1 to 15 (public classes), 11 to 40 (private) (private classes)
Basic paint and sip concepts
When it comes to paint and sips, we like to think that Uncorked Inspiration is “different” than the rest. Of course, your definition and our definition of different may be… well… different, but our idea is that we love our friends and we want to go above and beyond. Oh, and we’re probably just a bit weird. Okay, I’m just a bit weird. Andrea’s pretty normal. That being said, there are a few things that we do that are fairly standard in this business, and sometimes, it’s fun just to talk about the process so that people have some idea of what they’re getting into when they come to one of our paint and sip events.
How long does it take?
Short answer: About two hours. In most instances, each painting event runs over a two hour time period. Sometimes we run over, and sometimes it’s a bit shorter. One thing we like to ensure, though, is that for you, it’s a two-hour break from the chaos of life.
Longer answer: The short answer was about your painting time. But what really goes into a paint and sip painting event? That’s a great question. In many cases, I’ve prepped a painting quite awhile in advance. I might come up with an idea, or see a photo that I like, or take my own photos and work from multiple sources to create a new painting. This process is kind of “off the clock” since I don’t really track how long I spend taking photos of things I like, or looking through reference photos.
Once I have the idea and some references, I’ll sit down and paint. My rule of thumb is that if I can paint the painting within 40-minutes, then it will be a good two hour painting for one of our events. So, I paint the painting, we number it and catalog it, then we take a photo of it to use for social advertising and for our event ticketing system. That process adds another 20-minutes or so. So now we’re up to an hour of prep.
After that, I’ll place the photo in my ad template in Photoshop, save and upload for Andrea to use, and she takes the ad and posts it on our ticketing platform. Add another 20-minutes for this. So, now we’re up to a an hour and 20.
Once the ad is posted, Andrea does some social promotion on Facebook and sometimes Instagram. Maybe ten minutes on this for one ad. (She generally does a month or two at a time, though, so I’m not 100% sure on how long she spends on each one). But with this, we’re at an hour and a half.
Now we get to the event. We do prep and set up for the event. This includes pouring paint, setting up easels, placing paper towels and brushes and paint out, along with some general clean up. Most of this depends upon how many painters we have coming to our event. But for our average, if we set up for about 20 people, it takes around 30-minutes to do all of this. Unless the painting has more than 4 or 5 colors, in which case add another ten minutes. So now we’re up to two hours of total prep time for an event with a new painting.
We do the event, which takes two hours.
Then we clean up, which generally takes about 30-minutes. So, for one event with a new painting, we’ve put in about four and a half hours worth of time and effort. But the one thing that people don’t think about is the time that it took me to learn how to do these techniques. I’ve been painting since I was in sixth grade. Add in the time that I’ve spent watching Bob Ross, or drawing, or looking at painting tutorials… and for Andrea to do the bookkeeping and the ads, and the social media… and don’t forget if I do a blog post or have to update the website… I think you get the picture.
Sure, we make it look fun and easy, but we’ve done a lot of prep work. But the thing about how much time we’ve spent getting ready for this? I think you could honestly say it’s been a lifetime.
Working from background to foreground
One concept that I teach in most of my paint and sip events is the idea that we work from background to foreground. Traditionally, this has been the case for artists since time immemorial. As painters, we want to develop the background in such a way that our middleground and foreground provide the illusion of depth. This means no white halos of canvas around our foreground or middle ground items. In short, they need to overlap.
For this reason alone, I teach that we work on the background first, then as needed, we paint our middle and foreground elements over the background. For most paint and sips, this is especially effective when we have silhouettes in the foreground, since black is a very opaque color and can cover the background quite nicely.
Color schemes
Color is always fun. So many decisions to make and so little time to make them. Many of our paint and sips focus on paintings that have, on average, about four colors. In most cases, these paintings feature an analogous color scheme, which basically means a couple of colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel plus black and white. For example, an analogous color painting might include ultramarine blue, pthalo green, black, and white. But with just those four colors, you can create a multitude of beautiful paintings by simply tinting the blue and green with white, or shading them with black, and even mixing the green and blue with varying degrees of each to create new colors.
We’ve also noticed that the paintings that seem to be relatively popular only feature a few colors, and many times those trend toward the cooler (blue) side of the spectrum. Obviously, there are exceptions, but when blue, black, and white or purple, black, and white with a hint of red are popular… you go with them.
Freestyle vs Pre-drawn
This will, in all likelihood, be the most debated issue we face. Do we do a canvas that we simply approach with paint and brush, or do we do one that’s more complex that might require a pre-drawn sketch for our friends? I’m always torn. In most cases, I love freestyle painting. Obviously, there’s a certain freedom to it, but I always enjoy the challenge of teaching techniques that allow anyone to learn to paint and create a painting they can be proud of. On the other hand, I love the idea of doing paintings that have a bit more complexity. Perhaps it’s the silhouette of a wolf or a mermaid. The thing is, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong, because bottom line, we get to paint!
