Zero. Stars. I have been trying to get a good Paintnite event with a group of friends going for years. Never able to realize it: just received notice of the 3rd time that the event I purchased was cancelled suddenly. Absolutely ridiculous. My friend group no longer trusts the events I try to make because they fall through every. single. time. To be honest, it might be the artist's fault since all three were the same artist. (Is there any consequence to them for that? There should be. I would've guaranteed enough people to make it worth it). Regardless, Paintnite staff was not very accommodating, either. They make apologies and say they can take requests, but actually will not (or cannot). What a joke. At some point real soon I am going to demand a full *cash* refund. "Rescheduling" is a joke. 3 years of looking and sifting through the crappy offerings in downtown Chicago area with NOTHING to show for it? Not worth it. I am not even excited about trying it anymore - I can do better by myself. Third time's a charm, I guess. TLDR: sudden cancellations, no refunds, extremely poorly run organization. Do not recommend. read more

My brother and sis-in-law gave me a Yaymaker gift certificate for my birthday and we decided to do the Abstract Cow paint event. There weren't very many events in Chicago, most are in the suburbs. We ended up at Glascott's in Lincoln Park, luckily there was something I wanted to paint somewhere close by. There were plenty of boring painting options that I wasn't excited about. Abstract Cow was perfect. The instructor did a really good job overall. This clearly wasn't her first time teaching, and she was entertaining while keeping the instruction clear. The way the room was set up wasn't optimal for seeing what she was doing. The backroom at Glascott's isn't really the best choice for this kind of thing, it was hot, dirty, and dark. That says a lot about Glascott's, but if Yaymaker chooses this venue more than once...meh. I'm actually pretty surprised I left the event looking forward to going to another one. I never expected to enjoy this kind of thing, but Yaymaker does a decent job. If they had more options in locations easier to get to (Paint Your Pet is only at the Itasca Holiday Inn??) I'd probably be planning on another one. Surprisingly enough, my painting actually looks like a cow. My brother and sis-in-law were shocked. read more

We did this to begin the celebration of a bachelorette party. It was actually a great way to start the party. It was fun, entertaining and you could still have a couple drinks . The instructor was funny and nice. We painted giraffes at Redmond's ale house. Great activity for groups or just a few friends! Will definitely do again! read more

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I liked it. I painted a night sky and an owl with Paint Nite at Output Lounge. M liked it so much that she wanted to keep it even though I plan to give it to one of our friends as solatium. We already have paintings from Bottle & Bottega and they're just cluttering up our place. Darn shame that painting is my métier but that I don't want to waste space on those masterpieces. It would have been nice if Paint Nite provided a better description of what to expect from one of their events. They sent an email telling me what to wear but didn't explain what to do about food and drink. I emailed them and discovered that we could purchase food and drinks at the bar - that snacks would not be provided and that it certainly was not BYOB. I guess that's the major difference between Paint Nite and Bottle & Bottega. Paint Nite you can buy food and drinks and you bring your own for B & B. The only other minor difference is that Paint Nite didn't have three or four assistants milling about providing personalized attention to participants. Our instructor was fantastic! She did a fabulous job of providing clear instructions that resulted in everyone coming away with their own rendition of the night sky and owl. She moved around the room and held up her painting, demonstrating for each group of participants. Gosh - that instructor worked hard! I saw her set up the room and then break it down afterward. She did it all with a smile on her face and an inviting disposition. Our night sky and owl was supposed to be a "difficult" painting, but was SIGNIFICANTLY easier than what I've experienced at B & B. There weren't that many steps and she gave us time to let our paint dry at certain points. My group of four people came away with superb paintings; however, I must provide the caveat that we're all artsy people who have experience and some talent for this sort of thing. It's possible that it was easy for us but not for other participants. Bar servers went around the room taking food and drink orders and delivering food. I ordered my food and drink at the bar ahead of time, which turned out well for me. I didn't have to fumble around with my burger while wielding a paint brush! I also wasn't distracted by the menu or giving my order while the instructor was delivering important directions. The bar played music during our class. I liked the lively vibe of the pop music, but there was one participant who authoritatively requested that the volume either be decreased or turned off completely. There was a good portion of our class when there was no background music at all because of her. I was thankful when someone turned the music back on. It seems as if the happy, friendly, bar atmosphere is what Paint Nite is all about. I was a bit chagrined at that participant who temporarily got in the way of that groove. I liked Paint Nite overall - maybe even better than B & B (the jury is still out on that count). I do think that NOBODY should have to pay full price to attend a Paint Nite event. There are $20 off deals all over the internet for them and it'd be a darn shame if you ended up paying full price (my dad paid $45). Heck - there's even a $20 off deal for Paint Nite on Yelp! read more

