Chicago Art and Design Center

Had to plan a Bachlorette party for an over 35+ group of women. Googled Chicago Art and Design Center. When I called the Owner had the date Open and from there everything was set. She continually told me not to worry that we would have a great experience. We ordered in food per the owners direction, we had each guest bring their own beverage of choice. The owner (Derin) was wonderful in handling the party and guests. We got to paint a male model that came with our Bachlorette package. The Bride really did not want a stripper but was all for a male model. We had a blast and I had not painted anything since High School. I think my portrait was pretty good for a first time painter. Wished we could have stayed there all night. If you have a private party pay for extended time to hang out :)… Also, if you live in the suburbs plan accordingly for traffic! Had a Great time will definitely go back again. Might plan party #2! Thanks Derin!!!
Maria

I was there this past weekend for a bachelorette party and cannot say enough good things about Chicago Art and Design. I am absolutely NOT a painter/​drawer/​etc. I had a horrible experience with it in a college class and was not feeling confident when I arrived. But, Derin and her assistand Michelle put me at ease and made me feel confident. Derin explained the basics of drawing and painting, and Michelle was always there to make sure we had enough paint and to offer helpful suggestions. Both women had a wonderful sense of humor and made it not only a lot of fun, but really informative.
And, they recognized we were there for a party — we were never rushed, were allowed to bring our own food and drinks, and were encouraged to have a great time.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about Chicago Art and Design and highly recommend it!

I took the mosaic class. I loved it and look at my final project with great pride. The teacher couldn’t be nicer or more accommodating. I am looking forward to going back for BYOB open painting class with my friend. Great spot :)

I came here with a Groupon, bottle of wine, and a steady hand.
The woman who teaches the class has an enormous amount of patience. The class was all women and one male (Bob). Teaching that many women who are drinking wine is like giving a 8 year old a case of soda and telling them to memorize their times tables.
The class was very informative and my pal and I loved our finished pieces. I would return to this fine artistic etablishment. groupon or not

I came here on a Saturday night to kick off a bachelorette party. The owner and other young girl working were very friendly, helpful, and gave appropriate instruction for most of us being beginners. This was my first painting experience so I didn’t really know what to except, but was pleasantly surprised. We brought some wine and snacks and we had a very nice time. I would come back again for a similar event.

I came here for one of their BYOB evening painting classes and was pretty disappointed. I am one of the least artistic people out there, but have taken a 5 week introductory painting course (acrylic) and will do some painting at home on occasion because I find it to be very relaxing. I hadn’t been in a class for almost 3 years and was looking forward to receiving some direction again, rather than my aimless attempts at home.
To start, I found the quality of the acrylic paints to be very poor. Also, I thought it was very amateurish that we were given styrofoam plates to put our paints on, rather than a plastic or disposable paper palette, which would have made mixing and blending paints a lot easier.
All of this aside, I found the instruction to be the worst part. We were being taught by an elementary school art teacher, and I felt like I was in an elementary school art class. Nothing against the artistic talents of the instructor, as I’m sure she is a fine artist, but maybe it is difficult for her to transition her teaching methods from 5 – 10 year olds, to 20 – 50 something adults. There was very little instruction about techniques to use to imitate certain aspects of the painting we were working on. The most ‘instruction’ she gave was going around and looking at people’s paintings and saying things such as «now keep in mind that you won’t want to put the background as purple, because it won’t offer the contrast you will want» (said right after walking by someone’s painting who has a purple background).
I will not be coming back here. I wasn’t expecting too detailed of instruction because I understand it is supposed to be a fun and low-​key experience, but since I didn’t get anything out of the instruction, I would be better off getting together 5 friends, buying some canvases, paint and paint brushes at Blick, and would probably have a more enjoyable time, for a lower cost.

