Top California Painting Classes

Jay-o is awesome! Makes spray painting easy and fun and he’s such a nice guy. I will definitely be doing this again and bringing more people to experience it! Thank you!🤟🏽😎

Karen was a great teacher who made the experience as much as you wanted it to be. I hope to be able to do this more often!

It was an overall great experience. I took my son there for his birthday. He’s really into graffiti, and it was a great experience for him. He got to graffiti on a wall and learn new techniques.

A big "Thank You" to our host, Gabriel from Graff Tours. My wife and I were recently part of a planning committee to plan a "mystery" event for a group of 30 very active senior citizens. The individual members of the group paid in advance for a day of fun and entertainment, but had no idea what the activities would be.We stumbled upon Graff Tours while searching the internet for art classes that might be of interest to the group. Our planning problems were quickly solved when graffiti tours and workshops popped-up on our computer screen. Of course, we had concerns as to how a group of upper middle class seniors would react to a workshop on graffiti and street art and a walking tour on a hot August day in Los Angeles.We met with Gabriel to discuss the program and some of the logistics. He was very personable and knowledgeable on the subject matter. We took a short walk in the neighborhood, and he pointed out some of the street art murals and graffiti tags along the way. By the end of our meeting, the planners decided that this was the event for us.On the day of the event, Gabriel began his class by asking the group, "What is the definition of graffiti?" He went on to discuss a wide variety of topics, from the history of the art form to styles, techniques, individual artists, and everything in-between. The participants listened intently, and much to our surprise and relief, they eagerly responded to his questions and comments and were actively engaged for the whole two-hour program. After his classroom-type presentation, he gathered the group for a neighborhood tour of the artwork, and almost all of the participants happily went along. Gabriel steered the group to shady spots wherever possible as he continued, in his easy-going style, to point out and discuss artwork and taggings on buildings and freeway overpasses along the way. The final activity of the day took place back in the studio and involved the attendees participating in a group mural of sorts on the inside wall of the art studio. Gabriel showed the group how to use spray paint and then painted a large outline of the word "MYSTERY" in graffiti style on his freshly painted white wall. The participants were then invited to come up, one at a time, and use the spray paint can to fill in parts of the various letters. When everyone had finished making their entries, Gabriel finished the art project with some expert trimming of his own. Group pictures were then taken in front of our newly-painted masterpiece.The whole event was interesting, entertaining, and lots of fun. The participants had a great time. There were smiling faces throughout the day, and the many comments we received at dinner after we left the facility told us that we had made the right decision to book the event with Graff Tours. Many of the participants were interested to find out how we learned about the activity, and had very nice things to say about their overall experience.

Cristi and Art Spot are so great! I am an SYV local but had never been to Grimm’s Bluff so jumped at the chance to do a painting in the vineyard event for a little introduction. Grimm’s Bluff is stunning with so many fantastic sites to paint. Art Spot chose their private lake with the mountains and a bit of Cachuma Lake (Cristi joked about it being a unique painting in the vineyard experience to not actually paint vines!). Stunning scene. But before we proceeded to our painting location, we enjoyed sampling a bit of rose and estate sage honey and olive oil, with a little primer about Grimm’s Bluff. I had persuaded a friend to join and had told her that I had done a watercolor class at Kaena, where the scene was penciled in and we were instructed on how to mix paints and water and layer in the paint, but it was easy and fun - almost like a paint by numbers with a good glass of wine. So when we got to our painting spot, I was surprised and somewhat intimidated to see completely blank canvases on easels with a few globs of acrylic paint! But Cristi is a great instructor and leader, and made the experience so fun and comfortable (the liquid courage from Grimm’s Bluff didn’t hurt, either). She gave us detailed tips on color mixing, which brushes to use, and how to just jump in and start. She had an easel up front and led the way, showing us on her canvas what to do. It was a blast and each one of us produced surprisingly passable if not beautiful little canvases - each unique in its own way. I highly recommend Art Spot. I have zero training or natural ability but with Cristi’s guidance, now have two cute little paintings (including my Kaena watercolor). There is no reason to be fearful or intimidated- Cristi makes it so anyone can pick up a brush and release their secret inner artist. It is a lovely activity to do with friends on a gorgeous SYV day.

Juliannna has everything you need in order to create a masterpiece. We learned a ton in our afternoon and enjoyed it immensely. Hope to take this class again!

We had a great time painting with Christi! She was knowledgeable, patient and fun. She taught us how to use the paints in her kits while we enjoyed tasting the vineyard's wine. At the end of the session, we left the masterpieces we had painted and two additional painting kits for later ;)

Sandy is not only a great Artist she is a wonderful person. The way she explains everything and provides you with a great perspective and insight to capture your surroundings. The use of watercolor allows you to have a forgiving, medium, and ability to create a really fun way to remember your travels and vacation.

Thank you Juliana you did a great job and I had a great time painting it's been a while since I've painted and I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed that so I'll talk with you soon when we get together and do our our class online that would be great so I'll talk with you soon okay bye-bye

Such a fun experience! We were visiting family in the area and wanted something fun to do. We found the Turkish lamp making and 5 of us signed up for a class. The instructors were friendly, and helped us put together a beautiful piece to take home. We all opted to make candle holders but you could also make lamps. The finished product comes out great even for first timers. A beautiful stained glass looking keepsake. We had a 89 year old person with shaky hands and it's basically no mistakes anything will come out great project. Highly suggest this fun crafty experience. You also get a nice little drink and Turkish delight dessert to munch on as you create.

We had a very fun experience and Sooki was a great teacher!I would definitely recommend this class!

What a great experience! If you have the opportunity, don't miss it. Sandy was a great instructor-pleasant, knowledgeable-flexibile-and provide both basic watercolor instruction (which was long buried in my memory from high school!) as well as offering 'hacks" to make it more enjoyable now!! I confess , we've gone out for additional supplies to keep sketching and painting. 5 stars all the way!

Mala for Graff provide great insight and guidance for our graffiti debut. Paint control is REALLY difficult but we all succeeded at bubble letters. Our fledgling efforts informed our incredible appreciation of the neighborhood “Pieces” on display in the tour. Really understand and in awe of the mastery on display after barely completing our own artworks. You will come away with knowledge and informed enthusiasm for the vast treasure trove of surrounding Los Angeles street art, really enjoyed our private workshop and tour.

I went with 2 adults and 10 high school age Girl Scouts. Mala was our tour guide, and she was great - friendly, very knowledgeable, and answered all our questions. The walking tour was really interesting and the art was great! The workshop was a lot of fun and hands-on. I highly recommend this for teens and adults. I marked “meeting or pickup” low because it was hard to find. I had to call and was told to park in spots for another business. So, maybe a little more signage. Otherwise, fantastic and more than worth the price!

This was exactly what I needed… carefully curated combination of structure and freedom! While I am normally a watercolor painter, this was exactly what I needed to get out of my head and start making art again. Good for all levels. I recommend highly!!

This was an absolutely wonderful workshop ! Julianna is great! I highly recommend it to anyone, from the beginner to the advance artist or even to anyone who wants to try something they’ve never done before. So much fun. Julianna was excellent. Very well organized. She has created a clear, step by step process which is totally engaging. You will love it