Even Picasso Could Relax at These Austin Paint & Sips

Have some fun & get your creative juices flowing at the same time. These local Austin paint and sips provide a relaxing place to mingle, snack, and paint a masterpiece with your friends.

You Are a Better Painter Than You Think!

Led and supported by a professional artist, most people are better at this than they expected. It’s a great place to make new friends or grow closer to the one’s you bring. Carol, a party attendee at Art by the Glass put it this way “As someone who considers themselves more of a scientist than an artist, I was amazed that with a little bit of instruction, I was able to create something I was really happy with on my first try. It was like magic!”

Great Fun For All Kinds of Parties

“Austin is really embracing the arts right now and people are ready for a new way to engage,” said Laura Rogers, owner of Pinot’s Palette North.

Great for date night or girls night out. Perfect for parties. You will frequently see bachelorettes, showerees, and birthdayettes getting creative at these “Paint & Sips”. You can have some fun, a few laughs, and a few snacks. It’s not uncommon to see fund raisers and company team building events. When you’re done, leave the mess for someone else to clean up.

Most of the places offer children’s parties that are often discounted.

Pinot’s Palette North even has a totally private party room where we suspect you could paint a nude…but you might want to ask them first…because it would be really embarrassing if we’re wrong.

Children Are Welcome …Kind Of

Children must be at least teenagers at most places to attend the open sessions.  Which makes sense because the opportunity to tell stories about tippsy parental antics would really be lost on anyone younger than that.  However, almost all of the studios offered private birthday parties for children as young as six.  And most also had discounted rates for them around the $25 range.

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Bring the whole family! The instructors will help your child become the next Norman Rockwell!
(Photo courtesy of Art By The Glass)

Weekly Open Painting Sessions are $35 to $45 for a 2 or 3 Hour Class

The rates at most paint and sips vary from $35 to $45 for a 2 -3 hour class, with many offering occasional specials or group discounts.As of this writing Pinot’s Palette North & South both offer a 20% discount if you use the coupon code “funjunkie.com” when you register on their website. Art by the glass offers $5 off when you register on their website and the coupon code is “funjunkie”

That price includes all the paint supplies & canvas. Bibs are also provided but you probably don’t want to wear anything too nice. You would hate to find your inner artist only to lose your favorite sweater.

Most places have open sessions around the weekends Thursday to Sunday. Guests are encouraged to make prepaid reservations, but walk-ins are welcomed when space allows. Painting With a Twist on North Burnet has open sessions every night!  If you have both a drinking problem AND a painting problem then you may want to take advantage of this.

The owners all told us they are frequently asked if it’s okay to bring liquor as opposed to just wine. They all responded that you can bring any kind of beverage or food you want. And all the pizza delivery guys know their addresses by heart.

Instead of a studio, Paint Nite hosts their painting sessions at local pubs, so there’s always a different venue.  Mister Tramps on Research Blvd. recently hosted a Paint Nite event.  Alfredo Cedrone, the owner, said “Paint Nite is a win-win-win for us, the local artists, and the participants.  People are painting and having fun with friends, we get to drive traffic on a slower night and introduce a whole new group to our establishment.”  Check the Paint Nite website to see which local bars they are scheduled for next.

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Forget pub-crawling. These happy Austinites are pub-painting!.
(Photo courtesy of Paint Nite)

Check Out The Paint & Sip Near You

  1. Pinot’s Palette North. (183 & Anderson Mill). Pinot’s Palette North is brand new and sparkly this year, located near The Main Event. They are the only Paint & Sip we spoke to that had a separate, private party room. So they don’t have to cancel their open sessions to have a private party. They frequently do groups and even birthday parties for children as young as 6 at a discounted rate of only $25 (min. 10 children) Use the coupon code “FunJunkie.com” when paying online to get a 20% discount.
  2. Pinot’s Palette South. (South Lamar) Pinot’s Palette South is located on South Lamar by Kerby Lane.  They’ve been there for over a year, which makes you an established player in the Paint & Sip business.  Heck, they even have an iphone app!  They do frequent charity and group events both on and off-premise. And some of those include collaborative paintings where everyone works on the same masterpiece while they mingle.  Use the coupon code “FunJunkie.com” when paying online to get a 20% discount.
  3. Painting With a Twist. (North Burnet) One of Painting With a Twist’s most popular sessions is their monthly “Paint Your Pet” session. You send them your pets picture, and an artist pre-sketches the outline on canvas to make it easier for you to paint. It always sells out, so reserve early. They were the only studio to offer open sessions every night of the week… which is uber-convenient. Once per month on a Saturday morning they offer a FREE “SOS Class” where you can work more on a previous painting that you aren’t 100% satisfied with.  And the SOS class is free!
  4. Paint Nite. (Hosted in Various Pubs ) Hosted in local bars through the Austin area, Paint Nite directly combines our two favorite hobbies artistic expression and cocktail drinking. The two hour painting parties are hosted by master painters and carefully instructed. But don’t go thinking that makes Paint Nite a stogy affair. Meant to be a party, it encourages individuals and groups to mingle, and make new friends. They also are available for private and corporate events and more extensive painting classes. So basically, if you get a big enough group you can do whatever you want, wherever you want to do it.
  5. Art By The Glass. (Round Rock)  Located on I-35 behind Luby’s.  Art By The Glass is the only studio we talked to that offers other art besides painting.  Lots of other art actually. Pinterest Workshops, Hair Bows, & even a Cupcake Class.  Honestly we were scribbling to write it all down.  Natalie, the owner, said “We’re local…not a corporate franchise…so we’re free to create new classes about anything people are interested in.”  My…how very Austinesque for a place located in Round Rock! You should call them & suggest something. We thought they should paint wine glasses.  Natalie left her boring corporate job to start the business because she wanted more fun in her life.  She found it at Art By The Glass.  We think you will find it there too!
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Paint your pet and create an everlasting memory of your best friend!
(Photo courtesy of Painting With a Twist)

A Great Time in Austin is Waiting For You!

Austin has some of the most talented artists in the entire country. When you pair that up with an amazing bar scene, you get an ideal combination for Paint & Sip Studios. These painting nights are a great way to have a few drinks with your friends, meet new people in a comfortable atmosphere, and let your creativity flow.

The best part? You don’t need a single ounce of artistic ability. You just need to be ready to have fun!

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Find your inner artist. You don’t have to be Van Gogh to paint well!
(Photo courtesy of Pinot’s Palette)