Yaymaker - Dad (Stephen B), me, my sister, and my cousin with our owl paintings. - Party & Event Planning Near Me

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I've never painted before and this year for Christmas I decided to get me and my mom a painting class. I did purchase a Groupon online so it was significantly cheaper. We went tonight to Galway Arms and painted a fall scene. Our artists name was Jason and he was really great. He explained all the different brushes and how to mix the paints and he divided the steps up really easily. It took about 3 hours to paint, which was okay. I just wish it was a little shorter but there were 40 people in class so this is me being picky. I thought it was a lot of fun and is definitely something you do either as a couple or as a group. I'd for sure go again!! read more

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I attended a PaintNIte event at the Red Ivy, (if you please - read my review of the Red Ivy for my take on a "bar" - remember I don't drink so it's bias). We were given a PaintNite gift from our daughter's boyfriend. Truly, a very thoughtful gift. I wanted to use it before our vacations were up so scheduled our "night" for January 2. Little did I know that our area was in for an arctic "blast" and became a bit nervous about attending, since our drive in good weather would have been about 40 minutes. I read through the terms of agreement in hopes of learning about re-scheduling, (especially since the event had been paid for up front to the tune of $90.); but alas, there was nothing about re-scheduling. I sent out an email to the PaintNite folks and called the venue, (Red Ivy), in hopes of hearing that the event was cancelled and that we could re-schedule. The event planner at Red Ivy was of little assistance and the email that I eventually received from PaintNite was equally not helpful. Wasn't anybody listening to the weather? I even sent the report from the National Weather Report. The event was still going on. It was either go or forfeit the $90, (because I would have failed to notify them of my desire to cancel 48 hours prior to the event - But I didn't want to cancel - I only wanted to re-schedule). Sigh - far be it from me to throw away $90, even if it's someone else's. We went. We left our home in plenty of time - nearly a little over two hours early. This of course, meant I had time to fume as we drove very slowly through the streets of Chicago on a very snowy, very cold, night. We arrived. I must admit my body language was shouting - WHY AM I HERE? My hubby and I were the only ones there aside from the artist and the manager for PaintNite. They did everything to make things better. They are the ones down in the trenches working with the public whereas perhaps the person who responding to my email - was not. These two agreed that the weather conditions were crazy and that re-scheduling could have been an option. The bottom-line: they listened and were apologetic and did all that they could to soothe the crazy lady within me, (I must have had that look, but the lighting was poor - it is a bar!) I was able to relax and paint the subject and meet nice people. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I was surprised that the majority of those who signed up for the event came. God does take care of babies and fools. The only drawback to the event was the lighting. It was a bit dark for me and the floor being cement was hard on my back. I had to stand rather than sit because I am a little short and the angle and height of the tables just didn't work for me. Plus, it was cold. Maybe a glass of wine would have gotten my blood flowing more, but no - drinking while out and having to drive home under crazy driving conditions was not an option. Drinking and driving should never be an option. Still, my hat is off to Robert and John - you both pulled off a great event despite it's very rough beginnings. Thank you read more

Yaymaker - Nina's rendition of the subject for the event at Red Ivy for Jan. 2 - Party & Event Planning Near Me

Paint Nite was overall a lot of fun, but probably because we had a group of friends (7 of us) all go together. We attended the one held at Chuck's in Burbank and the painting was Break of Grey (a grey vase with grey flower and a pop of orange). The painting on the Paint Nite website was ranked as easy. We chose this one due to the 'easy' ranking and the location. We bought the Groupon for $25. I believe the class is $45 without the deal. I really don't think the 2-hour class is worth $45 - so buy the deal! Registration was really easy via their website and the instructions on how to register was printed on the Groupon. It only took a matter of seconds to sign up. The class is from 7-9pm. We got to Chuck's early and sat in the bar ($2 Absolut drinks on Wednesdays!) for an hour. The class was held in a back party room. There was probably 20-25 people in the class with one instructor. Everyone had enough room, but it still felt really cramped. All the easles were set up, brushes distributed, and a pallet of paint at each station. Organization was good. The instructor (and I can't remember his name, maybe Rob?) didn't have much of a sense of humor and was kind of a d*ck. I got the impression that this was a side gig for him to make extra money, but he really felt he was way above teaching a bunch of suburbanites how to paint a pot of flowers. Also, the room was small, with 20+ people talking, and him trying to instruct - it just became a little chaotic. Everyone was trying to enjoy and have fun, and he was just getting annoyed and frustrated with the group. We finished up around 9:20. Everyone's painting looked good, or as good as what your kid brings home from school and you hang on the frige. I'm not the most creative person, but I think everyone would agree that this painting should be ranked more than "easy". I would say at least intermediate, but again, I'm no Picasso. Overall, I would do it again with a different instructor. Definitely buy the Groupon (search under Paint Nite). There are tons of venues to pick from along with different paintings. It was a great girls night out! read more

