The best art jamming classes in Hong Kong

There’s nothing more therapeutic than creating a little garden. And at Bonart, you can design your very own green terrarium. These two-hour workshops provide a step-by-step guide on how to assemble and design a miniature garden featuring your pick of fresh moss, succulents and bonsai plants, pebbles and even tiny toy figures. It takes plenty of imagination and patience but you’ll get to take home a piece of nature inside a gorgeous glass container (dome, cube, pyramid, diamond, bomb-shaped, you name it). Bonart also offers an assortment of nature-themed classes that teach you how to make everything from pressed flowers, homemade soy candles, and soap pops too. Starts from $380

Aside from its artists-in-residence programme that gathers glass artists to share their experience and technique, this studio also regularly holds glass-making workshops open for public and group bookings. You can make galaxy marbles, wine glasses, cups, and even seasonal items like Christmas ornaments and Chinese lantern cages. Glass-blowing might sound difficult and scary, but the finishing product will surely be worth getting out of your comfort zone for. Just bear in mind that due to the nature of glass-blowing, not all classes are kid-friendly.

The mac daddy of DIY workshops in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Make Centre offers an extensive selection of creative classes and workshops that varies from woodcrafts to floral decor. Under these categories, you can make moon lamps, laser-cut wooden watches, flower jelly lipsticks, and more. It’s impossible to list them all. Contact the team there to organise a class of your choice. 

Experience some local culture with KA Atelier’s condensed ink painting workshops. Over the course of four two-hour sessions, master the technique of working with traditional Chinese paintbrushes and ink while experimenting with various painting styles and aesthetics. You’ll be skilled in painting bamboo and flowers in no time. Is a two-dimensional rice paper palette too conventional for you? The atelier also offers fun, one-off workshops that teach you how to paint on everything from teacups and wooden jewellery boxes to Chinese silk fans. Starts from $320

Unleash your creativity at this hipster-friendly art jamming workshop. Bask in natural light, a faux vertical garden and a cup of herbal tea before picking up your paintbrush. You can show up empty handed – just bring your enthusiasm – as the venue provides all the tools you need to create your masterpiece. Choose to recreate your favourite painting or pick from one of the reference works – Disney ones and scenes of the night sky are particularly popular. There are art tutors on hand to provide guidance. $238 (three hours)

An acronym for ‘nude, drink, and draw’, NuDD is a platform where experimental life drawing meets social activities. Try your hand at drawing with nude models and explore the range of the human figure at their monthly workshops held in Sheung Wan and Wong Chuk Hang. Occasionally, NuDD also hosts pop-ups at bars, restaurants, tattoo parlours, and even beaches. They've even had recent collaborations with drag queens and florists! In 2020, they are cooking up new collabs with stage designers, costume designers, and sculptors. NuDD is also happy to organise your next birthday party, hen do, and team-building workshops for small companies.

Want to get your hands dirty and have something useful at the end of it? Pottery may be your calling. Housed in Central’s newest revitalised heritage site, Tai Kwun, Touch Ceramics is a concept venue combining a ceramics workshop and an art gallery all under one roof. Get hands-on experience with the regular pottery workshops and porcelain painting workshops inside Touch’s large, minimalist space. Alternatively, try dipping your toe in other creative classes like porcelain painting and foliage art.

The clue’s in the name – this Causeway Bay studio space is all about making your own handicraft gifts for that special someone (including yourself). WeMakeGift offers a solid range of fun DIY classes and specialises in neon light projects. The neon bloom ($580/2hrs) classes are particularly popular, guiding students to create personalised neon lights alongside flower arrangements. Other unique workshops include snow globe making, stamps designing, and creating wood candles. Make sure to book via WhatsApp three days in advance though. Starts at $380

This Kwun Tong art shop/gallery specialises in urban art supplies and graffiti art – think quality spray paint and UV markers. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it organises classes for those who want to work magic with spray paint and calligraphy. Led by experienced street artists and local master calligraphers, the classes allow you to embrace your rebel heart and learn to create a badass canvas or impress others with your elegant typeface. Since these workshops are irregular, be sure to check the Facebook page for the next meetup.