I love art and have done life drawing before. I wanted to share the fun of life drawing with my hen and her friends.
After the first giggle we all got into drawing and everyone had a good time. The model was cute and relaxed. The teacher was fun and helpful. We could bring our own food and drink. I still love the concept and I would have given this 4 stars, HOWEVER, I was not happy with venue allocation communication or the professionalism of management.
Short story:
Not an art studio venue as advertised on the website, but instead a small café venue. We were only advised of this the week before the event - which left no real opportunity change plans.
Lesson:
Nail out all the details in writing and in advance when dealing with this business. They will not volunteer anything and I cannot confirm if they even have a studio. Ask for a receipt.
Long story (for those who love detail!):
January 2015. After looking at other life drawing providers and their venues, Artful Hen's studio venue set it apart. I booked the "Sydney Studio" three months in advance and paid a $300 deposit. I understood this was the William Street studio noted on the website. Quote from website: "Most Sydney sessions are held at our dedicated Darlinghurst studio. We do provide an out-of studio service so if we are booked out, we can come to you."
When I confirmed numbers the week before the event I advised we were going to be doing our art at Third Village Café, a small nearby café. Visions of easels and airy space were replaced with a reality of clipboards and fridge hum.
They claimed that the main studio was "booked out" and when pressed Rayni Bonne responded in an email: "I'm sorry it wasn't clear that "Sydney Studio" includes several of our venues. I'm afraid even if I had known you wanted the William St studio I could not have guaranteed it. Groups are allocated suitable venues based on final numbers." You heard it here first - watch out future customers!
If that's really the case (which I doubt) they should update their website or should have clarified venue policy when I booked.
We were also encouraged (twice) to take on a second group. I'm glad we resisted. The place was small enough with 10 students and based on the comments of our instructor the groups who book are diverse and some may not have been a good match for us. I should note that even with an extra 8 people they were going to keep us in the cafe venue. read more