Painting With a Twist

I had so much fun during my experience here!
I may or may not have already had a buzz walking in the front door after a quick dinner at Wahoos with 3 of the 5 in our group. I believe we were one of 4 or 5 different groups. The instructor Ian and the other gal (Cassy maybe? I’m so sorry I forgot your name because you were hilarious, calling her Cassy for this review.) were extremely friendly, sarcastic (in a great way) and knew how to get everyone involved, excited, or for our group, controlled.
You walk in, check in, grab a smock, order a drink or bottle :) then have a seat until class starts. Our group of 5 were in the table closest to the painting graveyard, which consists of a room with very clever handles made out of paint brushes.
We had 5 colors on our plates, 2 different sized brushes, paper towels and a blank canvas. I swear it was nerve racking to start the first brush stroke, already afraid you’re going to F it up. The paintings go in layers so you get 2 or 3 five to ten minute breaks while your paint dries. While he’s instructing he is also telling jokes, playing music, and going around to make sure everyone is on the right page. There was a time when we had to let the paint dry a little longer (I’m still wondering if I’m to blame for this since I put my paint on thick, but I stand by it) he created a game, which was painting a pig. It really was crazy to see how many pigs there were. Someone said mine looked like Wilbur so I painted a spider. My friend labeled his «I’m a pig», my other friend gave her pig nipples like it was facing up. All hilarious!
Everyones painting looked a little different, there was a half moon on the example canvas but half my group turned that into a full moon, they were very this is the technique but make it your own!
My sister spilled some wine half way through and Cassy said loudly «There’s always that ONE person». Which was a great way of saying no biggie, we’ve got lots of paper towels!
They let us take pictures afterwards with or without the teacher, you put your smock up and left with your original masterpiece.
In the great words of the Terminator, «I’ll be back».

I am not an artist, but my painting turned out pretty decent. We had a small group to celebrate a birthday. There were just five of us. We were the only ones booked for that time slot, so we lucked out and had a private party. Mike was an excellent — personable, patient, friendly, had a great sense of humor, played a nice music mix, and made accommodations for our group. Lots of fun with a «masterpiece» to take home. Would definitely recommend this for a few hours of something different to do.

The class was fun and playful. We really enjoyed ourselves. The instructors were really helpful and fun. It was «date night»!!

I am not an artist. Nor do I claim to be one.
But my gosh, this was one of the best nights I’ve had out in so long! Some of my girlfriends and I decided to have a night out and have always wanted to try… So why not?
We did the private party route — which is $ 45 per person, for two hours, with a minimum of 10 people. You get to pick your own painting!
When we got there, everything was already set up for us. You can bring your own food, but alcohol you have to buy over there. They even clean up when you’re done. That’s a great deal.
Ian was our instructor that night and he is awesome. So patient and fun. Two hours later, we all had our own masterpiece to share!
You can park on the street — metered parking. Or there is a lot next door. Make sure you let them know so they can give you a card to place in your car so it doesn’t get towed.
This is definitely worth your time and your money and I will definitely come back here again.
Enjoy!

Had our team building here and can’t wait to go back. Lots to choose from and the instructor is fun. Great staff! Even the non-​artistic people will enjoy. Parking isn’t bad… small lot, but found street parking. A little pricey, but we’ll worth it. Would have likes a free bottle of wine, but had such a good time it isn’t a game stopper. Thanks again painting with a twist!

Girls night out! Couple’s night out! Birthday! Anniversary! Any occasion… this is a great place to get together for 2 hours at $ 45 per person.
You select a painting from the examples for the instructor to lead on. I have to mention they are hella cool and kept the night lively. We played a couple of games for a prize giveaway. A pen cutely shaped like a paintbrush and a water sip-​cup.
You are welcome to bring outside food but drinks mainly wine must be purchased there. They play easy listening music, some oldies, sing a longs.
This was my first time painting on a canvass. I am definitely not the artist. Ian was very patient and motivating to get all of us to «let go» and «commit» to put painting. I was very pleased with the results.
I can not wait to plan my next event here. So many people that I would like to share this experience with.

