What do you get when you mix soft color dust with alcohol inks that dance all over the place? There are answers in Hong Kong’s The Tingology creative scene, and they’re messy (in a good way) than you might think. People in art groups all over the city put down their phones and pick up a brush, stick, or even their fingers to see what their hands can do on paper.

Let’s talk about Harmony Pastel. What a pleasant surprise: these classes are very calm. By blending sky blues and cherry blossom pinks with the side of a pastel stick, even the most tense city person can calm down. Sandy is an accountant who says she never thought she could make something “flowy and alive” until her teacher gave her a piece of paper and told her to smudge it. She laughs and says, “I thought I’d ruin it.” “Turns out, the mistakes are half the fun.”

Move on to drawing with alcohol ink. This painting isn’t your grandmother’s. There aren’t any straight lines because the colors float, pool, and chase each other across sheets that don’t absorb them. With just a drop of isopropyl, you can see unexpected clouds and fireworks. An alcohol ink class might become your new addiction if you like pleasant shocks. Beginners often say they see faces or scenes appear out of what was at first just chaos. A big draw is that no two pieces are the same.

These schools try to keep class sizes small. There are times when everyone talks and the place is busy. Sometimes there are only a few kids with headphones on, lost in their own messy world. Teachers work with students of all kinds, so your stick figures will look great next to someone else’s abstracts that are coming together. They give quick tips like, “Put more pressure here” or “Try blowing through a straw. That should work!” One woman used a hair dryer to get cells that looked like a galaxy.

There are places where you can try both in the same time. It’s a little adventure. You’ll leave with art on your fingers and a piece of art that you can put in the fridge or recycle, but hey, it’s yours.

Online registration is the norm, but people can be creative on the spot. If there’s room, walk-ins are welcome. Costs? They go from cheap as a peanut butter sandwich to “let’s celebrate someone’s birthday” expensive.

What should you bring? Have an open mind, be a little curious, and be ready to get messy. Everything else is taken care of, from supplies to ideas.

Someone who paints skies might meet someone who paints dragons with fifty shades of green. New friendships form. People talk about everything from art skills to the best places to eat lunch in town. You might find that one of these art classes is just what you need if you want to try something completely different from what you normally do. Get an apron. The art world is watching, and it doesn’t wait quietly.