How to choose a hens life drawing class, and what to ask before you book
The best life drawing class for a hens isn’t the best art class. It’s the one where the bride laughs, her mum stays, and you get to hold a pencil too. Before you book anyone, ask five things: how cheeky it gets, who runs the room, whether the room is yours, how it works with her mum there, and exactly what’s included.
You know what makes her laugh. These questions find the class that fits.
Still weighing up the activity itself? Our life drawing hens party guide has the whole night.
The short version
Five questions, one fair checklist, and a clear picture of the night before you hand over a cent.
Every way to book life drawing for a hens can be brilliant. The difference is in the details, so here they are, in the order you’ll need them. Tap any one to jump straight to it, or grab all ten questions at the bottom to send to anyone you’re considering.
Start here
Four ways to book life drawing for a hens
There are four ways to put a life drawing class into her hens, and each one hands you a different amount of the night to run. None of them is the wrong one. Here’s what each gets you, and the one question that tells you the most.
| Way to book | What you get | Ask this |
|---|---|---|
| A public classthe art-school one | A tutor, a model and a seat among strangers. Usually a calmer room, built for drawing well. | Can our group book it out, and are we allowed to laugh, chat and pour a drink? |
| A model you book yourselfthe DIY one | Your own model, at a place you’ve organised. You’re the venue, the host and the producer. | Who brings the pads and pencils, who runs the room, what are the rules, and what happens if it gets awkward? |
| A private class at a studiothe room-to-yourselves one | A studio and a model for just your group, with the class as the main event. | What happens after the class: drinks, food, the rest of the night? |
| A hens package with life drawing in itthe whole-night one | The class inside a whole celebration, with the rest of her hens lined up around it. | Can the bride set how cheeky it gets, and what’s included against what’s extra? |
Pick the one that matches the night she’d want, and how much of it you’d like to run yourself. Then take the next five questions to whoever you’re considering.
Question 1 of 5
Her call: how cheeky it gets
Ask this
Who decides how far your model goes, what are the levels, and does he know the bride’s choice before he walks in?
Why it matters at a hens
It’s her call, full stop. “A bit cheeky” means something different to every person in the group chat, and the whole room relaxes once the line is agreed before the robe comes off.
A good answer sounds like
The bride picks the level ahead of time, each level is described in plain words, and your model is told before he arrives.
“Pants on” could be boxers, briefs or something sillier, and “nude” should mean exactly that. Plain words now save a lot of faces later. If you’d like to see both ends side by side, here’s pants on or the full masterpiece.
Leave the interpretation to the girls.
Question 2 of 5
Who runs the room?
Ask this
Is your model used to hens groups, not just art classes? Who sets up, who keeps things moving between poses, and who says the house rules on touching and photos out loud?
Why it matters at a hens
Somebody has to keep the night moving. If nobody’s been booked to do it, that somebody is you, and you spend her hens holding a clipboard instead of a pencil.
A good answer sounds like
Someone other than you runs it, the rules are said out loud at the start, and photos only happen with your model’s OK.
Ask how the first ten minutes go. That’s where awkward either moves in or leaves. And if you’d like a benchmark for the rules, here are our house rules.
You deserve a turn with the pencil.
Question 3 of 5
Is the room yours?
Ask this
Will anyone else be there? Can we be loud? Is there a bar, or is it BYO? Is there somewhere for the group photo, and how far is dinner?
Why it matters at a hens
The cheekiest hour of her hens needs a room that can take the giggling. “Private” can mean a whole room, a roped-off corner or a curtain, so ask which one you’re getting.
A good answer sounds like
A room booked for your group alone, set up for the class before you walk in, and close to wherever you’re heading next. Joining a public class instead? Then the good answer is simply an honest picture of who else will be there.
Ask whether the provider will run it there, what the space needs and whether the property is happy to have it. Here’s how it works at your apartment or Airbnb on our nights.
Picture the photo, then book the room.
Question 4 of 5
Will it work with her mum in the room?
Ask this
Is there a pants-on level? Does anyone have to do anything but draw? Is anyone put on the spot? And what’s there for a guest who isn’t drinking, or is pregnant?
Why it matters at a hens
Most hens bring together a mum, an aunt or two, the work friends, the girls who’ve never met and the quiet one. They don’t all want the same night, and they don’t have to. They just need the same job.
A good answer sounds like
Everyone has the same job (draw), nobody is on show unless she wants to be, and the level suits the people actually coming.
Same pencil. Very different drawings.
From her nan to her naughtiest bridesmaid, a pencil is the great leveller. Mum’s frowning at a shoulder. The work friend has gone abstract. The quiet one, annoyingly, has drawn the best one in the room. And don’t assume mum wants it tame: ask the bride, not the stereotype.
If you’re still picturing the crowd, here’s who a life drawing hens suits. A softer night in mind? Our relaxed hens party ideas have plenty. For the bride with a bump, try these hens party ideas for a pregnant bride, and for the crew who’ve never met, here’s what works when the bridesmaids don’t know each other.
One firm line: under-18s and life drawing don’t mix. Younger cousins get a different part of her day.