Came here last Friday for a BYOB Art Party. For the reasonable price and location near to to public transit, it is hard to beat the Chicago Art and Design Center. Each night has a theme. Our was «Relaxing View» — an ocean scene. Beware, the Google map will show the Greenview address (correct) on Barry (incorrect). As long as you can be smarter than the smart phone, you’re golden.
We arrived and were seated at a table with one other couple around our age — who were really great to meet. We had brought a bottle of wine, but no opener or glasses. Luckily another participant had an opener and the owner had some solo cups. I recommend bringing both an opener and cups just in case.
The paints, brushes and canvases are supplied. We started by sketching and then painting from the top down. There isn’t a great deal of instruction (probably better to take a class here for that). The teacher will give instruction by showing. I happened to be rather put-​off by the instructor painting my on canvas. I had to wait for it to dry to paint over her additions twice. By the end I was holding each brush in each hand so it was impossible for my canvas to be painted on by anyone other than me. Other people took better to the method and were happier about the help.
I did run short on time in the end, so you have to paint fast. Overall the experience was good and we had fun. I would go back for another open art party — maybe for a mosaic next time!

Well, I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but I was wrong. On Saturday evening at 6pm, I was called by Derin and scolded for my review. She also threatened calling Groupon and telling them not to let me purchase any more of them, and said that I needed psychiatric help for telling lies. Apparently someone needs to explain to this woman what the word opinion means. I’m not sure how she got my information, but am assuming she connected the dots between my user name and the information I provided to her, which, frankly, scares me. My husband thought I should call the police and file a harassment charge against her and you can be sure that I will if it happens again. So… be warned of what you are stepping into if you go here. And Derin, since I know you will be reading this, I would recommend that you learn to use these reviews as constructive feedback and try to improve the situation, rather than immediately jump on the defensive as it is causing more harm than good. Good luck to you.

When I came to CA&DC, I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to paint. And maybe, hopefully, get something out of it I wasn’t appalled with. (Quite a contrast from a fellow student who wanted to come away with paintings to hang around his apartment. Ambitious, indeed!)
To date, I have taken two 5-​week sessions and am just now finishing my second painting. Most students would have been on their 3^rd or 4^th painting, but not me. Derin, the instructor and owner, never pushed me though. She encouraged me to not dwell too, too much on the details, but she gets that people have to work at their own pace. Even a snail-​like one.
So to that point — her teaching style. I found Derin’s approach to be, in a word, ideal. She will show you what to do, the difference in brush strokes, application, technique, using different brushes or a palette knife, etc. But she also lets you learn on your own. This is key as it helped me find my style, make mistakes, surprise myself, learn patience, appreciate good brushes, etc. (I can’t stress enough what a difference GOOD brushes make.) But I will say — if you can’t take criticism, maybe rethink taking painting altogether no matter where you go. Derin is tactfully honest, as she should be. If she doesn’t like what you’re doing, she’ll tell you as much. 99.99% of the time, she is so, so right. And you will appreciate it. Swear.
As for the other details: Be prepared to buy your own materials after the first class. And pay for parking if you drive. And don’t wear your Sunday best — you’re going to get paint on you eventually. (Sorry designer jeans. We had a good run.)
I guess if anything is going to prove this endorsement, I will tell you that I plan to take another class. The intimate space, the art of Derin herself and other students on the walls and in the windows, the inspiring music and the small classes help foster a creative spirit. (And if you want, you’re welcome to BYOB and share with the rest of the class. Cool, eh?)
So is this class right for you? Let’s just say, it is what you make of it. For me, it’s all about stepping away from the daily grind and exploring a side of myself I never knew. And I like what I’m discovering. Yay.

i took a five week oil painting class. I was very pleased with the class and was able to complete one painting and almost complete a second painting. (If I had not missed a class I definitely would have been able to finish two paintings).
The studio is in a small storefront space. The class sizes are kept small so you have plenty of room to work and are able to get as much of the teacher’s attention as you need. The instructor is able to adjust to accommodate your skill level. Since I had painting experience I was told to come to the first class with a photo or printout to work from. Beginning students paint a still life for their first project and then moved onto painting from a photo of their choosing.
The instructor was able to give me great suggestions and show me new techniques. The class definitely exceeded my expectations.
The studio can be easily accessed from the Belmont bus and the Paulina Brown Line stop. Classes are from 6pm-​9pm, which gives you plenty of time to get there after work.

