Wine and Canvas

Have you heard of this great thing called "Wine and Canvas"?  If not, you are completely missing out!  I was just recently enlightened and attended my first wine and canvas event, and I can say with 100% honesty it will not be my last!

My First Wine & Canvas Event Painting

It's no secret I like to paint, but I'm still very much an amateur at it!  The great thing about Wine and Canvas is that you don't have to be a pro, amateur, or frankly have even painted before in order to attend.  They make it enjoyable for everyone.  The atmosphere was all around fun!  The staff was very attentive.  The music rocked at times and was questionable at others, but it was quite an eclectic mix  of songs.  As far as the drinks go, I didn't actually have any wine, but the margarita was pretty darn good!  All-in-all the experience was well worth the $35 price tag.  I can't wait to go back again!

Wine & Canvas

http://www.wineandcanvas.com/

The artist's painting on the left, my painting on the right.  Not bad right?

Now that I've given a brief overview, here's a more detailed version of how it all works:

How To "Wine & Canvas"

1.  Check the calendar.  Decide which painting you want to do first.  Or if the painting doesn't really matter to you, pick any night your available to attend.  Either way, decide when you want to go first.  The location I went to releases the calendar for the following month on the 20th of the current month.

2.  Sign up. They recommend signing up in advance because some events will sell out.  The studio we went to seated 80 people however there were only 40 people there.  We signed up a week early just to be safe though!  This is done online, and you pay when you register.

3.  Show up early.  The location we went to recommended showing up 15-30 minutes early to get signed in.  We were eager and got there 30 minutes early, and I'm so glad we did.  We got our choice of seats and were able to sit up close near the artist.

4.  Grab a drink now or later, or both.  Drinks were reasonably priced, and there was plenty more than just wine to choose from.  There seemed to be a handful of red and white (house and premium) wines, domestic beer, margaritas, and a few other specialty drinks as well as soft drinks and a few snack options.  I think there was definitely something for everybody.

5.  Listen to the introduction.  After you've got your drink and had a few minutes to browse the studio which was lined with canvas paintings, it was time for the night to get started.  We listed to an overview of how the process was going to work from one of the artist assistants.  She talked about the canvas (ours were 16x20 gallery wrapped), the different brushes, and the evening's paint colors.  Beginners might want to pay extra attention here, but if you've done any painting before, this part is pretty self explanatory.

Photo from Wine and Canvas Indianapolis

6.  Paint away!  The artist also gave a quick overview of the order the painting would progress, and then got started.  I felt the artist went very fast here!  We had time in between watching her complete each step to do it ourselves, but it hardly ever felt like enough time.  We always wanted to keep working or touching up a section.  It's extremely hard to resist the urge to do so.

Our paintings at the break

7.  Take a Break.  About half way through there is a break time for drink refills and basically to let a section of the painting dry before you progress further.  I think it was 10-15 minutes or so, but I'm not really sure.  The time flew by!

My painting ready for the final elements

8.  Finishing touches.  The artist will walk you through whatever is left of the painting, including signing your name.  Again I wish we'd have had more time to keep working, but in the end it all turned out great and we were all happy with the result.

Photo from Wine and Canvas Indianapolis

9.  Say cheese!  The artist assistant snapped a few group photos of everyone's finished paintings.  It's amazing how similar yet different each one was.

Photo from Wine and Canvas Indianapolis

10.  Cry because it's over, and book your next event!  The event lasted just under 3 hours, but the time flew by like it was minutes.  We had so much fun, and are really looking forward to going again!

I'm eagerly awaiting next month's calendar release to see what the painting options are.  In the meantime, I think I need to pick up some extra canvases to start working on some more paintings with a few of the tricks I learned.