The Royal Canvas

My friends and I went here for my Birthday weekend. The staff here is awesome they made sure that my friend was able to purchase her ticket over the phone as she had trouble online. You really can’t mess up because they go step by step and then its an easy fix if you do mess up. We had a really great time was relaxing and our painting came out beautiful will definitely return.

Brie was AWESOME! We had such a great time. We were First timer painters. She made it so easy and fun. We will definitely be coming back!

Do not purchase a Groupon from this business. I purchased a Groupon for my daughter and niece to attend their painting class. They had been looking forward to this class but unfortunately when I tried to schedule the painting class the lady who answered the phone was rude and unhelpful. She kept saying call Groupon support instead of offering an alternate solution. She said the class I wanted was more than we paid. I tried to ask what class would work she again stated «call Groupon support.» I again tried to ask if I could pay the difference and once again she would not assist us at all. There is a need for basic customer service training at the Royal Canvas painting.

I visited a remote location of the Royal Canvas when Fiesta Wineries hosted a Valentine’s Day paint and sip! The instructors were great, played along with our practical jokes (switching her canvas while her back was turned), and even provided half-​time entertainment (one of their artist sang a lovely acoustic version of Maroon 5’s Sunday Morning). Our group had a great time, and I think I’ll try their main location soon!

My daughter attended a birthday party here last week and it was a BLAST! Bri, the hostess was a lovely young woman who led the kids in painting a cute fox. She also played the guitar and sang (amazing) current pop songs while the kiddos ate cake. The painting was easy to follow, the place was so charming and we can’t wait to come back! :)

We had a private painting lesson by the Royal Canvas for 9 people. They came to our location for the lesson! Everyone loved the experience! Our instructor, Ashley was great… very patient and really knew what she was doing. We painted the Alamo! They made the process very easy from beginning to end. I wold highly recommend The Royal Canvas!

My wife periodically drags me to the casual paint-​by-​instruction event. I won’t even try to say I can paint. Nevertheless, with a bottle of wine and some plastic wine glasses, it is a fun 3 hours. Unfortunately, there are always a few tardy customers. Since they end promptly, a late start results in a rushed experience. If the subject is complicated, that can be a problem. So, my greatest suggestion is to start on time. The crowd is always relaxed, and with Chappy’s restaurant right next door, you can easily make a great date out of this activity. I’ll let my wife drag me again.

very enjoyable girls night out.
You’re able to create paintings of beauty without even knowing how to hold a paintbrush. The instructor takes you through the picture step-​by-​step and if you have any questions or difficulties they give you one on one instructions. It’s a lot of fun!

Did this vs other locations due to a Groupon. Small, cute and somewhat hidden i thought of the location.
As we were waiting for class to begin, we browsed thru their paintings they offer for sale… $ 5. Not bad… it must be paintings the teachers do.
Accidentally didn’t realize the painting we chose wasn’t a BYOB. Though my gf’s and I didn’t mind as we had just had lunch with a Margarita. Class started promptly at 5 (2 hr class) teacher was somewhat rushing and kept mentioning we only had 2 hrs to finish. We finished early with half an hour to spare.
Overall, good place to try and do something with friends or family ;)

I LOVE Royal Canvas! I’ve always had a great experience there. The instructors are fun and very detailed. I’m much quicker than others, and I have no problem waiting while others are learning from one on ones and perfecting their paintings.
My first experience was a custom painting they designed for my 25^th birthday, for my girl friends and I to paint. We all arrived between 6:45 and 7:05, as the class started at 7. Most of us were unfamiliar with this area of town and it took a while to park and move the alcohol/​birthday cake/​snacks inside. The instructor was kind enough to give us a little extra set up time, and let us stay a little past our time. While some struggled to find their inner creativity, we all had a blast and could personalize each of our paintings with little fun details. Creating a custom painting alone exceeded my expectations.
The last time I was there, my boyfriend and his parents joined me for a couple’s painting class for Valentine’s. There were a wide variety of couples there– but as wine and chocolates were passed around everyone had a great time. I read in a comment below that the stools are uncomfortable and there are no backs… You can’t create a work of art sitting in a recliner! I love that I need to keep my posture sitting tall and can easily get up for a refill if needed.
I enjoy the unique paintings offered at a locally owned business, rather than the corporate franchises offering Starry Night every week. Also, the grouponer’s should consider themselves lucky… The owner’s only receive ¼ of the value of anything offered, so think twice about ‘supporting local business’ when you’re not very supportive of all of their hard work that goes into this!
Thank you Royal Canvas!

