18 Beginner Painting Classes in NYC

Unleash your creativity and take the opportunity to dive into your artistic world with our list of 18 Beginner Painting Classes in NYC.

Centuries ago, people used to decorate the caves with important themes in their daily lives. There have been many cave paintings discovered all around the world dating from even 31,000 years ago. As the time passed, painting kept its importance in everyday life, especially in religious life. One of the best examples is Catal Huyuk, a Neolithic town from 6000 BC. Today, people aren’t painting bulls or other animals in caves, but instead, they are using painting to relax while for other people, painting is their profession.

While we are talking about painting as a profession, we should also mention some of the most famous artists. You have all heard of Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Leonardo da Vinci but do you know how much their paintings cost? On December 14, 1962, Leonardo da Vinci’s most popular painting, the Mona Lisa was sold for the highest price of $100 million USD to the Louvre museum in Paris, and it is listed in the Guinness World Records for having the highest insurance value for a painting in history.

There are many brain and health benefits of painting and while physical activity is significant for your health, finding a creative outlet will also have many positive benefits for you. Through painting, you will reveal your creative side, and you will learn how to express yourself and your feelings on canvas. It can also strengthen your memory, it can improve your problem-solving and motor skills, and it can help you become more optimistic.

After a long day of hard work, we all deserve a glass of good old wine. Many people can’t find the time to focus on themselves even though they know they need it. With painting, you will forget about your problems, and you can leave everything on a canvas. If you want to relax with a glass of wine while you are reflecting your inner energy on canvas, regardless of whether you are a beginner or a professional painter, we recommend you to take a look at our list of 6 BYOB painting classes in NYC and find the right one for you. After attending one of these classes, you will feel so much better and even if you don’t create a masterpiece, at least you have enjoyed a glass of wine in a pleasant and friendly environment.

While creating our list of beginner painting classes in NYC, we used Class Curious and their database as our source. We also used Google to take a look at reviews for each place. Every class is for beginners so don’t worry if you don’t have previous experience with painting. However, keep in mind that the list isn’t sorted in any particular order because it all depends on your interests.

Now let’s jump on our list and find the perfect painting class for you with our list of 18 beginner painting classes in NYC.

18. Paint & Sip

Location: Chelsea, Manhattan 547 W 27th St Ste 300 Btwn 10th and 11th Avenues

The Paint & Sip class is dedicated not only to people who already have previous experience with painting but those who are beginners as well. In order to make your painting experience even more enjoyable, you can also bring your own bottle of wine and unleash your creativity. You can either come alone, with a friend, or your spouse, it doesn’t matter because you will be working in a friendly, judgemental-free and fun environment. Here, you don’t need to be an artist to create a masterpiece because the teacher will guide you step by step through the whole class.

17. Introduction to Watercolor

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn 237 5th Ave At Carroll St Brooklyn, New York

This class, next on our list of beginner painting classes in NYC is for people who don’t have experience with painting but are willing to let out their creativity and imagination on a canvas. This is an adult workshop where everyone who wants to dive into their own creative world will get the chance to learn the basic watercolor techniques and complete a small series of watercolor paintings. Also, in this class, you will get one free drink in order to relax and make this painting experience even more enjoyable.

16. Acrylic Painting: Adults

Location: DUMBO Brooklyn, 33 Washington St, Btwn Plymouth & Water Streets, Brooklyn, New York

In the Acrylic Painting: Adults class, next on the list of beginner painting classes in NYC, every person will get the chance to learn the basic skills of color palette, application, color mixing, brushwork, texture as well as style and composition. Learning these skills and techniques will allow you to create beautiful masterpieces even if you don’t have previous experience in art. However, this class isn’t only for beginners, those who want to refresh or develop their skills further are welcome to join them as well.

15. The Paint Place

Location: Upper West Side 243 West 72nd St New York

In order to attend the Paint Place class, you need to be over 18 years. However, those who want to attend it with their children, they can visit their website and see their Family Painting Day. Those who want to enjoy this class alone, with a friend or a significant other are welcome to join their team and learn the basics of acrylic painting. This class will give you the opportunity to reveal your talent you think you don’t have by learning different painting techniques and skills. 

14. Introduction to Oil Painting

Location: Upper East Side, Manhattan, 5 E 89th St, Btwn 5th & Madison Avenues, New York

If you think this class is perfect for you, you should know that you will be taught in a group of approximately 15 people by Eric March. Don’t worry if you don’t have experience with painting because this class is dedicated to people like you, beginners. In this class, you will get the chance to learn the basics of oil painting, how to apply paint to canvas and how to mix colors. On top of everything, you will also become more familiar with paint, brushes and painting supports.

13. Abstract Acrylic Paintings

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn 237 5th Ave At Carroll St Brooklyn, New York

Do you know what would be the perfect class for you after a long day? A class where with the price for materials you will also get a drink voucher. If this class sounds like perfect for you, before you sign up and go for it, you should know that here you will also explore the abstract art and acrylic paint and create your masterpiece. 

12. BYOB Painting: Best Friends

Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, 246 W 80th St Studio 16, 4th Fl At Broadway, New York

If you and your friend are looking for something interesting and fun to do during your free time and you are out of ideas, why don’t you visit the BYOB Painting: Best Friends class? Since it includes BYOB, you know it will be interesting. If you sign up for this class, you should expect a lot of sipping, painting and chatting. The average class size consists of 28 students, and you can be sure that you will have a great time.