Ian was our instructor for Paradise Palms the other night and he was great. I was so nervous going into something like this since I don’t see myself as «artistic» or anywhere near «a painter». He walked us through each step and it was amazing! He was very interactive with everyone there and even did a little game to give away some free stuff! My husband and I can’t wait to do our next painting!

What an awesome concept. I mean, you add alcohol to any activity and it makes it 10x better, right? I’m definitely no artist but I jumped at the chance to check out Painting With a Twist on Ward Avenue and am glad that I did. PWAT is located right across the street from Sports Authority on Ward and they have just a couple of marked parking stalls in the neighboring lots. Otherwise, you’ll have to settle for the metered stalls on the street.
The first event I tried to sign up for was full so I placed myself on the waiting list and was doubtful that I would get in. Jimmy ended up calling me a few days later to let me know that the class was so popular, they decided to open up the private party room to accommodate more guests. I was stoked. Make more money and accommodate more guests? Yes, nice win-​win PWAT!
Mike was our instructor for my first visit and it was a couple’s night. Basically, each couple painted a «Starry Night» beach scene that when put side by side, made one large beach scene. He played music while we painted and was very helpful and also entertaining as he sang along to a lot of the songs that played. We took a quick break from painting to play a game. The game was to place a paper plate on our heads and paint a face without looking and it was hilarious to see what everyone came up with.
Less than a week later, I saw a contest posted by PWAT and entered to win. I entered, and they actually chose me for a free paint session the following weekend! Ian was our instructor for our «Snow Family» painting and it was just as fun as my first time to PWAT. It’s really interesting to see everyone’s different painting styles and different renditions of the same painting. What’s awesome is that they encourage the paintings to be our own and the sample painting that’s complete isn’t the exact painting they want you to come out with. For instance, they snow family that we painted called for clothing and accessories like scarves and hats so Ian encouraged us to make our own style and color clothing rather than copy what was on the sample painting.
The studio itself is pretty impressive with beautiful paintings that decorate the entire place. As you walk in, you’re greeted by someone at the front counter, canvases full of gorgeous paintings and the shelf full of acrylic paint jugs next to the wall of black aprons decorated in paint splatters. Heck, even their restroom is gorgeous. The walls are covered in deep red and there are a bunch of paintings that decorate the bathroom wall. They have a mini bar up at the front and one in the corner of the party room. There is beer, wine, soda and juice available. Prices are reasonable I suppose with glasses of wine ranging from $ 4 – 9 a glass and beer at an average of $ 5 per bottle. Another perk that comes with PWAT is the free Wi-​Fi.
Though a bit pricey, I think a class at Painting with a Twist is worth every penny and is a great experience for everyone. Don’t think that because you don’t have any painting experience or think you’re not artistic enough that PWAT isn’t for you! The instructors will walk you through the painting and I haven’t seen anyone’s painting turn out to be a disaster. Besides, the point is to have fun and unwind with a drink in one hand and a paint brush in the other!

Just had a private birthday party with Nico as our instructor. There are no words to describe how wonderful and fun it was with Nico. She made the party. She made painting hogwartz (Harry Potter) so easy. It was one of the best nights we all had and will be back to paint more with Nico. I would advise everyone to request Nico.

This was a great date event. Had doubts at first but really got into it as my painting became visual. My girlfriend had a blast as we ordered a bottle a wine and drank while we paint. Instructors were nice and helpful. We both aren’t artistic but the instructors made it simple to follow as the class goes step by step through the painting.

Something everyone can enjoy! Instruction was easy to follow and the music had me dancing in my seat!
If you have at least 10 people signed up in your group, you can select the picture you’d like your group to paint. Something different and a lot of fun!