Question 5 of 5
What’s included, and what isn’t?
Get it in writing before anyone pays. Tick each line once you have an answer, whether that answer is “included”, “extra” or “we’re sorting that ourselves”.
three numbersRoom time, model time and drawing time are three different numbers. Ask for all three.
A good answer sounds like
Every line on this list, written down, before she pays.
The inclusions list
0 of 11 answeredTake it with you
The questions to send before you book
Found a class you like? Here’s the whole list in one place. Copy it into the group chat, send it straight to the provider, or save the card for later. Keep the ones you need, skip the ones you don’t.
- Who decides how cheeky it gets, what are the levels, and will your model know the bride’s choice before he arrives?
- Is your model used to hens groups, not just art classes?
- Who sets up, who keeps it moving between poses, and what happens when the class ends?
- What are the house rules on touching and photos, and who says them out loud?
- Will anyone else be in the room, and can we be loud?
- Is there a bar or is it BYO, and where does the group photo happen?
- Is there a pants-on level, and does anyone have to do anything but draw?
- What’s there for a guest who isn’t drinking, or is pregnant?
- How long is your model with us, and how long is the room ours?
- What’s included, what’s extra, what’s the minimum number of guests, and is it per person or a flat fee?
Copied. Paste it wherever the plan is happening.
Is it clear?A real answer, in writing, not a “we’ll sort it on the night”.
Does it suit her?A clear answer can still be the wrong night for her crew. That’s useful too.
Before you book her life drawing
All ten questions on two cards, in three of our designs. Save them to your phone or print them for the planning drinks.
Free, no sign-up. They save as two pictures.
Asked a lot
Hens life drawing class questions
The short answers. For anything about our own nights, the life drawing hens party guide has the lot.
What should I ask before booking a life drawing class for a hens?
Five things: how cheeky it gets and who decides, who runs the room, whether the room is yours, how it works with mums and quieter guests there, and exactly what’s included. All ten questions are above, ready to copy.
How do I know a life drawing model is right for a hens, not just an art class?
Ask whether he’s used to hens groups, how he handles a room that’s laughing, and who keeps things moving between poses. An art-class model is brilliant at holding still. A hens needs someone who’s great company too.
Should a hens life drawing class be private?
If you want the giggling, the drinks and the group photo, ask for a room booked for your group alone. A public class can be lovely too, as long as you know who else will be there and what the room is like.
Will a life drawing class work with mums and aunties there?
Usually, when the level suits the guest list and nobody has to do anything but draw. Ask whether there’s a pants-on level and whether anyone gets put on the spot. Here’s who a life drawing hens suits.
Can we have a life drawing model at our Airbnb?
Ask the provider whether they’ll run it there, what the space needs and whether the property allows it. For our nights, here’s how it works at your apartment or Airbnb.
How long should a hens life drawing class be?
Ask how long your model is with you, not how long the room is booked. On our life drawing hens party nights he’s with you for about one and a half to two hours, starting as your topless waiter for the first half hour.
Do we need to be able to draw?
Not even slightly. The worse she draws, the better the night. Ask how the class gets first-timers started, then let the gallery moment do the rest.
Our answers
Where My Ultimate Hens ticks the list
That’s the checklist, fair to anyone you ask. Here’s how our own nights answer it, so you can put us side by side with everyone else.
- Your model starts as your topless waiter for about the first half hour, then poses for the class.
- The bride picks the level, pants on or the full masterpiece, and he knows her choice before he knocks.
- No touching during the poses. Photos only with his OK, and never while he’s fully naked.
- Pads and pencils supplied, games between poses, and everyone keeps her drawing.
- A group photo at the end, drawings and all.
- Grown-ups only: under-18s sit this one out.
- Six cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth and Adelaide.
The rest, room and packages included, lives in our life drawing hens party guide and on each city’s page.
From an organiser with a few questions of her own
Huge shout out to Tash & Jo for helping me plan my best friends hens night! She had an absolute blast and I couldn't have made it possible without the help from you girls. Thank you so much for answering my millions of emails so promptly. I 110% will forever recommend you to everyone I know xx Kasey L xx
See her city’s life drawing nights
- life drawing hens in Sydney
- life drawing hens in Melbourne
- life drawing hens in Brisbane
- life drawing hens on the Gold Coast
- life drawing hens in Perth
- life drawing hens in Adelaide
Prefer brushes to pencils? Try a paint and sip hens party. Want the eye candy without the easels? A topless waiter hens party. Or browse every one of our hens party ideas.
Enquiry form styles
Over to you
Tell us what would suit her
Her city, roughly how many, and how cheeky she’d go. Bring your questions too: we’ll come back with the packages that fit her and her crew.
A few quick details:
Done. Her hens is officially under way.
Keep an eye on your phone, the first text comes from one of us, not a bot.
Back to the questionsquestions first, pencils laterAsk the right questions, book the night that fits her, then take your seat right next to her for the gallery photo. You’ve earned the front row.
My Ultimate Hens is a female-founded hens party company, planning hens parties in six Australian cities since 2011. Read what organisers say · More hens party inspo