I attended one of the painting classes at The Royal
Canvas, and to my surprise I walked away with a really good painting! Dare I say
«wall worthy»?!
I chose this studio over some of the others I heard about
because their painting selection seemed more professional, and something that I
might actually feel a sense of real accomplishment from painting.
Our instructor was great, and very patient with the class. She took the time to
explain every step from start to finish and demonstrated the process for us as
well, which was really nice. She was there to answer any questions along the
way, and ensured that those that needed a little extra help received it.
I plan to go back soon and create another masterpiece. I will definitely recommend
The Royal Canvas to others!

I have been to several amateur painting galleries and Royal Canvas misses the boat in quite a few ways.
I arrived 10 minutes early and my friend was already there. They would not even let her sit down until I got there, and they certainly wouldn’t let her save me a seat. They just said, «First come, first served,» and the only way we could sit together was to beg other people to move.
They had us crammed in like sardines with three tables so close together that you could barely get in and out. The seats were small, uncomfortable stools with no back, not at all good for seniors or handicapped people. And this was a three-​hour class.
It was hot in the room and there didn’t appear to be any a/​c and there were no fans.
Everything was geared toward people who had never held a paintbrush before. There wasn’t much opportunity for individual expression and there was a lot of down time while we sat around on our hard stools waiting for the paint to dry.
We were only given two paintbrushes and neither was suitable for the detail the painting required. I asked for another brush and was refused.
I would not recommend this place. If you want an evening out for painting, go to Whimsey. It is much nicer and much much friendlier.
The instructors at Whimsey actually want you to create a beautiful painting. Royal Canvas seems to be more interested in maximizing profits by cramming the most people they can into a hot, stuffy room.

I had such a great time last night at the Royal Canvas that I was excited to write this Unilocal review sharing my wonderful experience. My instructor was Heather (OK– I’m 99% sure her name is Heather but who knows– I did have a bit of wine at dinner prior to class!) She was AWESOME. Super patient in dealing with a large class, always willing to help her students, and kept the evening fun and light. She went at a nice pace and took appropriate break times to allow people to catch up without keeping others waiting around. The studio was super cute too. I must admit thart it was a little crammed but it allowed for good conversation/​bonding between students. All in all it was a wonderful evening and I’m looking forward to doing it again soon!

I went to the Royal Canvas this past Saturday for a private party and it was awesome! The Royal Canvas is tucked into the strip mall with Cappy’s on Broadway and there is parking directly in front and in the back. When we arrived they had our easels and paint already set up and each of our canvases already had the outline of our future paintings drawn on for us. Our instructor Diana was really nice and went through all of the steps with us to create our paintings. As a part of the party package we were able to bring our own food and drinks and we had the front room to ourselves for 2 hours. They provided us with wine glasses, napkins and even a cork screw. There were two children’s parties happening at the same time in the back rooms which got a little loud but it seemed like the children were having a great time. If you are looking for a place to host a party I would definitely recommend the Royal Canvas. Make sure to book ahead of time because I’ve heard that they get booked up quickly. For our party of six each of us paid $ 45 and it was definitely worth it. All of the ladies in our party enjoyed the class and we all plan on coming back. Thanks Royal Canvas!

This was my first time painting. It was also first visit to Royal Canvas. My friends and i use our Groupon’s, and RSVP a week in advance. We arrived about 15 mins before the class was going to start. Being our first time we all wanted to sit together but there were already seats taken. So the key is to get there earlier for a nicer spot to sit. We liked the fact that we could bring our own wine. They did provide plates for us to use. which was wonderful since we forgot to bring some. The Setting was very casual. The instructor was very friendly and encouraging. She took the time to walk around and helps us when we made mistakes. She encourage us to make mistakes and make them our own. what was great was that my flowers and dragonfly didn’t have to look like everyone else. I loved that fact that i could follow her instruction but yet we were allowed to do my own thing. My friends and i were pleased with our first visit that we are ready to try it again very soon.

We went because of a groupon and had a great experience. The teacher was patient despite having a few high energy kiddoes. She redirected and was able to make it a good time for all the kids.
Izzy didn’t like that she made a few mistakes but it’s good learning for her. We will be back. Id recommend it to all.

