The best art classes in NYC

If a name like Painting Lounge sounds to you like a place that is totally chill, well you’re absolutely right! Painting Lounge encourages BYOB, as long as it’s not hard liquor (they even provide cups, corkscrews and a fridge to keep your brewskis cold). The classes consists of professional artists taking you through a step-by-step process of replicating a featured painting every night. It could a Picasso or a Van Gogh, but there’s no right or wrong way to paint, just a relaxed, hassle-free environment to get in touch with your artistic side. Think of it as the visual-art equivalent of karaoke.

New York’s best-known community center is famous for its lectures, concerts and talks, but art classes are also part of the program, and include everything from art appreciation to watercolor. There are also beginner classes, so even if you're a complete novice, you can learn from the ground up. 

The New York School of the Arts focuses on the transformation of the contemporary art world. The school looks at studies of fine arts, music, architecture, and design, so you'll definitely find something creative for you to try out. They offer classes on almost any medium, from printmaking techniques to creating portraits to an intro to Adobe Photoshop, so why not try your hand at something new? You may uncover a hidden talent.

Decorus Atelier of Figurative Art offers students classes, providing a foundation for classic methods in drawing, painting and even sculpture, if it takes your fancy. You can participate in classes like Intro to Anatomy, learning about the architecture of the human body and how to capture a figure in drawing, or classes like Accelerated Portraiture Drawing, where students are taught how to master a portrait and all the techniques needed for it. Classes are small to offer an intimate, hands-on experience. 

Whether you’re a ceramics buff or just need a hands-on outlet, stop by this Bushwick community spot known for its pottery lessons. For starters, you’ll get mighty familiar with using a slab machine to roll out clay and learn basic shaping methods. While in the space, look out for the on-site meditation room, the lower level for carpentry and millwork, and the café that hosts pop-up dinners, gallery exhibitions and other events.

If you’re intimidated by the thought of taking art classes—even beginners art classes—in a professional art-school setting, The Art Studio NY is for you. With names like “Fear-Free Drawing 101” and “Dare To Oil Paint” the courses at The Art Studio NY live up to the credo of treating all students with “warmth and care” by offering classes open to everyone from “2 to 102.”

One of the top professional art schools in the country, SVA, as it’s also known, offers dozens of continuing education courses in every imaginable subject related to contemporary art. And not just how-to classes in painting, etc: There’s also classes in art history, critical studies, video and even making art using genetic engineering!

In recent years, there’s been a huge resurgence of interest in 1980s-style risograph printing, a speedy way to screenprint layers of paint-like ink in order to create vibrant designs for posters, comics and illustrations. In 2011, designer Gonzalo Guerrero opened a riso studio in his apartment to share the undersung craft. “Riso really allows you to dissociate and focus in,” says Guerrero. “Every person comes into the studio for a different reason, but everyone gains a sense of inspiration after working on a project from beginning to end. Maybe it even helps them feel less stuck in other parts of their lives.” To get your feet wet, opt for the three-hour intro workshop, which provides a personal one-on-one session with Guerrero. After that, you’ll be ready to book studio time to hash out your own designs. The best part? The space is a sanctuary from NYC crowds—no more than five people are allowed in at any one time.

Perhaps the oldest art school in the United States, the National Academy School opened in 1825, and while its storied history might suggest and emphasis on tradition, the courses offered—in every conceivable medium—are totally up to the minute.

It’s hard to think of making pottery without recalling that orgasmic scene between Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in Ghost. But let’s face it there is something sensual about molding wet clay as it spins around on a wheel, so if pottery is an itch you’ve got to scratch, you can’t do better than this Long Island City ceramic studio. Learn the basics of throwing, glazing and firing a pot in BrickHouse’s stress-free atmosphere, which welcomes everyone regardless of skill level.

Robert Blackburn (1920–2003) was a legend in the world of fine-art lithography and intaglio, and the co-operative printmaking workspace he founded in 1948 continues his legacy of providing the knowledge and equipment for tackling the intricacies of traditional printmaking techniques (stone lithography, etching and engraving), even if you’re a beginner.

Thinking of going to art school or applying for an MFA program? Or maybe you’re looking to polish your art portfolio? Ashcan Studio of Art may be for you. Admittedly not a place for Sunday painters, the school offers intensive courses in all mediums that are designed to improve your skills and otherwise up your art game. The program is especially suited for aspiring art students. Classes are offered year-round, not only in Manhattan but also at locations in Flushing, Little Neck and Syosset.

Shutterbugs of all types can fine something to learn here at New York’s City preeminent photography school, where instruction is offered on all formats and sizes of cameras, including iPhones.