I bought a few groupons for a girls night out this past weekend ($25/person) and we had our event at Shelby Campbell's in Elk Grove Village. Purchasing the groupon and registering everyone on the website was incredibly easy. We weren't really sure what to expect since it was at a bar/restaurant, but when we got there we were happy to see we were in a separate room and everything was set up for us. I will try to avoid going into my review of how awful the service at the restaurant was, there is a separate review for that, but it did effect my overall opinion of doing a painting class this way as opposed to a byob venue. Our instructor was friendly and welcoming, he tried to be funny but he talked a lot. From other classes I've done it seemed like he spent a lot more time talking about things that didn't matter and distracting from us getting to the painting. I thought the painting was going to be incredibly difficult but it ended up being easier than anticipated and a lot of fun. One thing that was really cool was that the instructor took pictures of our final projects/our group and posted them on facebook/emailed them to us the next day. Overall, I would get another groupon if the location was different, but I can't see spending the full price on a class like this. If you're going to spend $45 I would recommend a BYOB class instead. read more

I attended Paint Nite tonight at Rock Bottom in Orland Park and it was so much fun!!! I signed up online about a month ago. I believe it was $27.00 with the coupon code, so very reasonable! They are always offering coupon codes. I am the furthest thing from an artist, and even I was able to paint a decent looking painting. I believe our instructor said her name was Chris and she was awesome! She went step by step and made it seem easy. She even helped me fix my painting when I accidentally used too much paint in one spot. I would definitely sign up again!!! read more

Yaymaker - Getting ready to paint! - Party & Event Planning Near Me

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Paint Nite is a lot of fun - I've been meaning to go for a while, and finally bought a Groupon with a friend. They hold a paint "class" at different bars/restaurants around the city and suburbs. I say "class" because they really don't teach you how to paint or different techniques, but they do teach you how to paint the painting that you chose. They provide all of the supplies, you just need to buy your own drinks. Your experience is going to vary based on the instructor, location, and painting you choose. Our instructor was ok, she was good at first, but then didn't teach as much towards the end. She did go around once to check our paintings (she asked me to teach my friend how to blend...would have been nice if she did it since she was the instructor). She was good about telling us that we could eat/drink whenever we wanted and that we wouldn't be interrupting her. She also went at a good pace so we didn't fall behind. Fox and Hound is terrible...but that has no reflection on Paint Nite. Our painting was a little more challenging than I thought it would be, but it was still fun and a good experience. I would do it again, but I wouldn't pay full price for it (but it seems like there are Groupons/email coupons/Yelp discounts). read more

What a wonderful experience!! Jason Kwidinski was our instructor and he was FANTASTIC! Not only was he informative, funny, but we had a really great time. Our event was at The Pumping Company in Edgewater and the setup was downstairs. I think that Paint Nite did a really great job setting it up with two extra helpers along with Jason. I think that Paint Nite was set up very nicely and I'm very pleased with the final product. I look forward to attending another Paint Nite event! read more

I went to the Red Ivy Sports Bar on North Clark, just south of Addison, for Paint Nite. The theme was something like Mars Flowers. First of all, I was hoping it would be postponed because of all the snow. I did not want to drive in those conditions. However, it was not postponed. My wife wanted to leave 2 hours early, so we got there an hour early. I was pleasantly surprised that Chicago had the streets drivable. Also, only 3 of the twenty something registered people did not show up. The venue for painting was a little cramped, although the bar was spacious. Lighting was also poor. There were 7 distracting televisions around the room. The hosts were John and Rob. John is the artist, and Rob was the organizer. They were a good team. The painting instructions were very clear and easy to follow. I think everyone finished with an interesting painting. You can find Paint Nite on Facebook, or with a Google search. It is a great creative way to spend an evening. read more

