The Best Digital Art Classes & Courses (2024 UPDATED) (2024)

Supercharge your Skills with these art Courses for 2023!

Keeping up-to-date with the latest technological advances is critical to staying ahead of the pack.

Within the field of digital art & digital painting, techniques & software are always changing, so it’s a good idea to keep up with the latest trends (such as concept art) by following an online course every now and again! 🙂 It’s also important to keep up to date with hardware, so check out our articles on the best cheap laptops for graphic design and the best ipad for procreate

The digital space is booming lately and this has exposed people with digital art training to an array of opportunities. This also means that those who are still stuck on the “paper and pencil” way of doing things are becoming more and more obsolete by the day, especially learning things like concept art.

Whether you aspire to be a digital artist or you want to add a skill set that positions you better in the industry, a course in digital art is something you should consider!

The following are the online courses & art courses in general you can find on the web:

Ultimate Guide to Digital Sketching: Beginner to Advanced

Ever thought of digitally sketching images for film and video games? This course provides you with the concept art skills to do this like an industry pro, for example if you want to use unity to create video games.

It teaches you everything from the basics to all the core aspects of digital painting for a comprehensive learning experience in one of the best art courses on this list, you’ll be creating content for video games in no times at all!

Ultimate Guide to Digital Sketching: Beginner to Advanced promises to guide you on how to sketch digitally and draw digital images with the skills of a professional.

The techniques you’ll learn from this course can be applied to any program, including Procreate and Photoshop.

Your digital art skills will reach a totally new level by the end of the course.

If you want to build a solid portfolio in digital art in 2022 and become a good concept artist, this course will be a great way to get started; and is certainly one of the best online courses on Udemy for 2020.

Whether it is a personal portfolio you’re working on or a client’s, the course ensures that your knowledge of how to digitally sketch and draw is transformed from an amateur’s to a professional’s in just about one week! Becoming a good concept artist and improving your digital painting has never been easier.

In this course you will learn:

1. The basic sketches in digital painting

2. Get introduced to creative drawing ideas, starting from the beginner to expert level, to equip you with the skills to create your own masterpieces.

3. Get access to the instructor’s drawings for inspiration

4. The process of digital painting from your imagination

5. Various digital painting techniques to improve your sketching

The course is fast-paced but pretty easy to follow. It takes a step by step approach with a focus on creating a professional digital sketch.

At the end of the day, the skills you’ll have gained will allow you to come up with stunning images and concept art.

Finding a gig with these kinds of techniques will be a walk in the park for you!

The Ultimate Guide to Digital Sketching Course is taught via 5.5 hours of video lectures, as well as 3 downloadable resources that you can readily access and is one of the best art courses on this list. You’ll also benefit from full lifetime access you maintain for whenever you want to refer to the course in the future.

This course will be ideal for digital artists who want to spruce up their digital painting and drawing, as well as anyone curious to learn about brushes when drawing. All in all, it will go a long way to improve your digital painting techniques and put you ahead of the game.

Complete Beginner’s Guide to Digital Art

Complete Beginners Guide to Digital Art is a great option for those who are just developing an interest in digital art.

If you like creating illustrations in your free time, enrolling in this course may just be what you need to transform your hobby into a money-making venture.

Taking the course will offer you the skills of a professional digital artist, and by the time you’re done, you’ll have a solid base to pursue any other digital art course online.

The program does not only focus on “Digital Art” as its name suggests but art in general.

It is pretty in-depth and takes you from novice and hobbyist art lessons to professional stuff. Completing one of these art courses such as this is not a direct pass to gaining employment, but you can rest assured that the skills you’ll have attained are enough to position you strategically in the job market.

The course instructor, Rich Grayson, is a professional artist, so you can look forward to learning from someone who knows what they are talking about especially regarding digital painting. His passion for art and digital painting ensures that students benefit from crucial knowledge and skills to compete with professionals.

In this course you will learn:

1. Solid techniques that are required to create art masterpieces

2. It takes you through the psychology of an actual artist so that you’re are able to think like one and be a great problem solver

3. You’ll also be ready to understand the relationship between shapes and lines, and how you can use them to draw from observation

4. You’ll be taught the basics of digital colouring and as a bonus

5. Learn how to use a sketchbook pro

6. For those who are serious about enhancing their art, a drawing tablet will come in handy when you enroll in this course

The good thing is that there is no pressure since you can take the course at your own pace. There is no time limit! There are more than 19 hours of video lessons and 9 downloadable resources available to you.

You’ll appreciate the continuous assistance from the instructor in case of any queries. Not to mention that those who complete the course are rewarded with a certificate of completion!

Digital Arts Tools: Complete Fundamentals Course

Before starting to draw or paint digitally, you must be familiar with the tools of the trade!

