I tried painting for the first time since school at a Birmingham pub – see the results

I’ve wanted to try something new in Birmingham, so I decided to sign up for a PopUp Painting workshop at The High Field pub in Edgbaston.

The workshop was hosted in the studio attached to the pub, which provided a relaxing atmosphere for getting settled and ready to paint.

For £35.99, all the art supplies were included—such as paints, canvas, an easel, an apron, and any extra paint you needed—ensuring that no one was missing anything in the workshop so we could all get the most out of the experience.

If you want to have a drink alongside the workshop, you have to pop into the pub as they’re not included in the ticket.

We could follow along as closely as I would like. However, if I wanted I could interpret the painting in my way, which is reassuring thanks to my lack of painting skills.

Once Jade began, the music came on which was a selection of 80s pop that was easy to listen to, you could even have a little sing-along at the same time sipping on a glass of your favourite drink. Some would say this isn’t the best combination however, it will help unlock the inner artist. 

To make the workshop more accessible to beginners such as myself, we tackled Van Gogh’s Field of Poppies in multiple small chunks which made it a lot less daunting than when I first lay eyes on the painting. 

We all sat on the same table that stretched almost the entire studio, sitting at the back did make it a challenge to spot the finer details.

So we could see smaller details, our instructor Jade would bring her canvas around so we could what to do and ask any questions. In the beginning, our canvases were quite close, so a simple shuffle-down gave me the room I needed.

Sometimes it would be tricky to keep up with the finer details and highlights, due to my lack of experience in painting. It provided the chance to interpret the painting in my own way. Looking around the room, everyone had their own vision of the painting. Seeing all our visions would help inspire small changes and additions to our paintings. 

Just over two hours after the beginning of the session, we all were nearing completion of our pieces. We were given 20 minutes to add our last details to the piece. Whether this be birds, extra clouds, poppies, trees or even a hot air balloon ensured that we all left the studio with our unique artwork.

In the beginning, I did find it tricky to get back into painting however, by the end of it I didn’t want to put the brush down. So if you and your friends are looking for something to do whilst having a relaxed drink I would recommend trying your hand at a PopUp Painting workshop. You could leave the next greatest artist.

PopUp Painting launched in 2016, and hold regular events right across the city.

Make sure to check out the events calendar for Birmingham here. The events in Birmingham are led by Sue Guthrie and Rob Conway.