In this story:
- 1. Paint and sip classes – best for social nights out
- 2. Watercolour painting classes – best for beginners who want a skill to develop
- 3. Acrylic painting classes – best for learning to paint with versatility and colour
- 4. Acrylic pouring workshops – best for people who want immediate, unpredictable results
- 5. Resin art classes – best for people drawn to texture, depth, and something different
- 6. Oil painting classes – best for people who want to paint slowly and deliberately
- 7. Portrait and life drawing classes – best for people who want to learn to paint the human form
- How to choose your first painting class in London
Get your paintbrush at the ready and learn how to create your very own masterpiece in 2026 at one of our painting classes in London.
London has a wide range of painting lessons – from loose, social paint-and-sip evenings to more structured sessions in oil or life drawing. The difficulty isn’t finding a class; it’s working out which style suits you best.
This guide covers seven of the most popular formats available, what each one actually involves, and who tends to get the most out of them. Whether you’re new to painting entirely or you're dusting off the brushes after a while, you're in the right place.
1. Paint and sip classes – best for social nights out
Paint and sip classes are an ideal format for first-timers because they remove the self-consciousness that can make learning to paint feel intimidating. You’re guided through a step-by-step painting by an instructor, drink in hand, in a room full of people in exactly the same position as you, with the beginner-friendly atmosphere doing a lot of the work.
Sessions are structured around a single subject – usually something accessible like a landscape, a botanical print, or a seasonal scene – and the teacher walks the group through it in stages. No prior experience is expected or needed, and you take your finished painting home at the end.
They work well as a date night, a birthday group activity, or a casual evening out with friends. The social format is part of the point; if you want a quieter, more focused introduction to technique, read on for more laid-back options.
ClassBento creator Hannah Jefferson was pleasantly surprised with how her painting from her paint and sip class in Ealing with Brush Party turned out, writing:
"I was amazed how my painting turned out as I don't have any experience. The teacher really broke it down step by step which made it really easy to follow. I was thrilled with my finished painting, I just need to decide where to put it in display now!"
2. Watercolour painting classes – best for beginners who want a skill to develop
Watercolour is one of the most rewarding mediums to learn from scratch, partly because the techniques are transferable and partly because the results can be surprisingly beautiful even at an early stage. It’s also one of the most portable habits you can pick up – a small travel kit is all you need to paint anywhere once you have the basics.
A good beginner watercolour class will introduce you to wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques, colour mixing, and how to use the transparency of the medium intentionally rather than fighting it. Easy watercolour paintings for beginners typically start with washes and simple botanical or landscape subjects, building up to more detailed work as your confidence grows.
Watercolour painting lessons in London are available across the city, from neighbourhood studios to more central venues. Expect sessions of around two to three hours, with all materials provided.
3. Acrylic painting classes – best for learning to paint with versatility and colour
Acrylics are probably the most forgiving medium for beginners who want to learn to paint with some structure. The paint is water-soluble (making it easy to clean up), dries quickly, and sits on the canvas opaquely – which means mistakes can be painted over rather than worked around. That makes them a more forgiving starting point than watercolour or oil for people who want to produce bold, colourful work from the outset.
If you want to learn to paint with acrylics, London has a solid range of options: structured technique classes that focus on blending, layering, and colour theory, as well as more project-led sessions where you work towards a specific finished piece. Either format gives you skills that transfer to other mediums further down the line.
Aspiring artist Charlie Findlater had a great time at their sip and paint class in Chingford, saying:
"It’s such a nice way to play with acrylics, around others who like painting, in my local pub and having a giggle"
4. Acrylic pouring workshops – best for people who want immediate, unpredictable results
Acrylic pouring is a different proposition to a conventional painting class. Rather than building an image with brushstrokes, you pour diluted acrylic paints across a canvas and manipulate the flow – tilting, swirling, and layering – to create abstract patterns. The results are unpredictable, which is either the appeal or the drawback depending on what you’re after.