I just finished my first (and definitely not last) art class with Derin. After giving up art for about a decade I had been itching to pick up a paintbrush and get my feet wet in the field again. I chose Oil for Beginners even though my background had been in acrylic and watercolors. My nerves would get the best of me for at least the first half hour of each class but Derin’s patience and professionalism helped me ease back into a rhythm. Also, Derin is willing to place you as needed for makeup class when your personal schedule conflicts. I can’t say anything bad about my experience except that the class ended!

I just read some of the other reviews. It appears that some people like feedback/​instruction and some people just want to paint. I can see this being hard on any teacher.
Personally I thought Derin gave just the right amount of instruction and tips for the beginner oil class. I have done other painting classes before who gave no tips which means I was just paying for a place to paint. I appreciate Derin showing us how to look at things in porportion, tips on shading and how to make texture. I learned a lot despite not being that artistic. I really enjoyed the evening of painting and getting to know new people. I am looking forward to painting this summer on my deck. I do wish we could bring wine into the classroom, and I wish they offered acrylic classes.

This is going to be a hard one. I’ve taken two classes at CA/​DC and have mixed feelings regarding both. I’ve been wanting to take an art class for a while now. Due to Living Social (Groupon type website) deal and a certain young man’s b-​day (mine), my wish came true.
I opted for the Meditation/​Art class (1−2hr class 5 sessions). I figured being able to relax and paint sounds good to me. The class of 4 (2 ladies, Derin the teacher, and myself) started off a bit rough. We meditated and then colored in printed pictures called Mandalas with colored pencils. Is this the art part?!? I wasn’t very excited about it all. Then being told we were doing it wrong, but wasn’t really given instructions on what to do in the beginning, was a bit frustrating. After reviewing our pencil colored «happy place», the teacher «read» what it said about us. Things didn’t go so well after. The teacher even told one girl that she wasn’t trying and that she couldn’t help her. The shocked look on this woman’s face was apparent but the teacher took no notice. I won’t even tell you what she saw in mine but it wasn’t good. It didn’t bother me so much due to that most people hardly guess my mood or thoughts correctly. Needless to say the one woman never came back and by the third class it was just and teacher and I. By then, I got a little more use to Derin and her ways. She is a very passionate woman who mixes her words sometimes and can come off very abrasive. Since there was nobody left in the class she said I could start over in another class one of my choosing which was very kind of her. This class wasn’t the best fit for me but maybe it will be for you.
The second class was beginner oil painting class (2 ½hr class 5 sessions). This was more of what I was looking for but as far as learning the in’s and out’s of oil painting we did not. We learned how Derin (she actually teaches ALL of the classes) does it. Though, I will say she was much more relaxed in this class. We pretty much painted how you wanted to paint, with Derin giving help or her opinion of something she liked or disliked. She will also step in and changed something to show you how it’s done. She was kind enough not to do that after I got upset over the change to my painting. But overall I liked this «go at it» style. Again it was a bunch of women and I, not that it was problem me. We had fun and chatted while we painted, one girl even brought in some wine around the holidays. Also due to the holidays, Derin was nice enough to offer another day and time to make up a class if you were away. I wouldn’t be opposed to taking another this class with Derin again but if I wanted a more technical break down I would have to go elsewhere.
I will say that through it all, I’m at least painting again and I would guess that is exactly what Derin would have wanted. She just might have said it a little differently like «What are you doing Nick?! You have to paint it like this!» or «You have to breathe Nick. Nick you’re not breathing!!» me «I can’t breath right now I’m sick» Derin «Oh excuses, excuses, just do it Nick!!»

I just finished the 5 week Beginner’s Oil Painting class here and went from never painting with oils in my life to feeling very comfortable using the medium and producing some pretty good pieces. The class starts out with a simple still life — a sphere, a cone, and a square. Then you move on to a bowl of fruit, and then a photo of a flower. The teacher was fun and offered lots of good advice on technique. I really enjoyed the class and would love to return in the future for the intermediate class.