This is an essential course for any digital artist and along with being one of the best online courses and general art courses for 2022, it covers the core and practical knowledge you’ll need to make use of digital art software as you embark on creating quality digital painting.

Generally, digital art software share a couple of core features. Using Adobe Photoshop as a base, Digital Arts Tools: Complete Fundamentals Course will acquaint you with the techniques and tools of digital art creation.

Anybody looking to pursue digital art and learn the process of drawing in digital art software will find this course to be extra useful.

In this course you will learn:

1. How to master all the essentials for digital painting and drawing in digital art software

2. You’ll be conversant with both the software and hardware needed to come up with digital art

3. Know the core features of digital art and concept art and how you can use them for your work

4. You’ll also get familiar with the digital canvas, color panels, navigation, tools, etc. not to mention insight into layers, brushes, layer modes, and more

Overall, you shouldn’t have a hard time wrapping your head around the teachings of the course.

The instructor uses a step by step approach to familiarise you with the digital painting process; starting from the hardware tools needed and creating a digital canvas to resolutions and adjusting brushes, layers, and more. All this allows you to paint or draw effectively on a computer.

The course is precise, with 1.5 hours of high-quality video lessons, whether you’re watching on TV or mobile, with comprehensive audio for your easy understanding.

In less than two hours, you’ll have mastered the basic tools and core techniques of digital art. Two articles are further provided and you maintain lifetime access to the course.

This program will be suitable for newbies in digital art software who have little or no experience. It offers a great opportunity to enhance your digital art tools knowledge and makes it easy to work with its software and hardware. It’s a solid contender on our list here of best art courses.

Adobe Draw-Creating Digital Art! Drawing A-Z on your iPad

This interesting course exposes you to the magical art you can create on your iPad. If you want to draw simple and fast digital art on your tablet with realistic illustrations in your free time, this course will help you make the most of your hidden talent.

You’ll be able to sketch wonderful portraits in a matter of minutes.

Adobe Draw: Creating Digital Art! Drawing A-Z on your iPad is generally easy to understand and the great visuals on the video lessons make it a joy to follow on your mobile, as well as TV. You’ll enjoy the new techniques you’ll be learning from the very basic to the more advanced ones. Its one of the best online courses and general art courses for Adobe Draw on Udemy.

In this course you will learn:

1. At the beginning of the course, students will be introduced to one of the simplest and most efficient iPad drawing apps as precedence to improving their drawing skills with iPencil

2. You’ll be able to master realistic portrait drawing with inspiration from a photo

3. How to create high-quality and compelling illustrations in a matter of minutes

4. Take the first step you’ll need to establish a digital art style you can call your own

5. The process of digital illustrations, which can be done in a very short time

6. How to create realistic illustrations of anything that your mind can visualize and still have fun while at it

The fact that it is a beginner course lets you start with zero drawing skills without worrying about whether you’ll be able to follow. The instructor also uses professional techniques so that even designers get to learn one or two new things; which makes it one of our favourite art courses.

In addition to all the techniques, tips, and solutions that the course equips you with, you’ll get all the pictures used during the lessons and drawing practices to aid during application.

You will also benefit from the continuous support from the instructor throughout the course in case of any queries or clarifications you may want!

The course will be a nice pick for digital art beginners, vector artists, and anybody looking to create simple graphics. To make sure that you’re getting value for your money, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee when you sign up for the course. All of this packaged together makes it one of the best online courses on Udemy for 2022.

How to Make Digital Art in Adobe Illustrator

This is a precise course that will barely disrupt your daily schedule. In just about half an hour, you’ll have gained crucial skills that will take your digital art skills to the next level. The course teaches students how to come up with complex vector digital illustrations using basic shapes.

You’ll be able to transform any vector shape into a perfect geometric work. The course offers you a quick start to Adobe Illustrator and enables you to learn the basics by making an interesting shape design. You’ll be following a step by step tutorial using Illustrator’s effects and tools to do this.

How to make Digital Art in Adobe Illustrator focuses on upcoming illustrators who already have the knowledge of basics in navigation and using Adobe Illustrator. However, the methods explained throughout the class are easy to pick up and understand for those who have completely no clue of what Adobe Illustrator is.

In this course you will learn:

1. Teach you about the fundamentals of Adobe Illustrator

2. Provide you with a quick guide to Digital Illustration

3. How to create amazing digital art and make complex vector digital illustrations from basic shapes

4. You’ll also learn how to choose vibrant colors when you want to make your digital illustrations pop

5. How to use specific tools and panels on Illustrator

6. Finally, you will be taught how to apply your digital illustrations to physical products

All these are crucial skills that you’ll be able to boast about once you complete the course. Whether you intend to make a poster, T-shirt design, or even a label graphic for a physical product, you can use the final design you create in this course for something practical. The class is generally fun and lightweight; it only lasts 31 minutes on video and you’ll probably complete it in one sitting. Remember to post the final design you make to the class project and see the feedback you get.

