Would you consider yourself an artist? A creative person looking to let it all out? Ever wanted to paint while enjoying a glass of wine like the artists of old? Then look no further than Artbar Tokyo. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be the most artistic person in the world (like myself), you’ll have a great time and learn that you can do it too!
So what is ArtBar?
It’s the first Paint & Sip Studio in Japan. If you haven’t heard of these types of studios before, they’ve been gaining traction as popular experiences in the US and Europe for the past 20 years or so. The basic format is this: join a group class led by a professional artist who will teach you and your group step-by-step how to paint a piece. You can follow their instructions to a tee, or you can use them as a base and make some changes of your own. Sip on some wine, juice, or other beverages, have a really nice time chatting with your fellow amateur painters, and keep your creation once you’re done! A perfect social evening, centered around a fun activity, and you even get to reap the rewards of your effort at the end.
If you think this sounds fantastic, so did ArtBar Tokyo. They thought this type of experience would be a hit in Japan, and thus started operations in 2016 and haven’t looked back since. Their Instagram has over 35 thousand followers, and they’ve even expanded to 4 different locations, with shops in Daikanyama, Harajuku, Ginza, and Yokohama. So let’s talk about what an evening at ArtBar looks like and why it’s so special.
The blank canvases are set up while we all get our drinks – Photo Credit: Jason
Before you go with a group, your group chooses a design for the instructor to teach. If you’re joining another group, make sure to confirm you’re interested in the design they’ll be painting before you join! The Arigato Travel team went with a nightlife alley this time, and we’re all super excited to see how it turns out. The staff takes care of setting up before your group arrives, so we all spent the time chatting with them and each other while we ordered our drinks. Several of our travel specialists were here with us, so they were also taking the opportunity to ask some burning questions they had about arranging this experience with our guests. The staff at ArtBar are all friendly, talkative, and (once we start painting) patient. You might be worried about the language barrier, but don’t be! They offer classes in Japanese, of course, but most, if not all, of the staff also speak English, with several instructors being native speakers. That’s not all, the staff at ArtBar is quite diverse, with the artists who give the classes being from all over the place and speaking a wide variety of languages. Most classes are conducted in English or Japanese, but for private groups, if you speak another language, you should ask if an instructor who speaks it is available. You never know, you might be able to take a class in your native language even in Japan.
My glass of Sparkling Wine and palette awaiting my future masterpiece – Photo Credit: Jason
Of course, we all took the class in English this time, so let’s get started. Once we’ve all got our beverages and the chatter has died down, it’s time to paint. We all start with a blank canvas, an array of different colored paint, and, of course, our drink. The three furthest-right colors are luminous, “glow-in-the-dark” paint, while the black, blue, red, yellow, and white paints are what we will primarily be working with. These primary colors will be mixed together to create the different shades and tones we’ll be working with.
Now I must admit, I haven’t ever been much of an artist beyond doodling in my notebooks. Knowing basically nothing about how to draw, and absolutely knowing nothing about the medium of paint and how to properly mix colors, I was really nervous about this part. But our teacher guided me every step of the way.
Step 1: Add the background color – Photo Credit: Jason
The first step to any painting is to add the base layer. This will vary depending on what design you’re creating, but since we’re painting a nightlife street in Tokyo, our base layer was pure black. The completionist in me had a good bit of fun with this, just filling in every space that I could jet black.
Start adding main elements – Photo Credit: Jason
Once we’ve all added our base layer, our instructor tells us how to add in the main elements. She paints her own as she’s telling us how, so we can learn by example as well (thankfully, I’m a visual learner). For this painting, the first elements we added were two shades of blue to create an effect of a lit-up street.
Next, we added some street signs and some extra color – Photo Credit: Jason
Up to this point, I’m following the instructions pretty much exactly by the book, but you can of course improvise a bit and add some of your own personality. I think this is a matter of comfort and experience. Some of the other members of our team have been painting or creating their own art for a long while, so they were more comfortable improvising from the start, while I didn’t add my own touches until later in the process.
Our guide led us step-by-step to add our main elements. These street signs will make our painting feel more alive, and will also serve as a base for us to make our own unique creations. We added some blue signs to give the street that late-night, fluorescent look that Shinjuku and other nightlife areas are known for, as well as some red signs that are really characteristic of izakayas, bars, and miscellaneous shops you can find here.
Adding some details and color – Photo Credit: Jason
The next step is to add some splashes of color. We can do this by adding the fluorescent paint we were talking about earlier (which I may have gone a bit overboard with, in all honesty), as well as mixing our primary colors for some other photos we want to include. I again have to praise the staff for being so patient and informative with me, because obviously, I know red and blue makes purple, but when I asked how to make the shade lighter or darker, they helped me color-match until the purple was exactly how I wanted it to be.
There are still a few more steps remaining until we have a finished product, like adding writing to the signs, adding more things to the street to give them life, and adding people walking down the street.
The full lineup of the team’s paintings – Photo Credit: Arigato Travel
I was hard at work personalizing my signs with some of my favorite places to go and foods to eat, as well as adding some street elements and finer details to the signs. Everyone else was doing the same, so once we finished, we lined them all up for everyone to see! This was my favorite part: seeing how all of us made different interpretations of the same base design, how we all played with the colors available to us, and how we personalized the elements based on our own tastes. Mine was a bit of a mess, but I’m really proud of how it turned out, especially since I’ve never made anything like this before.
The team poses behind their creations – Photo Credit: ArtBar Tokyo
Seeing our pieces under the black light – Photo Credit: ArtBar
Now, time for the photo op! With everyone taking credit for their individual works of art, our friends at ArtBar snapped a great photo that showcases our masterpieces, our personalities, and really brings the whole experience together.
My painting where it is today, hanging over my work desk – Photo Credit: Jason
My favorite part of the whole experience is that you’re able to keep what you made. Am I the best painter in Tokyo? Was my painting a work of art that people will discuss for years to come? The answer to both of those questions is no, but this painting is mine. I made it on my own (with an excellent guide helping me), added my own personal touches, and now it’s making my apartment a more lively place. Maybe I wasn’t the best at following instructions, or I didn’t make the best use of color and went overboard on a few things I got excited about, but I never would have thought I’d be able to make something like this in the first place. ArtBar made sure that even I was able to make something I can be proud of, with easy-to-understand instructions from an empathetic artist.
This has also had the effect of reinforcing a philosophy that I have held for years, and has made me even more sure of it. Many people think you have to have an innate talent or a knack for a skill to be able to do it. I don’t think that’s true. Talent obviously will help, and some people are born more gifted in certain areas, so they’ll have an easier time learning and developing skills. And certainly, to get to an elite, top-level in anything, some amount of talent is required. But for most people, being the top 0.001% of something isn’t necessary. Anyone can learn a skill, whether that’s cooking, sports, speaking another language, writing, or painting. With concerted effort and the right mindset, you can learn to be competent, and even great, at just about anything. So why not try your hand at painting with ArtBar Tokyo, and have a great time with others while you do it? If you’re ready to join, we would be happy to add ArtBar to your Japan itinerary, so make sure to contact us to make this experience a part of your trip! You won’t be disappointed.
Make Sure to follow ArtBar Tokyo on:
Website: https://artbar.co.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbartokyo/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artbartokyo/
Featured Photo Credit: Jessica Iragne