Planning my birthday party here was the best idea ever! I knew from the get-​go that I wanted to do a paint and sip for my birthday since I had a blast at the last painting class I attended, but where to have my private party, now that was the real question. I checked out Wine and Design first since I liked they were BYOB, but we went back and forth via emails, plus they took too long to respond to me and the time I wanted on a Saturday evening was not available. I then tried Paint Nite since I did my first painting through them, but unlike the other organization, they don’t have their own venue. So I would have to make my own arrangements on the venue (they had suggested venues as well) but I didn’t have the time and energy to plan that intensively. Last but not least, I tried Painting with a Twist, and the first communication I received from them was the time I wanted was available and that the birthday girl paints for free. SOLD!
Cynthia was so easy to work with when it came to planning my private party. She was always quick to respond to my emails and within a day, I had my room reserved, reviewed the contract and had access to their art gallery to choose the painting for my party. OMG, they had over 3,000 paintings to choose from! It took me forever finding the one I liked the best since they had so many that I loved! Little did I know, I chose a hard portrait haha. The cost per guest was $ 45, and this included the canvas, easel, paints, brushes and an apron. And of course they get to keep the painting they make. Along with their private room, you get it 30mins prior to class beginning and 30mins after class. You can bring food and non-​alcoholic beverages as they have a bar where you can purchase wine and beer from.
Painting with a Twist (PWAT) is located in Kaka’ako across the street from Ward: Sports Authority and Starbucks. You can park at the meters in front of the studio or the meters across the street from the studio. You can also park on the Makai side of the building (between Super Cuts and the Big and Tall store) where they have about 4 stalls reserved for PWAT customers. A Customer Parking sign is required for evening classes.
The studio is nice and clean, and they display their portraits all around their studio. They have a bar up front where beer and a glass of wine range from $ 3-​$ 5 and you can also purchase a bottle of wine (white and red) from $ 16-​$ 32. After we checked in, we grabbed our aprons and headed for the back room where my private party would be held. There was a separate table where we could put our bags and laid out our food since we could bring our own snacks and food.
Our instructor was Nico, and she was amazing! She took a hard painting and made it easy to follow with step-​by-​step instructions. She even walked around to help us when we needed help with mixing our colors or when we weren’t sure if we were doing it right. Most of us were inexperienced painters and it was just amazing to see everyone’s painting at the end. The colors were just popping and our sunset looked beautiful near and far! My boyfriend mainly went because it was my birthday. But in the middle of class, he whispered to me, «this is sooooo much fun!» So yeah, painting is not a girly thing. Especially when you add alcohol to it haha ;)
One other thing that makes this place stand out from the other paint and sip organizations is they have a rewards program where every penny spent on class, you receive 1point. So if you spend $ 45 for class, you will receive 4500points. And every 10,000points you accumulate, you get $ 5 off your next class. And if you build up your points up to 50,000, you’re looking at a free class! Also, make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram as they tend to do a bunch of contests where you can win a free attendance to one of their classes.
I’ve already signed up for my next class and can’t wait to hang another masterpiece of mines on my wall :)

Awesome! PWAT is an extremely fun environment, where you paint and drink at the same time. Brilliant concept! There are two staff members who will help you with your masterpiece so don’t worry about it looking funky. I will most definitely do this again!

I heard of painting+wine from friends who had lived on the mainland and thought it was a fun activity to do with friends or significant others. However, there were none in Hawaii until I heard of Painting with a Twist. I was very scared to go only because I never thought I was «artistic» enough… but guess what? The artists make it so simple to create really awesome and (something I was proud of) art pieces! The artists that help guide us are not only really great artists but they were very fun, nice and interacted very well with our group. In addition to having great artists helping my friends and I, the owners of Painting with a Twist are genuinely nice people. They really just want their customers to enjoy their time with their friends or family members and made it such a fun atmosphere! I went with my girlfriends for the first round and will definitely be bringing my husband next time! We are so happy painting with a twist has come to Hawaii with such great owners and so many people in the community have been raving about them! Yay Painting with a Twist Hawaii! :)