This course will be ideal for upcoming illustrators and any enthusiast of graphic design. You can access it on mobile or TV and you will enjoy lifetime access to the course even after completion. Its one of the best online courses for 2020 for those wishing to learn Adobe Illustrator.

Beginner Guide to Drawing Cartoon Characters in Procreate

This is one of the best art courses that boasts a perfect rating on Udemy.

Students have praised it for being easy to follow and the cool examples and directions it uses throughout the course. If you’re an aspiring cartoonist, this course has all it takes to turn you into an expert.

Beginner Guide to Drawing Cartoon Characters in Procreate will show you the kind of artistic magic you can create using your iPad and Apple Pencil. Procreate offers you the proper brushes you’ve been searching for to draw realistic cartoons just like the ones drawn from pencil and paper. The instructor shares 4 of his favourite cartoon brushes in the course of his lectures that have been tweaked to create sharp lines and impressive results.

For those people who just can’t stop doodling when they run into pen and paper, this will be a great opportunity to get into digital art.

The course takes you right from the beginning so that you’re conversant with the basics. You’ll be able to take your existing sketches and turn them into smooth, polished and clean pieces of art!

In this course you will learn:

1. How to create high-quality art elements for character design

2. How to download specific drawing brushes that have been tweaked to draw character design and cartoons

3. Students learn to draw realistic character design in Procreate on their iPad using an iPencil

4. You’ll also be shown how to enhance your drawings by filling in colors, gradients, shadows, and highlights for mesmerizing final results

5. You’ll be able to use your imagination to come up with amazing character design and digital painting from scratch

6. All the techniques you pick up from this course will apply to other drawing applications like Photoshop, so they might come in handy when you least expect

The course is taught over 3.5 hours of video presentation and there are 13 useful resources that you can download. You also get lifetime access for future reference, as well as a certificate after successful completion.

The lessons will be quite beneficial to any hobbyists who like doodling cartoons and those who want to gain basic skills of drawing on iPad. It’s one of our favourite and best art courses for 2020.

Digital Ink for Comics- Creating Amazing Line Art

Digital Ink for Comics – Creating Amazing Line Art is another highly rated course for concept art that you’ll have fun with, especially if you pass time scribbling cartoons on your sketchbook.

The course shows you how to come up with clean line artwork for your illustrations and concept art. The lessons are explained with the help of Clip Studio Paint and help to turn you from a hobbyist into an amazing digital artist, creating concept art in no time.

A good share of the techniques taught during the lessons can be used in a variety of art programs, including traditional art.

This means you’ll have versatile skills that you can apply to numerous situations. The course has been designed to impart knowledge via a step by step approach, ensuring that everything you’re taught is easy to understand.

In this course you will learn:

1. The course has been divided into three sections. The first section focuses on the head and this teaches you how to ink three different face types and focus on concept art techniques

2. The pencil sketch will be availed to you so that you work along with the instructor. Inking the different characters aims to make you understand why the lines are applied differently to the concepts

3. It will make you discover the many subtle differences that exist during inking different characters and their faces and enables you to tell more interesting stories with your comics

4. The second section entails practice activities. Here, you will be taught a variety of practice activities to boost your drawing skills

5. These will be a nice way to get you warmed up as you prepare to start inking complex scenes

6. It will be a great opportunity for you to sharpen your skills and any queries you have can be forwarded to the instructor anytime

7. Finally, you will ink a whole scene with the instructor in the final section. The scene will be futuristic and uses a 1-point perspective

8. This section teaches you where and how to use various line weights, spot shadows, adjust perspective, cross hatch, and even clean up your work with the help of editing features in Clip Studio Paint, creating sublime concept art.

By the time you complete this course you’ll be better versed with how to create appealing line work on your illustrations effectively.

While digital art programs won’t make you a better artist, they will certainly make you more efficient if used appropriately.

The Best Beginner’s Guide to Digital Art with Procreate on iPad

If you are familiar with the current computers arts scene, you know that you can’t survive without a tablet and digital pen. This in-depth course aims to teach you all the fundamentals of using Procreate on iPad.

Procreate is a high-grade application that outperforms its competition and proves to be useful for all kinds of digital artists.

In this course you will learn:

1. How to efficiently utilize procreate tools in creating line art and colored illustrations; this happens in real-time with no time-lapses.

2. You’ll also be equipped with crucial skills that can be applied to any kind of art- whether comic books, cartoons, webcomics or manga.

3. The course also gets you to be familiar with using Procreate’s built-in features to be able to create amazing time-lapse digital painting and drawings, which will earn you those followers on social media!

