Paint and sip studios are great, but they have one limit: they’re physical places with fixed schedules. If you don’t live near one, can’t make a Friday night class, or just want to paint in your pajamas with your own wine — you’ve been out of luck.
Online paint and sip changes that. Streaming paint-along classes give you the same instructor-led experience, the same finished painting at the end, without leaving your house. Here’s what online paint and sip actually is, how it works, and what makes it different from random YouTube tutorials.
What Makes It “Paint and Sip”
Paint and sip is a specific format: an instructor walks a group through a painting step by step, you bring or pour your own drinks, the vibe is social and relaxed, and everyone leaves with a finished canvas. The “sip” part means it’s not a serious art class — it’s a creative night with a beverage in hand.
Online paint and sip keeps everything except the in-person group. The instructor is recorded, you pour your own wine or beer or sparkling water, you paint along on your own time. Press pause to top off your drink. Hit replay if you missed a brush stroke. Show up in pajamas — nobody’s watching.
What You Get Online That You Can’t In-Studio
- Pause and replay. The instructor moves at the group’s pace in-studio. Online, you control the pace completely.
- Your full catalog of paintings. Studios pick one painting per session. Online, you choose from 1,500+ options whenever you sit down to paint.
- Your own playlist, your own wine, your own snacks. No upcharge for “premium” anything — you bring what you want.
- Any time, anywhere. 3 AM Tuesday? Sunday afternoon? Hotel room while traveling? All fair game.
- Repeat your favorites. Loved a painting? Paint it again with a different color palette. Make it yours.
What You Need at Home
- A canvas (16×20 is standard, 11×14 for smaller pieces)
- Acrylic paint set (basic colors — instructor will tell you which to mix)
- Brushes (3-5 sizes)
- Water cup, paper plate for a palette, towel
- A screen positioned where you can see it while painting (TV, laptop, tablet)
- Your beverage of choice
Total setup time once you have supplies: about 10 minutes. Total cost to start: under $30 for first-time supplies.
How PE+ Is Different from Random YouTube Tutorials
You can find free painting videos online. The problem is they’re not designed for first-time painters following along in real time — they’re often demonstrations by professional artists showing off techniques you can’t replicate without years of practice.
Purple Easel Plus is structured differently. Every video is paint-along, in the actual paint and sip format. The instructors specialize in teaching people who’ve never picked up a brush. Color mixing is broken down step by step. Drying times are built into the pacing. The paintings are achievable by absolute beginners — that’s the whole point.
The Catalog: Hundreds of Hours, New Videos Weekly
PE+ has 1,500+ paint-along videos organized by category:
- Adult paintings: landscapes, florals, animals, urban scenes, pop culture, holiday-themed, abstract
- Kid paintings: 90-minute format, age-appropriate subjects, perfect for family painting nights
- Tips and tricks channel: figure drawing, blending techniques, advanced methods for when you want to level up
- New videos uploaded weekly
One monthly fee, full catalog access — no per-painting charges. See the catalog and start streaming.