11. Digital Painting

Location: 45 East 34th Street 4th Floor, New York

In Digital Painting, you will learn how to apply traditional painting techniques to digital painting while using a Wacom tablet. For this class, you will need to bring your own Wacom tablet. Here, you will get the chance to experiment and explore the painting digitally while you are creating and designing your narrative settings, characters, and story boards. If you miss a class, don’t worry because, within four weeks, you can choose the time and date when you want to make it up.

10. Teen Saturday Paint Nights

Location: Arden Heights, Staten Island, 3777 Richmond Ave At Wilson Ave Staten Island, New York

The Teen, Saturday Paint Nights class, is one of the best beginner painting classes in NYC. Here, approximately 16 students are taught step-by-step by Magdalena Kobeszko. This is the perfect place for teens who want to spend their Saturdays in a relaxed environment. If you think this class is the right one for you, you should know that you will learn how to recreate paintings while using mediums of acrylic on canvas. 

9. Adults: Introduction to Portraits

Location: DUMBO, Brooklyn 33 Washington St, Btwn Plymouth & Water Streets, Brooklyn New York

If you want to learn something new or sharpen your painting skills and techniques, you need to visit the Adults: Introduction to Portraits class. Here, you will learn all kinds of techniques like color value, color mixing, proportions, composition, brushwork, glazing, paint application, and texture. You will get the chance to rely on a human figure as your muse in order to learn how to draw and paint portraits in the most natural way.

8. Oil Painting

Location: Greenwood, Brooklyn 850 3rd Ave 4th Fl Ste 411, Btwn 30th & 32nd Streets, Brooklyn, New York

The average class size in the Oil Painting class that ranked 8th on the list of beginner painting classes in NYC, consists of approximately 15 students. All of them are taught by Caitlin Hurd in a 5-week course. In this class, you will learn the fundamentals of oil painting techniques that have been used for centuries now. At the end of the class, every student will be familiar with glazing, scumbling, and imprimatura among other techniques and skills. During the classes, you will be painting most of the time, and the instructor will offer you help if she thinks you need it.

7. WATERCOLOR for Absolute Beginners

Location: 24-32 Union Square East (Same Address as Park Avenue South Between 15-16 St.)

Many people think they don’t have any artistic talent but the truth is, they just don’t know how to use the painting equipment in the right way. If you want to learn how to create your own masterpiece without any previous experience, then the WATERCOLOR for Absolute Beginners class is perfect for you. In this class, it will be proven to you that you have the talent to create something beautiful and unique, you just didn’t know how. Sign up for this class before all the seats are taken and reveal your true talent.

6. Glass Painting for 2

Location: Ditmars Steinway, Queens 23-90 23rd St At 24th Ave Long Island City, New York

For this class, you will need comfortable clothing, a notebook, a pen and a friend. This is an amazing class for two to enjoy their free time while having so much fun. In this class, you will learn all kinds of different techniques while painting your wine glass. You can take whoever you think will make your class even more interesting it doesn’t matter whether it is a friend, your significant other or a family member.

5. Dare to Oil Paint: Beginner’s Oil Painting

Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan 145 W 96th St Ste #1B Btwn Amsterdam & Columbus Avenues, New York

Amanda Wall is an amazing artist who will be teaching you in a class with approximately eight people how to create your own meaningful and beautiful masterpiece. In the Dare to Oil Paint: Beginner’s Oil Painting class, next on the list of beginner painting classes in NYC you will learn and master the most important painting techniques, how to express yourself, how to mix color, color value, glazing, composition paint application, brushwork and texture among many other things. At the end of the course, you will have a few paintings of which you will be proud and you will want to hang all of them in your home.

4. BYOB Painting

Location: Murray Hill, Manhattan 129 E 27th St 2nd Fl, Btwn Park S & Lexington Avenues, New York

As long as the class is BYOB, you know you will be having a lot of fun.The BYOB Painting class that ranked 4th on our list of beginner painting classes in NYC lasts for two hours but that will be enough for you to reveal your creative side and create a truly beautiful masterpiece. While you are learning all kinds of different techniques, you can sip your favorite Pinot Noir and forget about all of your problems.

3. Encaustic Painting

Location: Greenwood, Brooklyn 850 3rd Ave 4th Fl Ste 411, Btwn 30th & 32nd Streets, Brooklyn, New York

Mari Renwick will teach you step-by-step how to master your skills and new techniques in this three-hour workshop. She will have enough time to teach every student because her class consists of approximately 4 students. Here, you will learn how to mix, melt as well as apply wax in order to create a smooth textured surface and how to incise the wax to create your drawings. Bring an apron or wear old and comfortable clothes as well as shoes and you are ready to unleash your creativity.

2. Basic Painting

Location: Murray Hill, Manhattan 45 E 34th St 4th Fl, Btwn Madison & Park Avenues, New York

If you think that the Basic Painting class, next on our list of beginner painting classes in NYC, will fit your schedule and allow you to reveal your creative side in the best light, you should sign up for it as soon as possible. By signing up and attending this class, you will become more familiar with art techniques and terms like composition, color theory and how to handle acrylic paint as well. The average class size consists of eight students, so the instructor will have enough time to dedicate time to every student.

1. La Pittura Studio

Location: 49 West 28th Street 3rd Floor

La Pittura Studio is one of the best beginner painting classes in NYC. It doesn’t matter whether you are feeling blue, you can always head to their studio and create a gorgeous piece of art that will help you relax, forget about your problems and worries and provide you with a fun and interesting day. All you need to do is bring a bottle of wine and let your creativity speak for yourself. In this class, you will learn different techniques and you will sharpen your skills which will allow you to create beautiful paintings all by yourself.

This was our list of 18 beginner painting classes in NYC. We hope we managed to help you choose the right class for you and start exploring your creative side.