I purchased a special with this company for 2 paint nights. I signed up for 1 but it was cancelled by the company. I then signed up for another one and my original code didn't work (it told me it was used already) so I used the other one I had. At the class I told them, which was not much fun since the person leading it was more into her stuff then paying attention to the people. I had done this before and it was really nice so I had something to compare to. I was given the email of the regional supervisor to let her know about the issue. It has now been 2 months and nothing. I know it was only $20 but it is bad business to ignore a customer no matter how small the amount is. read more

I'll keep this short. Paint night is a lot of fun and I am sure I will go again but the venue (Redmond's Ale House on Sheffield in Chicago) was crappy because the food was really awful; bar food but really bad bar food. It would have been better just to drink. The whole idea of Paint Night is a great concept but the instructor yelled the entire time. Had she just stood in the center of the group and used a regular speaking voice, everyone would have understood her just fine instead she (Abby) projected her voice so loud it made it really painful to listen to her. That, and the crappy food, were the only things I didn't like. read more

I am reviewing my second purchase @ paint nite. I had originally been confirmed @ Comfort Cafe in Darien for 10/13, but I received an email that it was cancelled a day or two before that date. I then made a reconfirmation for 12/6/14 @ Fizz Bar & Grill. It took me 3 hrs. of travel time, waiting for trains & buses to get there, not mentioning the cost of metra & buses. I did arrive and Kayla, the bartender said that paint nite was not scheduled, they had a private party booked for some time. She was very sympathetic to my story and called the boss etc. She said I could hang out there, but I didn't feel like doing this on a Sat. afternoon. Fizz was interesting but maybe at another time. I did contact Peter @ Paint Nite, of course he apologized and offered another time for scheduling. I done with Paint Nite . I asked for a refund & my expenses for train & buses. He refused. I then contacted Living Social and all they could offer me was a credit for cost. The first Paint Nite I attended was just OK, the instructor emphasized the party aspect of the event rather instruction. SAVE YOUR MONEY, don't go. read more

A friend of mine had a coupon code and asked if I would like to go paint. I always wanted to try this. We went to the Fox & The Hound. It was so much fun! I will def go back and try more paintings. Great for a girls night! They also offer couples painting...once I find a painting that I like, I will def be signing me and my husband up! I just wish the instructor gave a little bit more advice on how to shade areas or get smooth brush strokes. Otherwise, great experience! read more

My friend and I purchased a Groupon (orig. $25 but we used an extra 20% off promo) as it was going to be our first Paint Nite. We went to Output Lounge on Grand. We arrived 20 mins early so we sat down at the bar and bought a drink and some food while we waited. When it was time, we got to sit where ever we wanted. Our instructor Sarah was very nice. She went step-by-step, telling us which brushes to use (there are 3 brushes), what colors to mix, etc. She went around asking if we needed help, gave us suggestions, and complimented on everyone's painting. She did not allow any negativity from us. She let us keep extra unused canvas. She also said we could paint whatever we wanted if we didn't want to paint what was planned for the night. The only thing I didn't like about the place was that the lights were dimmed so the colors appear a bit different than you would see in the full light. Also, we were a bit cramped. Behind us was very little space to walk through where there was another table of people. Overall, my friend and I had a fun time and we would go back :) read more

Terrible service. While I enjoyed the one paint nite that I attended, I can't say much for the customer service. Be prepared to be canceled on if there isn't enough people signed up that they consider "worth" showing up for to the event. My friends and I rescheduled some things and drove far out to make it to one of the paint nites for our girls night out because we liked the painting ONLY to have it cancelled the day of with very little advance notice, It happens EXCEPT that when we picked another nite again driving far to a different location, it was CANCELLED again the same day with very little notice!!! I have asked for a refund but they said that they couldn't refund us and that we could schedule again. We WILL NOT WASTE OUR TIME AGAIN!!! read more

