| Phone: | (317) 228-4300 |
| Location: | 8804 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46268 |
| Company Site: | paintingwithatwist.com |
| Cost: | Standard/All Ages - $35 per seat Kids Only - $25 |
| Notes: | For parties or group rates check out their website. |
I believe every city has a place where you can go and paint and probably drink wine with friends. Indy has a pretty amazing place called Painting with a Twist and it was one of the best ladies night out I have had in a long time. You could bring snacks, I brought my favorite wine ever, they had music and of course painting!
Painting with a Twist has locations in just about every state but they are not all the same. It is a franchise and you COULD own your very own! I would love to but do not have the time. The location I went to was in Indianapolis, IN (mostly since I live here) off of Michigan Road. A little out of my way but so worth the trip.
I had never been to one of these before so I had no idea what to expect and my friend didn’t either. We were both nervous about the painting part since neither of us have painted. I mean I have painted but it wasn’t pretty….and the painting for the night was beautiful and looked impossible for me to do.
I brought a bottle of my favorite wine and a couple wine glasses because we could and it WAS a ladies night out after all. There policy on liquor is you bring your own. In fact you can bring anything you want! There were some cupcakes, a cheese and meat tray, and I saw a lot of solo cups with drinks but not sure what was in them though there was a lot of wine around.
We arrived a few minutes early and there were a lot of people there already. They recommend you get there 15 minutes early but you can arrive as early as 30 minutes before your start time. This is great if you brought food or drinks to get settled in. It was basically one BIG room with a separate room for groups and 2 bathrooms.
There was a stage to the left when you walked in that had a blank canvas and the painting we were doing up there. A chalkboard with the hash-tag for the company and the social media info of course. There were of course sample paintings all over the place which made me want to sign up for other nights before I began that one.
The counter is located towards the back but we found it easily enough. Peggy (owner) was there and went over a couple things like hang your coat up instead of sitting on it because you could get paint on it. She told us where our seats were as they write your names on the paper table covers, which is genius by the way, and handed us our canvas.
She also happily answered a couple questions and reassured us we would be just fine and not to worry. The most important thing is to have fun…which we did. There are a set of rules behind the counter that started with “Relax, your painting will turn out fine. We promise.” I guess a lot of people have that same fear.
My favorite rule besides “Have fun!!!” was “Whine if necessary!” LOL I will thanks…and sometimes do. That is another story though…we found our seats and set our stuff down and hung our coats on one of many coat racks. There was an easel set up already along with our paint, brushes and some paper towels.
We literally didn’t have to set up anything but ourselves and our drinks which was awesome. I am not sure I would know how to set up paint anyway…plus I would have been wearing more of it. I am sort of a messy painter. No really. I get paint on me when I am NOT painting and just setting up paint for kids projects so I was a little nervous about this too.
There was music playing and the songs were so much fun. There was even an impromptu sing along and a lot of people were dancing in their seats. Our instructor was on a stage with a mic which helped us all to see what she was doing and hear her very well. The music automatically (I think) turned down when she spoke so she didn’t have to yell.
The first thing Destiny (our instructor) did was explain that our paintings were going to be fine, we were going to have fun and don’t drink the water in the black cups. She further helped us by having us move our water cups away from our drinking cups so that wouldn’t happen…we moved ours.
She went over all the paint brushes first and asked who was OCD which sparked laughter and a few hands in the air…mine included. I’ve mentioned before I don’t actually have OCD but I have tendencies…and they would be challenged that night. She had us begin by dipping into the white and showed us how make X like patterns as we painted. Like I said we were nervous but after a few strokes we felt better at least for the background part.
We were supposed to go crazy and make the white in the circle area we wanted as the middle, then add blue on top of it without rinsing brushes. This was hard for me…I have TONS of brushes for the kids so they DON’T mix at all. I was more ok because it was making a lighter blue so I pressed on.
She then had us dip in the blue and then in the green and then continue. This was where the OCD in me screamed out…don’t rinse and use TWO colors at once thus mixing the colors! Cara was laughing at me and to be honest I was laughing at myself…but I did it. It got easier as the night and the wine went on.
Here is a gallery of the beginnings of our painting session.
When the backgrounds were done we had to dry them with hair dryers which threw me. I had never heard of or thought of that before…but now want to buy a couple for kids projects so I wear less paint afterwards. All of the paintings had to be dry before she could go on but there was a plan for that.
On one part of the room there was a table with paintings that had cut out pieces. This was the Selfie Table and it was fantastic! After your painting was dry you could go over and select a painting and take some fun pictures while you waited. Cara and I chose Nemo but I HAD to do Jaws! There was the Farmer couple on two separate paintings for couples, a duck, and Bob Ross among many others. We had a lot of fun with them and it helped the time pass as well.
Here is a gallery of the Selfie session!
When everyone was ready to go Destiny had us play a game instead of painting immediately. It was called Heads or Tails and it was a lot of fun. You literally chose Heads by placing your hands on your head or Tails placing your hands on your booty! There was lots of giggling and the winners (not either of us =/) won wine sippy cups! I want one….
We had to use chalk to outline our tree and she took us step by step through each marking until eventually we had an outlines for a tree and our heart branches. This was an option as you could choose not to add the heart branch or you could add something else if you wanted too. We both chose to leave the heart in and the chalk outlines looked like they were…well not a tree.
Destiny walked us through the painting of the tree step by step and limb by limb. She encouraged us to make it however we wanted while showing us and explaining. She did the same with the heart and the leaves which involved a lot more mixing of colors and not cleaning the brush…I worked through it but it was tough.
Throughout the whole session there was music playing, Destiny talking, explaining things, making jokes and everyone having a good time. There were a few extra staff on hand around the room in case anyone needed help which was nice and reassuring. Destiny encouraged singing and dancing and even did a little of both while she was painting.
Once you were happy with your painting you had to dry it again…which is a must or it will probably get all over the car. They will happily take your picture for you with your painting and your whole group before you leave. In fact they ask that you let them take one for their facebook page. Destiny took one with each of our phones, her camera and my camera…I take a lot of pictures for my blog….just in case.
Here is a gallery of the art process…ish
I cannot tell you enough how much fun this was and only wish I could afford to go all the time. I might have to budget a night in at least once a month…for my sanity….which is also for the kids of course. The atmosphere was full of energy, the instructor was funny and kept the mood light and distracted you from your own nerves.
I mentioned being nervous when we went in but after a little wine and with the help of our instructor we quickly relaxed and had so much fun. Painting with a Twist does an excellent job of creating a wonderful experience that is fun, stress free and you get to leave with a piece of art YOU created! 
Painting with a Twist has a punch card program that gives you a free class once you fill up the card. They gave us a chance to get an extra punch when we were there just for checking in on Facebook! I love companies that appreciate their customers.
They currently have a BOGO offer for their Couples Love Song class! You don’t have to be a couple and you can come alone and choose which one you want to paint! This is perfect for couples or friends though as one of you paints one half and the other paints the other half! Love this idea!
It is part of their Northside Nights and the code is BOGOLOVE.
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