with... they also retain an artistic integrity in what they do and HOW they do it. Flatbed is a publishing workshop which means they do collaborative work with artists. They also work with other entities on printing limited editions of etchings, monotypes, lithographs... prints. ORIGINAL prints. which may seem like an oxymoron to some, but it makes sense if you have ever seen an edition of etchings. Each print is pulled by hand, each one an original print, from a piece of copper of a piece of zinc that an artist has labored over for years sometimes. Their location in East Austin has an exhibit space, printmaking studio, and office. Gerald Manson, Master Printer Emmeritus, is also the Master of Dry Humor and he loves NPR and great classical music... Flatbed World Headquarters shares space with 8 other creative professionals. Flatbed's workshops are stellar and I would always recommend anything Kathy Brimberry is teaching... Solar Plate would be a good start. Another great beginner class would be Intro to Copperplate Etching with Teresa. If you are a printmaking afficionado, maybe you would enjoy PhotoPolymer Film Intaglio. Mark Smith offers individual 90 minute critiques, which, for the active artist, can be informative, intense, and fun. Flatbed also offers business courses for artists including one about tax tips from a CPA and an internet promo class for artist on how to promote work by increasing web presence. My yelp disclaimer is that I taught printmaking to UT Architecture students at Flatbed for a summer ... If you are looking to buy original art for your home, stop by at one of their gallery exhibits or make an appointment... so you, too, may someday soon be able to say "Let me take you upstairs and show you my etchings..."

Great experience that we did it a second time in the same week! Highly recommend and was awesome to…read morebe creative and learn how to work the wheel

I recently chose this for my 18th birthday. I can honestly say that it was a great experience and…read moreshe was really helpful. All of the supplies and tools are provided whenever she comes to the designated spot you provide. The only thing needed is a power outlet so the pottery wheel can work. The way it works usually is whenever she gets there, she'll get set up and then go over how to use the wheel. There are two parts to the class, the wheel section and then the build your own portion. The wheel section is where you can make a bowl or cup. The build your own is where you can make little knick knacks or cool objects. The tools make it a lot easier to build things and she provides help on the wheel section so that way the object you're making can come out great. After she's done explaining things, you're free to work on whatever you want and create however many things you like. The woman is incredibly nice and helpful. Pottery might seem intimidating but it's a lot of fun. You can paint your objects once they solidify a little bit and then once everything is done, she'll take them with her and you'll have to wait around 2 weeks. The wait is worth it, they come out shiny and very colorful if you put enough coats on. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for something different to do on a special occasion.

I saw Crafty Girl Austin at an event making cute bookmarks for children. I Co-Chair a festival and…read moreoversee all the children's activities. The festival draws in about 600 people and is a free event for an Austin neighborhood. This year several City Council Members and Mayoral Candidates attended as well. I thought Crafty Girl Austin would be a good fit and asked if they would like to be a part of it which they agreed. I told Crafty Girl that I would provide and set up her table, tent, and all supplies needed for her booth. I also said I would put her logo on our website and print her business name in the local newspaper. She would be able to hand out information at the event for free publicity of her business. All she would need to do is provide four volunteers for the event and the special paper faces that would be glued on the bookmarks. I used neighborhood funds to purchase supplies for her (roughly for about 200 children), set up the booth as promised, and marketed her business all with no cost or obligation to her. On the day of the event as I was setting up I received a text message about one hour before the festival was to begin saying she had morning sickness and was not going to be able to attend. I understand that things come up and people get sick. But not only did she not attend but no one from her business did either. If she was going to provide four volunteers then why did none of them show up? Through text message she said she was going to have someone bring the paper faces to the festival. As you can imagine they never arrived either. After the event I never received any follow up from her to see if we were able to cover the booth and no apologies were given. Crafty Girl Austin was a complete disappointment. I feel this business owner is very unprofessional. I will never ask her back and I would suggest anyone else who plans to use the business in the future to make sure you have a backup plan because you absolutely can not rely on them.

Crafty Girl is terrific. I've been to a few Crafty Girl events now and made some really fun…read moreitems--aromatherapy necklaces, recycled map trays, and I[heart]HOME string maps. I look forward to attending many more. I had just moved to Austin and hardly knew anyone in town. Crafty Girl was a great way to get out of the house, make something fun, and meet really friendly ladies. Anna is a such a warm, inviting, and fun person. It was such a pleasure to meet her and feel instantly included. She's also a great teacher--helpful and patient (which is excellent because I sometimes struggle with tying knots and stuff, heh.) The crafts are usually about $20 a piece, but that includes instruction and all the materials. The meet-ups I have been to have usually been about 2 hours long. I feel like it's a good value, but I'm also a little choosy about which I sign up for. ...great, talking about this has made me want to go sign up for another Crafty Girl meetup...

Yesterday was my first time trying the Vino al Arte class and I loved it! It was surprisingly…read morerelaxing and therapeutic. Miguel, the instructor was very kind and did a great job and discussing the artist along with different types of paintings. I am in no way a a good painter but felt comfortable and confident throughout the class. It was a down to earth atmosphere which is my favorite, and the instructor everyone was met at their own pace respectfully. Who wouldn't love some painting with a little wine. I plan on going back and will recommend it to my friends and family as well. Fun times!

Love love this class.. I go to the byob adult evening class that happens on Fridays.. It's a…read morebilingual paint class, Spanish and English, totally awesome. The paintings are more complex and still easy to follow.. thank to the amazing instructors. It can fill up quick so make sure you're on the guest list and that you've rsvpd! Overall though 5 star place. Place where you can get comfortable and make new friends!

We had a private birthday party for our daughter and it was perfect way to spend a couple hours…read more They went way beyond our expectations. Zoey and her daughters have a really passion for the art and the house in W. 6th is a great spot. Filled with a lot of heart the team there really enjoyed it as much as the kids did. Probably one of the best hidden gems still left in Austin!

I had so much fun attending "Visual Art & Vino" last night that I can't believe I didn't visit…read moresooner. The atmosphere was positive and encouraging, which allowed me to relax, shake off some nerves, and really enjoy the experience of creating art. Chill people, chill music, and chilled wine

This is a wonderful kids art school! Karen and Kaitrin are so great with the kids and the art they…read morecreate is complex and beautiful! They do lots of painting, drawing, and clay work. They work with pastels and other art mediums as well. My son has thrived in the class and it's awesome to see his growth with something he's so passionate about. I love how they encourage his creativity each week! Your child will love this art studio!

I have taken several workshops with Jaime over the past year, including her informal class with UT…read moreand the short-story and novel-writing workshops. Jaime is an incredible teacher who does a fantastic job of explaining writing concepts in a concrete way that is understandable and learnable. The best part of the workshops is the supportive environment that she fosters, both for getting motivation to write and for giving and receiving invaluable feedback on writing. I would highly recommend Jaime's workshops to anyone who is interested in learning about writing and improving as a writer.