I’ve never painted before so I was ready to just have a good time with my friend and throw my horrible painting into the back of the closet later. However, the instructor was great. She was super slow and helpful, and I came away with a painting of a peacock I’m going to proudly hang on my living room wall. She encouraged us to not just try to copy the picture from the calendar, but to play with the color scheme and make the painting out own. Every peacock looked different. The class itself was a bit a loud, but my friend and I were one of the few groups of ladies not drinking wine (we brought delicious lattes!). We both had a fabulous time and love our paintings!
Even at the non-​Groupon price, I’d say taking a class here would be a great deal. We’ll be back for sure.
The children’s art on the walls was adorable. We wish we could paint those pictures as well! :P

RESPONSE TO THE ROYAL CANVAS:
I just felt the need to respond to their response to my original comment.
Yes, they did offer water… the problem was… it was NOT cold water, they hadn’t even put it in the refrigerator!
No, I absolutely did not EVER hear them offer for us to reschedule.
I did have fun… because I was with my friends. Not because of the set up or experience provided by this establishment.
There are many painting places around town… they will be getting my business and my money. I can guarantee I will NEVER return to The Royal Canvas. The e-​mail exchanges I had with them were not nice. She almost tried to blame us for the horrible night.
All it would have taken to improve the experience was a sincere apology in our personal e-​mail exchanges. Yes, she apologized here… but that is only because this review is public!

I hadn’t painted since a college class experience had left me completely insecure in this area. Even with my reservations a friend somehow convinced me to go. It’s easy to go online and view the schedule and determine which class will fit your level of comfort. I picked a 2 hour class to start off at the beginner level. Upon arrival the teacher explained everything and made everyone feel at home. It’s BYOB, so it made it a lot of fun to partake in wine drinking while painting. The painting had already been outlined, so it was a blast to just follow the teacher as far as color selection and shading. I was suprised at how fast the time flew by and how great all of the paintings looked at the end. The only thing I would do differently would be to wear all black, somehow I got paint all over my clothes. I also saw that the Royal Canvas offers classes for kiddos and that is definitely worth checking out. Also, the Royal Canvas is in the shopping center that houses Cappy’s and Annie Goglyn in case you get a bit confused like me.

I’m a pretty lucky girl. My best friend is Groupon junkie and loves to buy them and take me along on for redemption. That is how we came upon Royal Canvas. We signed up to paint the Alamo. Although you’re allowed to bring alcoholic beverages, we didn’t partake this particular night.
The class was schedule from 6:30 — 9:30. We took the liberty to walk around and look at all the neat things they have in their shop. It’s all local, handmade goods from artists in the San Antonio area. Our class started around 6:45.
I was really surprised at how small the space was and was kinda worried about it being functional when trying to paint. It ended up being enough space and quaint. Our instructor Ashley was simply the best. I’ve been to several other DIY painting & Drinking classes before, Ashley was the most informative in explaining why we use the technique we used. She also taught us about tonality and how it affects our painting. This to me was amazing, because I felt like before this the other places just show us a paint by numbers technique.
Even though we ended up starting late, we ended 30 minutes early. Usually I fall about 30 minutes behind when painting because I’m kinda meticulous or I just am not as fast as the others. Ashley made sure that I was no more than one step behind and would come around to explain what came next, which I really appreciated and so did my best friend because usually she’s the one having to teach me how to paint!
All in all, I will be returning to Royal Canvas and I will be bringing booze next time!

I’ve never painted anything before going to a BYOB class. With that said, I want to do it again!
The atmosphere is wonderful as was our instructor who took the time to coach, encourage and help. Our group was fairly large (20?) but I felt like we all were sent home with a wonderful experience and feeling of accomplishment.

This is a great place for some chill time with your friends. great atmosphere!

I absolutely adore this cute little place!
My husband and I tried it out one night, just for fun. I had always wanted to do it, so bought a bottle of wine and headed on out. Do make an appointment online or over the phone, just to make sure your class is available.
We had December for our instructor. She was incredibly patient, sweet and kind. She made the experience that much more delightful! We had gotten there a little too early and she was the only one that really made us feel welcome and not in the way. (There was also a really nice gentleman there as well.)
Our owls are now hanging as «His and Hers» in our bedroom and we absolutely love them!
We will definitely be going back.
Try it out for a unique date night!

I really enjoyed coming to a painting class here!
It was nice and relaxing. I was with a group of about 7 people and we all really enjoyed ourselves.
The only bad thing was that when we got off or lost on our painting and asked the instructor for help, I felt like he got a little annoyed. But other than that, I had a fantastic experience here. Oh and I love the little boutique they have in the building! The stuff in there is adorable!