Paint Monkey

This place is fun! I met some friends there to do a painting of Marilyn Monroe. I’ve also done Paint Nite and what makes this place different is they sketch it out for you first, which I really appreciate. You can swap out for different colors if you want. And you can eat and drink and have a merry old time while you paint. This is a great place for a fun activity to do with friends.

It isn’t too often I review a place the same day that i visited, but I had such a fun time and I’m excited to share! My work had a party tonight. A coworker set it up, we all helped pick out the picture & paid individually. I believe it is 10 minimum for a private event. We picked a sunflower and I’m totally surprised how detailed and beautiful our art turned out.
Paint Monkey helps ease the stress of painting by sketching the image for you. We were all very relaxed and enjoyed our time. The owners, Joe & Mary Lou are also husband and wife. Joe taught the class tonight and he did a great job. We were able to customize our piece by the shading as well as the background color. I’m so happy about my painting. It looks GREAT! I can’t wait to head back with friends, family or my fiancé to do another piece.

So much fun! A really nice night. They were so helpful. The sketches of the painting were already on the canvas and made it more enjoyable then other painting studios. You spend more time having fun then worrying about how the painting turns out.

This place is awesome and the environment is so much fun! The instructor is so nice and they just make it really enjoyable. I did not think this would be my thing when I first went but now I cannot wait to go back.
I love the fact that they already have it presketched. This makes it even more fun because the bones of the painting are already there. During the painting the instructor goes around the room and will give you pointers or help with questions you may have.
The studio is so much fun, it is decorated and set up great! For a small room, it comfortably fits a lot of painters. There is also enough room for your BYOB wine!
The end result is that each person’s painting turns out beautiful and a unique masterpiece! Non artistic do not fear, you can’t have a bad painting.

If you are wondering which area painting experience to try, I highly suggest paint monkey. I’ve attended another paint night at a local restaurant and have found paint monkey to be far superior. Here is why. First, they sketch the painting out for you before you even begin. If you are not artistically inclined, this is a huge help. Otherwise, you’ll be using your paintbrushes and fingers to «measure.» Second, there is enough space for everyone. Compared to being crammed into a small room in a restsurant, Paint Monkey has enough room for you to paint comfortably without elbowing your neighbor. Third, there is separate space for you to bring your own food and drinks. Two separate tables with some plates and other supplies are available for use. Since this was a 3 hour class, having food and drinks was a must for our group. Overall, a great experience!

If you’ve ever wondered what there is to do around the city that doesn’t involve dodging drunks with your car in the South Side, I implore you: check out Paint Monkey.
My girlfriend and I decided to do something that wasn’t just a cliché date for Valentine’s Day this past February. We had heard of Paint Monkey and wanted to go, so we decided what better time to buy two tickets? What a brilliant decision.
First things first, the owners Joe and Mary Lou are awesome and incredibly helpful and friendly. There is zero pressure or intimidation here that you might expect if art isn’t your forte. You walk into the beautiful, spacious studio with your bottle of wine or handle of rum (yes, it is BYOB and no, nobody’s judging you), mingle with the other smart people who bought tickets, and enjoy the iPod being played throughout the studio (the playlist which I can only imagine being titled «the best music ever made»).
The entire experience and premise of Paint Monkey is enjoyable. You get a group of family/​friends together, have some drinks, and paint. Speaking of which, let me tell you a little about the painting. It doesn’t matter if you screw up paint-​by-​numbers pictures, Paint Monkey will awaken your artistic spirit and completely surprise even the most inept artistes.
The canvases are all pre-​drawn with what you’ll be creating that day, so essentially the hard part is already out of the way. Which means you can now focus on enjoying yourself completely and releasing your creative side in order to make your painting «you». Out of a class of maybe 14 with the same exact stencil, not one painting (adorable love birds in a tree) came out the same. After you’re done, Joe takes photos of your masterpieces and uploads them to their Facebook page, which is a simple yet really cool idea. And the best part is you take your painting home and can even frame them if you want. These are not 8×11’s either from a day camp. These beauties can easily hang in your living room (or cellar, depending on your results).
Why is this important for me to mention? Because 1.) People with zero artistic ability should not be frightened off, and 2.) There’s no limit or end to the amount of fun you can have at Paint Monkey. Just keep in mind that you will need to view the schedule on their website, and you must purchase tickets beforehand. Ticket prices run about $ 35 or higher each. You’ve got to consider what you get out of this experience though, and you’ll see it’s worth every penny.
We personally can’t wait to come back, and this time bring friends and introduce them to one of Pittsburgh’s best hidden gems!

