Let’s go to a paint night they said… it will be fun they said…
I thought I would do a blog post on what to expect as a first timer at a pub paint night.
Firstly and most importantly: EXPECT nothing, no paint pARTy is the same and if you have never done it before, expect even less. Just go with an open mind and ENJOY! You are doing this for pure entertainment. Make that your mantra for the evening!
As a paint party instructor, I often hear lines like “Good luck gettin’ me to paint that!”, “I can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler!” or “I can’t even draw a stickman!” Well, at a paint party there are no rulers in the house, a stickman would probably not be the subject and you will be painting not drawing! Feelin‘ better yet? Thank goodness! No drawing, no lines and no stickman. Just painting. Phew! Right? …or as in the case below, maybe no relief yet…
I have actually seen this happen; A first time paint party attendee walks in and there in front of them they find a BLANK CANVAS. There is no picture, no outline, no nothing! It is pure. It is bright. It is white. It is A BLANK CANVAS! …Pupils dilate, jaws drop and brows lift..Overwhelmed… I actually love that look, because what is about to happen is beautiful!
It’s beautiful because you will fall in love with art! Sorry! But it is true. Once you are over being overwhelmed and the instructor has taken you step by step through the process of creation, you will have discovered something about yourself. You will go home with a painting you may or may not think is very good (30 other people think it is great!) but the one true thing is that you will look at art differently now that you have actually painted. Often people will share with me that since they went to a paint pARTy, they now go to galleries more, they enjoy viewing art with new perspective and many say: “We should drink and paint again! When can we do this again?”
Some things that are going happen at a pub Paint Party are:
People are going to judge your art. Yup, it happens. Strangers will come right up to you and tell you… ‘That looks amazing!’ and you are going to think – ‘What have you been smoking??’ But step away from your own project for a minute and go see others’ projects. You will find their work amazing and you will tell them you think so and by the time you return to yours… you might just see what they see!
People will jovily mock the instructor ‘jaaast liikkkeee that,she says’.
Most people will look like an experienced painter to you and so will you to them…
Sometimes there will be a real artist in the room to show off their skills (this happens more often than you think) Should said artist make eye contact with you after seeing your painting, just nod and paint on… You got this.
There will be regulars – The regulars love giving advice. Listen to them… they’ve done this before and they love telling everyone how many paintings they have painted.
The lights are going to be inadequate . There is no other way of putting it. Bring a flashlight. No don’t, people will point and laugh, while they use their phones to light up their canvases. You don’t need bright lights to see what you are doing. I promise. It is for entertainment only, remember? Most pubs/bars/restaurant will have low lighting to create the right ambiance for a dinner… you should come early for a dinner. That is always a good idea!
Everyone will paint the same painting! Well everyone is directed to and it starts out that way but there are those that go completely rogue and paint their own thing and that is ok too!
The instruction is going to be minimal. Don’t expect a fine art lessons. These are FUN art lessons! Entertainment, remember. They will tell you which brush to use, how much paint to pick-up, which colour to pickup and even show you how to pick it up. Have fun and explore the inner artist that is about to burst out!
DO NOT hand your brush to the instructor, these people are art-addicts you might never get your brush back!
There will be paint splatter. Don’t wear your Versace, Dulce and Cabanna or Burberry to a paint pARTy. You might be a reserved tamed artist, but you have NO IDEA who sits next to you. That friend of yours that dragged your ass to the pARTy, might just be reserved quiet and the best accountant in town, but at night she is a Jackson Pollock (famous splatter painter – Remember this name, you can use it at the Paint Night… ) Keep your belongings out of splatter reach!
Your food plate will go on your lap! With the easels, water jar, palette brushes and drinks on the tables… there might not be space for the food. Your lap is now the table.
Someone is going to drink the paint water!
Someone is going to dip the brush in their drink!
Someone is going to hold all their brushes in one hand!
You will learn who Bob Ross is, just in case you don’t know who he is.
You might run into your mother there! Everyone loves paint pARTies!
A painting is never done, it is just abandoned. True, right? Right??..Sort of…
*The event will have a start and end time… you can not paint to midnight. People want to go home… Sometimes you just have to put the brush down and take your masterpiece home.
We will see you soon!
Our artist, Freda guided the group for two hours step by step in creating their own masterpieces. A custom painting was designed for this group from a few photos Kathryn Presner provided. 
