The best art classes to take in Singapore

Modern kintsugi 

Find beauty in imperfection at Gold & Behold, a new studio in Hillview Terrace that offers modern kintsugi workshops. Kintsugi, a Japanese art, is all about embracing the cracks – typically, artists put broken pottery pieces together to highlight, rather than hide, the seams with lacquer and powdered gold. 

At Gold & Behold, you'll be led through a modern interpretation of kintsugi. You can bring your own ceramic wares or choose from a selection at the studio – and here's the fun part – you get to smash it apart. Later, you'll learn how to piece everything back together using epoxy resin and gold, rose gold or copper powder. It's a slow-going and therapeutic process that produces absolutely stunning pieces of perfectly imperfect works. 

Price: $138

If you feel the need for a creative outlet, this could be the thing for you. We Art is an art studio that offers regular weekly classes to adults, teens and kids looking to learn how to paint, draw and try a hand at printmaking. Located on the fourth floor in Centrepoint, We Art offers private classes for those wanting a more personalised session, portfolio sessions for those applying for admissions into art school and colleges and comprehensive preparation for those wanting to participate in art competitions.

Taught by professional instructors who have qualifications like PhDs in creative fields, you know you’re getting the best when it comes to techniques and expression in art. The spacious studio is fully equipped with high quality materials of art supplies and canvases. Whether for leisure, gaining a new skill or serious creators wanting to pursue art professionally, We Art has a class just for you.

There are also workshops and camps for you to get a taster into art. Such workshops include designing your own tote bags, t-shirts or greeting cards, K-pop and portrait painting as well as making your own slime. For groups and companies wanting some team-building and bonding, We Art can arrange that too with artistic challenges for problem-solving and strategising. 

For more information on what is available, check out We Art’s website.

Rug making 

Free up some four hours to attend Tuft Club's rug-making workshop. Set up by studio founders Carl Teh, Izac Tan, and Zoey Soh in a two-storey shophouse along Circular Road, this experience is novel and fulfilling. 

Heft a tufting gun and start creating freehand works using colourful yarn on a monk cloth canvas. Or if you can bring along a simple design of your own, which you can trace onto the canvas with the help of a projector. The actual tufting process is surprisingly tiring, but well worth it for the fluffy work of art you get at the end of it. 

Price: $195

Cake Decorating

Passionate about food and art? You can now combine both. Winifred Kriste Cake provides workshops on handcrafting intricately designed sugar flowers to jazz up the boring ol’ cake. Boasting a highly skilled and dedicated team, Winifred Kristen Cake promises students a learning experience like no other, as they master the art of making at least 5 different types of sugar flowers and the theory of colours. While it comes with a rather steep price tag, it's assuring to know you're in good hands – as the team has baked for well-known local and international clients such as Singapore lifestyle blogger Melissa Celestine Koh, American businesswoman Martha Stewart, and even Michelle Obama.

Price: $1500 

Watercolour and brush calligraphy

Penmanship is a lost art. Breathe life into your words with Souldeelight's watercolour and calligraphy workshops, where you'll learn various types of calligraphy. Sign up for their brush calligraphy class (no prior experience needed) and look forward to learning the fundamentals of watercolour as well as mastering the fluid motions of the brush strokes.

Price: From $130 

Pottery workshops 

The very last dragon kiln surviving in Singapore, Pottery Thow Kwang Industry offers everything from tours around the premises to Peranakan dinnerware for purchasing. But the venue is known for its Sunday pottery workshops. If you're an absolute beginner, sign up for the Long Term Potter's Wheel Course Module 1. Stretching over 10 lessons, it teaches the basic fundamental theory of throwing, wedging of clay, centering, lifting, forming/shaping, storage, and glazing. You'll only be making proper moulds during module two. 

And if you've got commitment issues, Thow Kwang Pottery also offers one-off pottery sessions at $75, where you’ll get acquainted with the pottery wheel and bring home two fired pieces.

Price: From $300 

Crocheting

Learn how to make your very own crotchet creations at Cocovine. Informative and worthwhile, the class starts students off with the basics, introducing them to various yarns and needles and teaching them how to hold the crotchet hook and yarn, before slowly guiding them into the deeper waters of pattern and symbol reading and identification and fixing of mistakes. Located at Spotlight and led by local artisan Joan, who has three decades of experience in sewing, knitting and crocheting, look forward to quickly mastering the thread and needle.

Price: $30 a class, $140 for 5 classes

Jewelry Making

Fancy yourself some bling? Local jeweller Longue Vue carries out various jewelry making workshops, showing students the ropes of creating wearable art out of polymer clay. Whether you aspire to open your very own Etsy shop, or just want to have fun, Longue Vue Designs has just the thing for you. We’re eyeing their Dangle Earring Workshop - Marbling + Foiling which promises students professional guidance from designer Alice with fun and simple techniques, as they learn to create a marbling pattern on clay as well as the technique of foiling using gold, rose gold and silver leaves.

Price: $165

Art jamming 

For all the future Picassos out there, this one's for you. Lionheart Studio takes art therapy to a new level with free flow hot drinks (coffee or tea), soothing music and aromatherapy oils. Art classes and art jamming activities are set in a curated indoor garden concept amidst a concrete jungle. The studio is decked with fairy lights and overlooks Hong Lim Park and Pickering Hotel, providing a peaceful setting for art jamming sessions. The all-in packages go for $35 per pax for a two-hour session, which includes light guidance and facilitation at no additional costs.

Price: $35 for a two-hour session 

Batik Printing 

If you're interested in delving into traditional arts, try your luck at batik printing. Learn the age-old art of batik, a traditional wax technique for fabric design originating from Java. You'll have a first-hand introduction to the history of batik, its traditional methods, and be guided on the proper use of tools like the ‘tjanting’ and dyeing. The two-hour open batik sessions are running from till June 28 and cost $20 per session. 

Price: $20 

Stamp making

Make a mark with The Workroom's rubber stamp carving workshops, where students can look forward to learning all the basics of stamp-making, including preparatory work, carving techniques and inking, and creating their own personalised rubber blocks, perfect for adding an extra touch to greeting cards or invitation letters.

Price: $85