Drinking and crafts… to put it simply, Paint Monkey is THE BEST!!! I’d have fun here whether I brought my boyfriend, my mom, or a group of girlfriends (and they’d have fun too if I could finally convince them to go! :)
This place a perfect for literally anyone or any event. My class had older couples, young couples, a big group of friends, some ladies out for a girls night, a mom and her young daughters, and me… the only person who came alone. But it was still so much fun!
You arrive and are seated with the rest of your group at long tables all set up with an easel, a canvas with the painting sketched out, the basic paint colors, and brushes. They really let you paint it however you want. You start off as a group with some guidance and then they let go you crazy with it and offer up paint in every color you can think of so the painting can be your own. Some people took it seriously, others enjoyed their many drinks and had fun painting something that kinda, sorta, might have looked like the example painting.
You do NOT need to be artistic to enjoy Paint Monkey. Bring some friends and drinks and just enjoy a night out that ends with an awesome keepsake painting to hang up and enjoy or one that just makes you laugh.

I went here on ³⁄₂₀ for a bachelorette/​birthday party. We painted the first day of spring «Pansy.» It was such an amazingly fun night! BYOB, snacks, and painting. I definitely want to go back for paint your pet night!

This is the perfect place for a gathering of friends, date night, or family time (IF 21+). If you’re with a group, just shoot PM an email and they’ll seat you all together. Everything is set up for you when you arrive so you can relax and sip your wine or libation of choice. Once you start painting the instructor will come around and offer tips or help out if needed.
The owners are über friendly and do everything they can to provide a welcoming, fun environment and encourage creativity.
I absolutely enjoyed myself, my friends had fun and we all left with a great painting.

«But I’m not artistic like you,» my Mom told me nervously as I tried to explain the concept behind Paint Monkey. «It doesn’t matter,» I would say, trying to ease her mind. «And it’s BYOB, so you’ll be more relaxed after a couple drinks.» I wasn’t sure she was buying it.
A Mother-​Daughter trip was part of her Christmas gift and I think she stressed about it from December 25^th until the day we went (February 16). I thought looking through the calendar of painting options would be fun. We even decided on a Mother-​Daughter Mimosa Sunday that included the painting «Four Seasons.» It seemed like something a little easier and low key for Mom. And in the end, I’m pretty confident she had a good time.
When we walked in to the studio, we were greeted by happy smiling faces. We easily found our seats where paints and brushes were awaiting us. After a couple mimosas, we took instruction from Joe on how to get started and techniques to create certain effects. Joe and Mary Lou are helpful and patient with the less-​skilled/​more intoxicated painters. They walk around the studio offering assistance as needed.
It’s fun to see what creative ideas people come up with in painting their own version of «Four Seasons.» Initially I intended to stay more traditional like Mom did but as I finished painting my tree (and carving «mom» in the trunk), I decided to make the rest a little different. I thought about creating a different scene for each season (like one of the other moms did) but as I thought about what season was my favorite, it hit me — BASEBALL! I asked for some white paint and started painting while circles around my tree. I was given a smaller brush when it was clear I couldn’t get the baseball’s red stitching right with the wider brushes we started with. When Joe saw what I was doing, he informed me that Paint Monkey is planning on having special nights at a few Pirates games during the 2014 season where a small section of people will paint a baseball scene. I could not be more excited for this idea!
Mom and I left happy after a few photos were taken to commemorate another successful Mother-​Daughter Day. Our session was a reasonably priced $ 35 each. Quite the bargain considering we had an amazing time and left with something unique we made ourselves. Mom even talked about going back, a sign that she truly enjoyed herself and overcame her fear. What more could a daughter ask for?

I heart Paint Monkey. The regular painting sessions are great, but the best is «Paint Your Pet.» After sending in a picture of your pet, Joe sketches it out for you. You leave with a painted portrait.
BYOB is a lot of fun with friends (hey, or yourself) and after a few minutes you feel like you’re right back in art class in elementary school having a fun time while the jukebox plays.
A definite «to do» on a quiet night, or when company comes to town.

This is as good as it gets Pittsburgh. If you are looking for a nontraditional activity to do with your family or friends, you need to check this place out.
To say I had a blast while I was here would be an understatement. I had so much fun that I cannot wait to go again. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left we were treated with so much kindness from the owners that it makes you want to run out and tell everyone what you were just doing and urge those people to experience Paint Monkey for their selves.
Everything is set up for you when you walk in. Everything from the paint and right on down to a name tag for you. They take into consideration if you are attending as a small group. My group consisted of four people total and they had us seated across the table from one another. Making it easier to chat while we painted the night away.
This is a BYOB establishment… bonus. Bring your favorite drink and have a few while you master that Bob Ross ‘happy trees.’
Oh, yeah, you know this is going to be a good place when you walk in and see the «People love us on Unilocal» sticker on their door.