I’m so happy that something different has come to Hawaii that anyone at any age can enjoy.
Painting with a Twist is nothing but fun and a great time whether you’re having a date night, out with the girls or just out with some friends that want to do something other than see a movie.
When you arrive, they check your ID and have you put on an apron. Everything has already been set up so all you have to do is look for your name at one of the easels. Before they start the class, you’re able to get yourself a drink. They have a pretty decent selection of beers and wine that you can choose from.
Once the class begins, even if you haven’t painted since grade school, they make it super fun and really easy to follow. The instructors there are extremely friendly and super helpful and encouraging. As you’re painting, they’ll even ask you if you’d like a refill on your drink, which I thought was really awesome. Depending on the type of painting you’re doing, as you’re waiting for certain areas of your canvas to dry, they have the entire class play a few games throughout the session, where you can even win prizes!
Once the session is over, they ask the entire class to take a picture together with the finished paintings so they can post it on Facebook. After the group picture, they have blow dryers that you can use to help speed up the drying process. Once you’ve completely dried your painting, they have paper bags for you to take your painting in.
I’m definitely going to come back again for another painting session. It’s super fun, the process is well throughout and organized, the people there are so friendly and it’s guaranteed a great time!

Very fun concept. Get friends together, have some pre-​funk drinks at Ward, show up ready to paint. Staff was fun to work with!

We recently attended Painting With a Twist for a family reunion and had an absolutely amazing time. I was a little skeptical because I’m not artsy at all and didn’t even think I would enjoy artsy activities (boring right?) but we had an amazing, fun instructor that walked us through the painting details step by step; there was some good music and a great company; add some wine and it ended up a great night in a great art studio conveniently located on Ward Avenue across from Sports Authority and Starbucks. The hosts were extremely friendly and nice. Great experience– highly recommend for a date night, family or work events and/​or parties. And my painting turned out pretty damn good– Mahalo Paining With a Twist– look forward to the next event.

My Boyfriend and I are always looking for new & creative things to do together. We’ve been looking for something like this to do. And I’ve been waiting patiently for this place to open.
We had the BEST TIME here tonight! Everything was so well organized. And for this month, they’re giving a free glass of wine with each class. Not too shabby… The space was clean and bright. The staff was super friendly. We LOVED creating our own paintings! Nico (our instructor) was very entertaining. The music they played was very energetic and upbeat.
We would most definitely attend another painting event. Try them out — I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Let your creative juices flow & enjoy some beverages while you’re at it!

Painting with a twist has finally come to Honolulu! I had heard about this company and others like it through advertisements, friends in other cities, etc and had always wanted to try it. When a Facebook ad popped up about their newly opened studio I had to browse the art featured during the month. Honestly some of the paintings looked cheesy (and easy), like a fruity cocktail or giant shave ice, but others like the geometric turtle or sunset scene seemed pretty nice. What really caught my eye though, was a Doctor Who themed painting, a tardis hurling through a starry starry night type space background. I found a friend willing to go with me and booked my space with a credit card online, $ 45 (with a free glass of wine included during August).
I arrived just on time (website says it’s a 2 hour class but to get there a bit early… my class ended up running later by about 20 min.) and they provided me with a smock, canvas and easel, paint with mixing plates, brushes (we named them after doctor who companions), my choice of house wine, and a frequent painter stamp card (they give an extra stamp of you check in on Facebook). You can purchase beer, wine and soft drinks starting from $ 5 a glass, or a whole bottle for you and your friends.
The instructor took us step by step through the painting process, and I’m no Van Gogh but it seemed like she moved pretty fast. Maybe because this one was a harder painting or because I was trying to be a perfectionist, I felt like I was struggling to keep up to her pace. There was a secondary helper walking around supplying us with more paint or tips if we missed something, and encouraging us. They really emphasized the uniqueness of each individual painting and encouraged self expression through the art.
The atmosphere was awesome… I think it helped being in a roomful of Whovians, because we all talked about the Fandom, voted on fave characters etc, but I also think any class there would be fun. I heard other instructors play games, and they play fun music (90s music like genie in a bottle and Santeria, that we were all singing to).
Finally when our creations were finished we signed them, took pictures with our masterpieces, and were given bags to take them home in. Painting with a twist has couples classes (great for date night) and the opportunity to book private parties. Also once a month they offer free open sessions to return to finish or fix your painting you may not have been fully satisfied with within the 2 hours.
I think this is a great addition to the Kaka’ako area and I will be bringing back more friends to continue to explore my creative side.