Paint & Sip in North Shore

Four studios dot the lower North Shore, and each one has a slightly different idea of what a creative night out looks like. Pinot & Picasso North Sydney and Monet and Moscato in Cremorne run guided canvas sessions, Paint Clay Sip Sydney in Artarmon swaps the canvas for clay, and Wave Art in Crows Nest hosts painting parties for kids, teens and adults.

All four are BYO in some form, and none needs any art background. The choice comes down to the medium, the group size and whether the guest list includes children.

Where each studio fits:

• Greenwood Plaza: Pinot & Picasso North Sydney sits directly opposite North Sydney train station, with two rooms for up to 55 painters, from $59 per person.
• Military Road, Cremorne: Monet and Moscato holds 60 in its shopfront studio and takes private groups of 12 to 200, bringing the class offsite for the bigger ones, also from $59 per person.
• Dickson Avenue, Artarmon: Paint Clay Sip Sydney runs wheel throwing and hand building, with every piece glazed and fired to stoneware, from $85 per person.
• Alexander Street, Crows Nest: Wave Art's atelier takes parties of up to 30, from $650 per group, with a lead artist and a second artist moving between the easels.
• Younger guests: Wave Art hosts kids' birthday parties, and Paint Clay Sip welcomes children aged eight and up to its private sessions.

For a work team crossing the bridge, North Sydney is the simplest meeting point. For a hens group that wants to take something useful home, the Artarmon pottery studio is the one that changes the format.