I’m neither artsy or crafty. I had no idea how much I was going to love Paint Monkey. But I LOVE Paint Monkey!
I was looking for something different to do to celebrate my friend’s birthday and this seemed to fit the bill. A two hour class was offered and they are BYOB. Sounded promising, but admittedly after I signed us up, I was a bit nervous. Will everyone judge my lack of art skills? What if I can’t make my painting look like the example? What am I getting myself into? I can’t color inside the lines, let alone paint with an audience around.
I was put at ease instantly when arriving at Paint Monkey, a modern, lofty space filled with warm splashes of colorful art on the light tan brick walls. We made our way to our seats and I was relieved to find that each canvas had a pre-​drawn outline of our paintings to be. Ohhhhh, now I get it. Time for a cocktail!
Mary Lou and Joe, the owners, welcomed us right away and seemed excited to have us there. They are kind, lovely people that were social with the folks streaming in the door and knowledgable about the artistic task at hand. We sat down and under Joe’s direction we painted our landscapes and ate our snacks. The time went so quickly and we had a blast. I never would have predicted I would get so into it!
Everyone’s paintings looked so different, it was so neat to scope out everyone’s work at the end of the experience. I wasn’t even embarrassed to show off my work of art. When I came home I gushed so much about how much fun we had, my wife couldn’t wait to check the upcoming schedule to see when we could go together!
I’ll certainly be back! This was a great time and I look forward to seeing Mary Lou and Joe again sometime soon!

Wow Paint Monkey is a such a great time. What a ball, what a blast. My sister who is very artistic and who loves to paint accompanied me to the Paint an Easter Bunny class. I found the experience to be really nice and Joe is so charming. This was a children’s class and everyone’s paintings turned out amazingly nice. I think I over heard a guest say that she had been back three times.
Next time I am going back for BYOB!

What an absolutely fantastic place! I’m an accountant and it’s probably fair to say that I am one of the least artistic people in Pittsburgh. I was a little nervous about coming here and doing something so outside of my comfort zone but I felt so welcome here. They were so encouraging while you were working on your painting providing tips and advice but also letting you be free to try your own hand at everything and go your own speed. I am proudly displaying my painting on a wall at my house!
I loved that they were BYOB! They’re also available for private parties and allow you to bring in your own snacks for the event. This is just such a terrific idea! For $ 35 for a two hour class, it’s a great bargain!

Another 5 star review for Paint Monkey… I 100% am in love with Paint Monkey.
There’s nothing I enjoy more than adding an activity to compliment my wine-​drinking, so Paint Monkey has hit the nail on the head for me with this one.
I’ve been here twice now, once for a Unilocal event and once for a Couples Painting night for Valentine’s Day. I’m not an artist in any way shape or form and was def. trepidatious about painting anything. Joe is a great instructor and really puts everyone at ease, not to mention your canvas has a sketch included so it’s more adult paint-​by-​numbers. I’ve been super-​impressed with both my paintings, if I do say so myself.
Joe and Mary Lou who own and operate Paint Monkey are very friendly and I’m glad they’ve brought Paint Monkey to the ‘burgh. I’ll be back soon!

I went to Paint Monkey for an event with a rather large group. Upon entering the building I was immediately impressed. The exposed brick high ceiling warehouse atmosphere really gets your creative juices going while you rock out to the tunes played from an old school jute box!
The staff was extremely friendly, offering up pointers when needed, but letting you express your own style if that’s what you wanted to do. I appreciated that. Oh and the event was BYOB! (and BYOS — bring your own snacks! hehe)
One cool thing they do is a pet day. You can send in pictures of your pet and if they pick it, they will instruct the class on how to paint your pet from a picture. It’s way more my style since it is more create something new and less paint someone else’s artwork. That is the class most worth checking out, in my opinion.
Oh yeah, and they also offer classes for children. Great for parties for the little ones!
I have done Colors & Bottles before and Paint Monkey totally blows them out of the water. You must check them out if you are someone interested in picking up a paint brush for the first time and want instruction.

