So, there’s this magical place where you can drink beer and paint pretty stuff.

Paint Nite is a company that runs events in bars all over Toronto. They provide the canvas, paint, brushes and smock. You just show up – no experience required. (This was a HUGE selling point for me.)

Here’s how the night started out at our venue, The Pilot Tavern. Check out that sexy blank canvas:

1 hour later… No clue what I’m doing or why these colours won’t blend. It’s chunky and weird. And dry? Is it dry? Should I add more water?

(Disclaimer: Do NOT attend the event with anyone remotely artistically inclined. If you do, your confidence will plummet as you invariably stare at their painting in awe, then look back at the acrylic mess before you. And then it will plummet a little more when the teacher comes over, makes an example of her work for everyone to see and applaud, then tells you that maybe you should try blending those colours a little bit more. )

So yeah, here’s my Art Director friend Katey, effortlessly producing seamless gradients and filling me with rage.

God I hate her.

Petty jealousy aside, it was a SUPER fun night. They played awesome music as we drank and painted away, the atmosphere was really open and friendly, and the painting instructions were relatively easy to follow. (Except for one, apparently: “DO NOT drink from the red cup”, aka the muddy cesspool of dirty paint water. Guess who put the cup to their lips?)

Granted, the painting I was imitating looked like this:

And I ended up with this:

But hey, it’s more than I’ve EVER done. I’m proud of it, flaws and all. And it’s good enough for my mom to hang on her wall.