It suits people who want to play with colour and composition without worrying about representational accuracy. There’s no subject to get ‘wrong’, and the process itself – watching colours bloom and bleed into each other – is oddly satisfying. It’s a good choice for groups or team events as well as solo sessions, because the lack of competitive comparison between pieces makes the atmosphere relaxed.
Technique does matter here, even if it looks effortless: the ratio of paint to medium, the order of colours, and how you move the canvas all significantly affect the outcome. A good instructor will walk you through the variables and let you experiment from there.
5. Resin art classes – best for people drawn to texture, depth, and something different
Resin art sits somewhere between painting and sculpture. Instead of a canvas, you work with a resin base – a two-part mixture of synthetic resin and hardener – into which you blend pigments, alcohol inks, or metallic powders to create layers of colour. The finished piece has a glassy, three-dimensional depth that conventional painting can’t replicate.
The process involves more preparation and timing than a standard painting class: layers need to be added at specific intervals, and the finished piece cures over 24 hours after the session. That means you’ll typically leave with your piece partially set, collected or posted once it’s fully hardened. It’s worth knowing this upfront rather than expecting to walk out with something finished on the day.
Resin classes are well suited to people who are already comfortable with colour and want to try something with a more tactile, material focus. They make particularly good gift experiences for that reason – the result is striking and feels more like an object than a flat painting.
6. Oil painting classes – best for people who want to paint slowly and deliberately
Oil paint has a longer history than any other medium in this list, and the reason it’s endured is partly practical: it stays workable on the canvas for hours, which gives you time to blend, revise, and refine in a way that faster-drying mediums don’t allow. The trade-off is that sessions tend to require more patience, and the finished piece will need time to dry before it can be moved or varnished.
Oil painting lessons in London range from introductory sessions – covering basic techniques like blocking in, blending, and tonal values – to more structured classes focused on still life, portraiture, or landscape. If you’re already comfortable with acrylic painting and want to push further, oil is a natural progression. If you’re a complete beginner, it’s worth trying an acrylic class first to get comfortable with the fundamentals before adding the complexity of oil.
7. Portrait and life drawing classes – best for people who want to learn to paint the human form
Portrait painting and life drawing with paint are among the most technically demanding formats on this list, and also among the most rewarding for people who want to develop real observational skill. Working from a live model – or from a portrait subject – forces you to look closely, make decisions about proportion and tone, and build an image that captures something beyond just surface appearance.
Most beginner painting lessons in London that focus on portraiture start with structure: the proportions of the face, how to block in light and shadow, and how to mix convincing skin tones. Life drawing sessions that incorporate paint (rather than just pencil or charcoal) typically use watercolour or acrylic for speed and flexibility. Both formats are available across London, with sessions ranging from drop-in evenings to multi-week courses.
It’s worth being realistic about the learning curve here – portrait painting takes longer to feel comfortable in than most other styles. But if the goal is to genuinely improve as a painter rather than just have a good evening out, it’s one of the highest-return options available.
How to choose your first painting class in London
If you’re not sure where to start, a few questions tend to narrow it down quickly:
- Are you here for the experience or the skill? Paint and sip, acrylic pouring, and resin are all strong choices if the priority is a memorable, social evening. Watercolour, acrylic, oil, and portrait classes are better if you want to leave with something transferable.
- Do you want to take something home on the day? Resin needs 24 hours to cure. Everything else you can walk out with. Worth knowing if you’re booking as a gift or for a specific occasion.
- How much structure do you want? Paint and sip classes are step-by-step and instructor-led throughout. Life drawing and oil painting classes tend to give you more creative autonomy once the basics are covered.
- Are you a complete beginner or do you have some experience? Acrylics and paint and sip are the most forgiving starting points. Watercolour is accessible but has a steeper learning curve than it looks. Oil and portrait painting reward some prior experience with another medium.
- Solo, pair, or group? Most formats work across all three, but paint and sip and acrylic pouring have the most naturally social atmosphere. Portrait and life drawing tend to be quieter and more individual, even in a group setting.
Fancy letting loose at a paint party? Here are five more creative party ideas to try!
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