I have to admit, I did not like the sound of paint monkey at first. I thought, painting with strangers greeeaaattt… Imagine my surprise when I realized that:
1. I didn’t have to paint what everyone else was painting (I hate conformity)
2. There is alcohol
3. They don’t stand there and Bob-​Ross you the whole time
I expected boring, monotone, everyone doing the same thing trying to «put lipstick on a pig» if you know what I mean… I got a fun night. That being said, I got a little too tipsy and ended up painting something akin to what it feels like living inside my brain… Inspired — maybe, artistic — probably, something you want to put on your walls — let’s just put it this way, I gave my painting to my mom and found it hidden under her dresser 3 weeks later :(LOL.
My advice, go here and follow directions and you will have a painting that is wall worthy. But, more importantly have fun!

This is probably one of those rare places that if I could give a million stars, I would! I just cannot stress how much fun this is! Are your ready for this review? Keep reading if you can handle a lot of exclamation points!!!
I’ve gotta be honest, when I first heard the name, I thought this would be one of those Color Me Mine studios where you paint weird ceramic objects that are so bad that you give them to your mom to display because you know she’ll be the only one proud of your effort.
But here, you’re not painting weird objects next to 20 screaming 5-​year-​olds. You’re in a really fun, quirky environment enjoying a couple glasses of adult bevvies. Adult bevvies you say? Why yes! It’s BYOB, so you can bring in your favorite bottle of wine, or in my case, stop up the street at Arsenal Cider and grab a growler of the good stuff! Cups and ice are included, with some chocolate on the table to boot!
So what do you do? Well, you walk in and there are 30 seats with a little set-​up for you to create your masterpiece. A canvas, brushes, paints and even an apron! They have the drawing traced out for you already, so you don’t have to free hand the thing. Which, for me, would turn into a total disaster!
So you follow along as the teacher tells you which paint to put where, how to apply it and which colors to mix it with. As you paint, there’s a fun playlist going that you can jam to (sorry to my neighbors who had to listen to me singing along to just about every song!). After you’re done you get to take a picture with your painting in a pretty frame that they post on their Facebook page.
So when you sign up online, you can choose what day you want to go depending on what painting they’re doing. When I was there, we did the Georgia O’Keeffe flower (a poppy?). They have some really fun paintings to choose from in the coming weeks. Makes me want to come back and paint them all (Warhol, Pittsburgh skyline, modern designs, etc). For $ 35 you get a 2-​hour session or $ 45 for a 3-​hour session it’s a perfect unique night out. And seriously, if you can’t think of what to get a friend or family member for gift, this is thee perfect present!
Although mine absolutely did not look like the original painting, I was still proud that I did something like that! I’m gonna be honest, it may still go to Mom, but it’s because she’ll be proud!

Looking for possibly the most fun and creative thing to do in Pittsburgh? Well, you found it!
Paint Monkey? Hmmmm. I heard rumor about this place, but didn’t know what the deal was. I called up Mary Lou (who is super down to earth and awesome), and she explained it all. A byob art studio??? Wait, you can bring in snacks? And you are not painting like a 8×8 canvas tree? Unbelievable!
I decided to put it to the test by surprising my husband. We love a great date night, and this one topped the charts.
Armed with a picnic basket full of italian goodies, 2 bottles of wine, untapped creativity, and high hopes, we ventured into the studio.
Based in a perfect location off the busy streets of Lawrenceville, the studio itself is welcoming with music in the backround and smiling faces. Everything is set up and ready to go for you. You apply your name tag (which I love, because I forget people’s names easily) and meet others like you in search of a great evening.
The painting selected was Starry Starry night by Van Gogh. Intimidating when you see it all finished, but Joe the other owner, made it seem so easy, taking you through step by step, but not in a «Paint by numbers» kind of way. He allowed you creative rights to the painting. A different shade, whatever you are feeling, because it is your painting. Soon, we were all finding our flow and really getting into it. The great conversation along the way, and singing along with the backround music happened naturally as you loosen up and start to feel comfortable with what we were doing. We were having a great time, and expressing ourselves in a way we haven’t before, on canvas!
The evening flew by, 3 ½ hours was gone quickly as you get absorbed into your work and atmosphere. When we stepped back from our finished piece, we were so excited to find that they looked awesome! We were so proud, and had the greatest time completing it.
By the time we left, I was already planning on returning as soon as possible with a friend of mine, and also decided to book my birthday party here with my friends and family. I think it is a great way for people to mingle and let loose their creative potential. My parents have never picked up a paintbrush, I am so excited for them to experience this.
Even now my husband and I check out our finished work side by side, and we love comparing our different styles. Don’t wait to go here. As more and more people find out about it, it will be tough to get a spot!