I tried a sip and paint class and walked away with my very own masterpiece

Recently, I’ve been getting out of my comfort zone to try things I've never done before. You might have seen sip and paint art classes popping up and that's exactly where I headed to on Thursday evening. No experience is necessary and fun is the only requirement so I had nothing to lose.

I was advised to arrive 10-15 minutes before the start of the session to allow time to sign in, find my space and get comfy. My event was hosted at Liverpool Arts Bar on Hope Street, though they do events at various venues around the city. Safety first and aprons were provided to protect your clothes. However, it is recommended to wear clothes you don't mind getting a drop or two of paint on.

The session includes approximately two hours of a step-by-step painting session led by an experienced artist; the talented Tammy lead us, assisted by the lovely Rachel. After speaking to them both, I was reminded that this is, first and foremost, supposed to be a fun and creative evening.

All painting materials needed to complete your masterpiece, along with the canvas, are included. With this being called a sip and paint session, I had expected there to be at least one drink included; however, that wasn’t not the case - though I didn't mind as I was driving home, plus I wanted to walk away with a work of art I could be proud of.

We all painted a lovely Bob Ross Snowy Mountains landscape and started by roughly sketching the features out. From the start, | realised this was going to be the definition of trust the process. You are welcome to follow along with the artist or go your own way and create a one-of-a-kind - but I definitely wasn’t brave enough to do my own thing.

Paintvine, the company behind the event, said that they started out because they found there was a lack of social, entertaining and creative midweek events that people from all backgrounds could come together and enjoy.

As the evening went on and I started to see my painting come together, I definitely got more into it and I was also starting to think of the last time I held a paintbrush in a non-DIY sense. I was reminded of sitting in the sun on a family holiday in Spain with my uncle, an extremely talented artist who doesn't go anywhere without his art supplies.

I did start to feel worried as I scanned the room, looking at everyone else's work. My painting starts looking like I've never seen a mountain before. But as Bob Ross used to say, "We don't make mistakes; we have happy accidents."

After two hours, it may not have been the stand out of the class but I was pretty chuffed with my mini masterpiece and excited to take it home.