How many brushes do we really need?
Man, this one. I always worry about it. For most paint and sips, we set out three brushes. The one-inch “man’s brush” (Yeah, I’ll blog about that), the ½-inch “honest brush” and my least favorite… the small round brush. I put these brushes out, and sometimes even tiny liner brushes or fan brushes, because I want people to have that “artist” feeling. That feeling of, “Hey look at all these cool brushes!” I guess, in short, I want them to feel as if they’re getting their money’s worth.
But do we really need all of those brushes? Technically, no. In fact, I was once watching an episode of the Joy of Painting, and Bob Ross stated, very nonchalantly, “I think I can do most of these paintings with just my old two-inch brush…” I thought about that for a moment, and I realized that he was probably right. I also realized that for the most part, I can probably paint most of our paint and sip paintings with my trusty one-inch “man’s brush”.
As an artist we use the tools we have at hand. If we don’t have a filbert brush, or an oval brush, or a liner brush, we find a way to make what we have work. It’s the same way with paint and sip paintings. If I were pressed to do it, I could most likely use just my one-inch brush and a bit of creativity to paint all of the paintings in our catalog.
I paint faster than you
Okay, fine. It’s not a competition, but the fact of the matter is, I do. And that’s actually okay. There’s a reason why I paint as fast as I do, and it has to do with how I teach and how I interact with all of my friends at our events. As most of you know, I’m an extravert. I love chatting with people, having fun, goofing around, and even teaching techniques every now and then. When I paint fast, it gives me the opportunity to show the technique (sometimes more than once), then walk around the room and spend one-on-one time with each painter so that I can provide feedback, help, or to simply compliment them on what a wonderful job they’re doing. So please, there’s absolutely no pressure on you to keep up with me. Unless of course… you want to race.
Have fun!
Here’s the thing, my friends. The bottom line at all of our events is that we want you to have fun. It’s easy to pick yourself apart. It’s easy to be cynical and feel as if you “can’t do it”. But please, for the sake of yourself, try to have fun with it. The thing about paint and sip events is that yes, you’re here to paint, and you want to come away with a cool painting. However, how often do you paint? Have you done it for your entire life? Then cool. You’re here. You’re having fun. You might be drinking a little bit of wine. Let’s just paint and see what happens. We’re so relaxed and into Bob Ross that we never make mistakes… just happy accidents.
Sip and Paint Class
ClassBento donates with every booking to
1 to 15 (public classes), 11 to 40 (private) (private classes)
label £28 – £36 (£28 for Public Class, £36 for Private Class)
What you’ll do
If you’re in need of some fun things to do in Manchester this week, then look no further than this paint and sip class with Prime Pass. Whether you come alone or are planning a fun group activity, there’s no better way to unlock your creativity.
Everything you need is provided, including the art supplies, music, good vibes and the subject you’ll learn to paint to music and good vibes. All you need to do is purchase some drinks at the venue bar and be ready to explore your imagination.
You’ll be guided through every step of whipping up your own version of the subject of the night by a friendly and supportive artist. Tips and tricks on different art skills will be shared with everyone, and you can get some personal feedback too.
Once you’re all done at this laid-back painting class in Manchester, feel free to stick around for more drinks and chat with your pals. You’ll walk away with great memories and a beautiful new piece of art for your wall.
color_lens Moonlight date_range Tue 14 Nov at 7am place Foundry Project Manchester – Thomas St Manchester, M4 1BD + Book
color_lens Dock in the sunset date_range Tue 21 Nov at 7pm place Foundry Project Manchester – Thomas St Manchester, M4 1BD + Book
color_lens A Bright Night date_range Sat 25 Nov at 12pm place Cass Art – 55-57 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JR, England Book
color_lens Girl with heart Balloon date_range Sat 25 Nov at 3pm place Cass Art – 55-57 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JR, England Book
color_lens Cherry Blossom date_range Sun 26 Nov at 7pm place Fierce Bar – 57 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1NA, England Book
Knowledge required
Beginner friendly
 
What you’ll get
- All materials you need to paint your picture.
- Tote bag.
What to bring
Nothing to bring
 
Suitable for
This class is great for individuals and couples as well as for a birthday or hen do.
Location
Thomas St Manchester, M4 1BD +; 55-57 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JR, England and 57 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1NA, England (varies by date; click the date selector to see details)
Your teacher can also travel within 10 miles of Manchester for private classes
Your teacher
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Contact
Hello, we’re Prime Pass, a creative workshop and events company! We aim to host the best artistic and inspiring workshops around, from paint and sips to terrarium making and even wine tasting.
Come along to one of our amazing beginner-friendly events and explore your artistic side with us!
Gift this artisan experience
With our gift card, they can book this class at a time that suits them
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