Paint the Town Red

3 Art cafes to flex that brushstroke

Saturday, 22 Sep 2012

Want to have your tea and paint some too?

It’s a snap with these multitasking art spaces around town – cozy up with some tasty nibbles, then wield that brush and flex some creative muscle!

Arteastiq

Nestled in the posh Mandarin Gallery, Arteastiq offers fixed painting sessions and promo deals. For $48, you get your own 50x50cm canvas, unlimited flow of acrylic paint, one set of brushes, your own takeaway paint palette, as well as a drink – we recommend the iced lychee tea.

The studio also has an incredibly flexible schedule with daily painting sessions: 11am-2pm, 230-530pm, and 6-9pm. If you’re stopping by, we recommend going on a Monday – you enjoy a 2-for-1 deal (2 canvases, 2 free drinks). A novel date idea, perhaps?

For those looking for extra help, workshops are also available at $60 a pop.

Arteastiq, Mandarin Gallery, #04-14/15, 333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867, p. 6235 8705, daily 11am-1030pm

My Art Space & Art Palates Cafe

If you ever find yourself on Orchard Road in a panic attack and need to get away from the crowds… flee to Istana Park. This surprisingly quiet stretch is also home to My Art Space, a quaint art enclave and café with a small menu. Tip: the smoked duck pizza is pretty ace. Tiny tots get a complimentary mini-easel while adults pay $5/paper to paint on.

For something more serious, head upstairs to My Art Space where you can partake in art jamming sessions (a free and easy painting sesh) or take introductory art classes to hone your skills.

Art Palates Café, 31 Orchard Road, Singapore 238888, p. 9757 4782, Sun-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-12mn

My Art Space, Istana Park, 31 Orchard Road, Singapore 238888, p. 6222 1662

Cups N Canvas

These guys may be young (they’re hardly a month old!), but they’re definitely one to look out for. Their first open studio sessions will be happening 330-930pm every Friday and 7-930pm every Saturday during the months of October and November.

While drop-in art sessions are limited, we’re really digging the courses they offer – painting, drawing, life drawing, printmaking, and even classes for the littlies. Parents, it’s one for the calendar.

They’ve also told us that they have silkscreen printing classes in the pipeline – an incredibly hard-to-find course outside of art schools here.

The best part? Affordable rates, course flexibility (you pat for credits; each class is a certain number of credits), and while most courses have a course outline, your instructor works with you at your pace.

Cups N Canvas, 139 Selegie Road, Singapore 188309, p. 6884 6855, Tue-Thu 930am-930pm, Fri-Sat 930am-11pm, Sun 10am-5pm

Image: Cups N Canvas