Leave the house on a Wed night to do what? PAINT? At Chevy's? For 2 hours?? This was my immediate reaction to ELC's invite. However, to my surprise, I enjoyed myself. 5 stars to our indomitable instructor Rachel Gold, who was personable, organized, available for individual help/questions, and made all of us feel like artists for an evening. Her playlist, by the way, was good - ranging from classic 80's to present day popular songs. Despite me never painting (unless you count my watercolors from age 5-10), I managed to follow her simple instructions and technical tips. At break times, I walked around and looked at others' paintings and was amazed at how good ALL of them looked. From my questioning, I gathered at least half the group were first timers. Also much appreciated from Rachel was her OPEN-MINDED attitude. From the beginning, she informed us that it was up to us to decide if we wanted to use the same colors and paint the same scene as the model painting OR we could do nothing but drink/eat/chat OR draw smiley faces on the canvas OR form a conga line and dance around the room. I wasn't in the mood for a dark blue background, so I chose red. Instead of stars, I painted flying birds. Instead of the aurora borealis, I painted a sun. I also liked how she took pics for her FB album and a pic of each attendee + finished painting at the end. Saved me the pressure of taking pics (though I took a few anyway). Before she took pics, she did tell us to let her know if we did NOT want to be on her FB page.
Things I wish Rachel detailed in the beginning:
1. How to get a flat edge on the brush to draw thin lines - press sides of brush against paper towel to form a strong edge
2. Tell us how many times to dip the brush into water, then dip in color, then repeat. 2x? 3x?
3. After dipping your brush in water, dry your brush on the paper towel to make sure no water runs down the canvas.
4. If a drop does run, stop it be putting a piece of paper towel on it. DO NOT WIPE canvas (paint will come off).
Regarding colors, there were other colors (like green) available upon request and paper towels at front and bathroom sink was nearby to get a fresh cup of water for brushes.
Clothing/What to wear: Since the paint is acrylic, it is water soluble but nonetheless, I wore old clothes just in case. Turns out that it was unnecessary. The smock covered me and apart from getting paint 2x on my fingers (easily washed off in bathroom sink), I had no mishaps. Most people wore business casual or jeans. I was the only one in yoga pants.
Seating arrangements at Chevy's in Eville: long tables - 3 ppl on each side; booths - 2-3 ppl per booth. At tables, chairs wooden - I have a back issue but brough a towel for cushion - between that and getting up frequently, I was ok. Arrive 15- 20 min early to pick out your seats.
Food/drinks: Complimentary chips and dip. Order drinks and other food from waiter. With our paint easel and supplies, barely any room a drink, much less plates of food, though nearly everyone ordered something. I ate a salad around 5:30p before the event. Highly recommend eating before hand so you can focus on painting instead of a growling stomach.
Noise level: very loud. there were at least 3 birthdays during the 3 hours I was there. Servers gather around the bday table and sing. Rachel cranked the music up, which was nice to drown out the sound of other people talking. If you are sensitive to noise, bring ear plugs.
Start time: we started about 20 min late since at 7p there were still 10 ppl who hadn't arrived. Finished around 9:30p. This didn't faze me, it's the Bay Area after all and 580/80 is unpredictable.
Parking: Main lot was packed with diners and lines drawn for small cars. There is a small additional lot next door. I originally parked in the main lot but moved my car later b/c I could easily see someone dinging my rear or doors due to the narrow lines. If you drive a Fiat you'll be fine. If you drive a Camry - you will feel hemmed in.
Cost: To get the groupon price, you can use a PaintNiite discount code ($20 off): EastBay2014 and this way, Rachel will get more money (instead of sharing with Groupon). read more