Overall, I give my experience with Paint Nite two stars because as Yelp's two-star rating says, "Meh. I've experienced better." FYI, I purchased a voucher from Travelzoo and went with another friend. The Paint Nite session was at McGee's Tavern & Grille. The review below is the feedback that I wrote for the survey sent out by Paint Nite: ---- 1) The instructor-to-student ratio was too large (at least 20 "students"). Although the instructor was nice, fun, and seemed knowledgeable, there was not enough time for her to get to each student, give suggestions, etc. 2) The venue was an interesting choice. Although a bar is fun and definitely gives the paint session more of a laid-back "party" feel, IMHO, a bar is not an ideal venue for a painting session, especially when a live band is scheduled later that night. Throughout the paint class, loud noise (e.g., people, band warming up, etc.) were audible in the painting room despite the door being closed. The instructor used a mic throughout the session, but even then, the outside noise was still pretty loud. Additionally, towards the end of the paint session, our instructor sped up the final details because the band was about to go up and she would be completely inaudible during that time. As the event progressed, I could not even hear my friend who was sitting a foot or two away from me, and we were speaking very loudly into each other's ears. Therefore, it became a moot point to sustain a conversation. Furthermore, the setup was difficult. Individuals were seated in four-people booths and four-people high tables, and many people's backs were to the instructor and her painting. It was difficult to see her painting, so many people had to listen and try to find a good "window" amongst all the canvases, heads, etc. to get a glimpse of what she was doing. Although the instructor did her best to go around and repeat her instructions and show people what she did, she seemed rushed since there were so many people who wanted her to repeat what she did. Furthermore, the lighting was too dim, and it was difficult to evaluate paint colors and paintings. Although the instructor recommended that we "take a step back or take a photo of your painting from time to time" to evaluate the progress of the painting. That was virtually impossible to do with so many people and so little room; it was especially difficult to do that in the booths without knocking down other people's canvases, having the outside person step out, etc. The setup also made it inconvenient to replace water, get more paint or paper towels, etc. 3) The materials were basic. A pencil, eraser, and printed photo would have been extremely helpful. Many people were not expert painters and were most likely beginners, so having a pencil to sketch out the painting as well as a picture to look at (especially if it's difficult to see the original painting as it was at this particular painting session) would have been helpful. At other places that host paint nights (Bottle & Bottega, Wet Paint Chicago, etc.), they provide these things, and after speaking with others at yesterday's Paint Nite session, we all agreed that a pencil and photo would have been very helpful supplies to have. Fortunately, some of us were able to pull up the original photo on our phones and use that as a guide. ---- Overall, was it a terrible experience? No, not at all, but I have had better experiences elsewhere. If Paint Nite provides smaller classes at venues with more space, then that would be a great improvement! I understand that Paint Nite advertises itself as more of a "party" rather than an art class, and that's fine. I simply did not expect all the noise; even if I couldn't hear the instructor or follow along as well, I at least would have enjoyed having an audible conversation with my friend and table neighbors. ---- EDIT: Paint Nite did send a follow-up email to its attendees and apologized for any inconvenience that the band may have caused. They stated that they did not know the band was scheduled until a couple days before the Paint Nite event. They provided a coupon for $20 off another Paint Nite session. I thought this was a classy move on their part. read more

This is a mixed review. 5 stars for the venue, instructors and overall experience, 0 stars for the Paint Nite web site communication. They lead you to believe that your event can be rescheduled within 48 hrs., but do not respond to your request within that time frame. Days after the event took place they responded to our emails and didn't offer solution for the problem that their delayed response had caused. "Oh sorry, we get a high volume of emails every day. We try to respond within 24 hrs." That doesn't offer consolation when your response comes 7 days after the original communication. Bad business model. read more

This is the worst run organization I have dealt with in years. They are unprofessional and lack any sense of customer service. If you ever plan a party with them - watch out! I planned my office party with them for the holidays and booked it mid November. On a number of occasions I asked for a confirmation of the booking and was told everything needed to be done by email and that they did not do things over the phone. After eight emails (yes I sent eight emails) I find out the day before the event that they did not book my entire group (just me) even though they knew from my many emails that I needed this for a group of 7 or 8 people from my office. When I told them that was not acceptable, they just refused to email back at all. I urge you not to use this group. Conversely, I called Bottle and Bottega in Glen Ellyn and they saved our holiday celebration and went the extra mile to make certain we were well cared for and happy. I suggest if you want this kind of event and you are anywhere in the western suburbs (or near a train), book with Bottle and Bottega instead. read more

Seriously--what's not to like about a booze-filled night out with a group of friends that also involves a creative endeavor, especially when said endeavor can lead to some hysterically funny moments? Unless you take it too seriously or don't have quite enough to drink, Paint Nite is just flat-out fun. We didn't go into it with dreams of becoming the next Banksy or Picasso and anyone who hopes to walk out with wall art perhaps should recalibrate their expectations. No one walked out of the class at Blue Agave in Chicago--for which we painted the Bean against Chicago's skyline--with "fine" art but the room buzzed all night with laughter and camaraderie. The instructor was just fine in giving guidance and making sure everyone managed to fill their canvas with some degree of success. Anyone looking for serious art lessons might be advised to sign up at a legitimate class. For the rest of us, PN is pretty much perfect. read more