There’s something about working with your hands that a phone screen just can’t give you. No notifications, no scrolling, just you, a blank page and whatever you decide to put on it. That’s the pitch behind Michaels’ newest move, and for once, it’s not just a sale.
The retailer is opening its doors every week this August for free, drop-in art sessions. No sign-up sheets. No pressure to finish a project. You show up, grab a seat and work on whatever you want, whether that’s a painting you’ve been putting off or something you start from scratch that same night.
Michaels is calling it Fine Art Month, and it’s rolling out across every one of its more than 1,300 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Along with the new sessions, the chain is also expanding its fine art selection online and in stores, with hundreds of new paint, marker, pencil and paper options landing throughout the month.
4 ways to get your hands dirty this month
- Open Classroom Sessions (Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m.): This is the big one. Offered for the first time ever, these drop-in sessions let you bring your own project or start something new while trying out materials from brands such as Staedtler, Golden, Koi, Liquitex, Micron and Ohuhu.
- Fine Art Events (Sundays, 1-3 p.m.): Free guided projects and live demos featuring brands including Prismacolor, Liquitex, Winsor & Newton and Faber-Castell.
- Live Online Classes (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 6 p.m. CT): Expert instructors walk you through drawing, acrylics, watercolor, portraiture and figure drawing from home. The series wraps with a student showcase and live feedback session.
- Video tutorials: Prefer to learn at your own pace? A growing library of tutorials from Faber-Castell, Winsor & Newton, Liquitex and Tombow is available anytime.
Stock up while it’s cheap
If you’ve been eyeing new supplies, this is the month to buy. Canvas is buy two, get two free, and sketchbooks and paper pads are buy one, get one 50% off, alongside thousands of other BOGO deals on brushes, markers and paint. Teachers can add their usual 15% discount on top of any of it.
Michaels is also giving away professional-grade supplies through an Instagram drawing running Aug. 22-28.
Whether you haven’t picked up a paintbrush since grade school or you’ve got a sketchbook full of half-finished work, this is a low-stakes way to get back into it. Pick a night, show up and see what you make.
Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her work appears in dozens of publications, including MSN, Yahoo, The Washington Post and The Seattle Times. These days, she’s busy in the kitchen developing recipes and traveling the world, and you can find all her best creations at Cook What You Love.