It doesn’t matter that you want to draw professionally or simply colour for fun, The Best Beginners Guide to Art with Procreate on iPad will provide you with critical skills and ensure that you have fun while at it. The course features 3.5 hours of video lessons, which will barely eat into your busy schedule. Apart from the video tutorials, you also get a copy of the Procreate file the lecturer uses throughout the course. This allows you to dissect issues and learn comfortably from the inside.

There are also special brushes you can import into Procreate on the iPad, as well as a myriad of tips, shortcuts, and tricks you can use as you draw.

The good thing about this course is that it allows you to work at a comfortable pace since there is no time limit.

By the time you complete this course, you’ll have all the techniques to make amazing art with Procreate on your iPad. If you’ve always viewed art as a conundrum, this is the course to straighten everything out and provide you with the tools to grow in the field. We’re a big fan of this course, and the sheer amount of resources you get makes it one of the best online courses on Udemy for 2020.

A Pro’s Guide to Digital Comic Book Coloring

A Pro’s Guide to Digital Comic Book Coloring is a comprehensive class that will not only show you how to color comic books but also make you think like a real storyteller. It will provide you with fresh skills and enhance your knowledge of comic book colouring. This course is one of our favourite & best digital painting classes for 2020.

The course takes you through the instructor’s process of colouring in Photoshop, starting from the basics like layer setup to post-colouring printing prep.

The focus is on learning essential skills that will make your pages easier to read and guide your readers to the crucial aspects. It enables you to be a storyteller throughout.

Enrolling in this course means you’ll get access to an in-depth program through a step by step approach in real-time.

This course comes with at least 6 hours of easy to understand video lessons, spanning a variety of subjects. These begin by teaching the fundamentals, including setting up the workspace, installing presets for brushes, as well as tool settings.

In this course you will learn:

1. The setup of line art from layers, which can be done in several ways.

2. Important tools such as magic wand, lasso, and brushes, which provide a lot of functionality, will be introduced.

3. Additionally, students will get to know the basics of color theory and how to deal with challenges associated with color in comics.

4. Other things that will be covered in the course are concepts like separating planes, strategic rendering, contrast, value, etc.

5. The instructor will take you through full splash page and the basics of brush modes, multiple light sources, creating special features, adjustment layers, textures, just to mention a few.

The course is quite comprehensive but has conveniently been shortened into 6 hours of video lessons. You will also access 3 articles and 6 downloadable resources to aid in your learning. Lifetime access to the course ensures that you can always refer to what you learned and a certificate of completion will come in handy when searching for gigs.

Passive Income- How to Make Printables to Sell on Etsy

There are numerous marketplaces on the internet today that provide creatives with a great opportunity to make a quick buck off their work. The best part is that you get to do this from the comfort of your home.

Passive Income: How to Make Printables to Sell on Etsy by Dana Gore puts in you in a position to take advantage of such opportunities by teaching you how to create art printables with the help of free design tools. If you’re looking to gain more knowledge on Etsy, this is one of the best online classes for that purpose.

One of the most popular marketplaces today is Etsy. Here, you can easily sell art you create in your free time and earn a decent amount if you put in the right effort.

This course doesn’t require you to have any prior skills to enroll; just a functional laptop and good internet reception and you’ll be good to go.

This class would be perfect for a beginner with no clue of where to start, though the mere passion for art would be an added advantage. There are so many great lessons to learn from this, which allow you to discover free tools you can use to create your digital artwork.

In this course you will learn:

1. How to create simple art designs with free vector images and fonts

2. How to adjust image size and resolution to satisfy the standards for quality print options, usually 300DPI/dot per inch

3. You’ll also know how to find graphics and fonts for use on your designs, as well as create watermarks and mockups using free tools and templates

This is a special course because it incorporates a brief pep talk about the importance of learning new skills and stepping up to the plate when faced with the fear of doing something new.

This should just the kind of motivation you need to get active and start creating sellable art pieces once you are done with the program.

The course also ensures that by the time you finish it, you’ll have created your maiden printable art piece just to prove to you the capabilities you possess! It is conveniently short; just 1.5 hours of your time needed, but sufficient to turn you from a clueless beginner to a confident action taker.

You also be able to access 5 articles and 6 downloadable resources in the course for your learning. We can’t forget the lifetime access to the course a certificate of completion to cap off your successful and eye-opening academic journey! This course is most certainly

Photoshop Manipulation and Editing Masterclass

Photoshop Manipulation and Editing Masterclass comes with projects that will assist you to familiarise with editing techniques, as well as conquer both simple and complex photo manipulation projects.

It will tell you about non-destructive editing that lets you edit a photo without interfering with the original photo. This enables you more control over the changes you make down the road.

In this course you will learn:

1. The first section focuses on the amazing tools you will find on Photoshop, such as content-aware tools, which make things disappear in a flash

2. You’ll see how the season in a photo can be manipulated by simply using selective color

3. Using the spot healing brush tool, you’ll know how to add some light to dull photos with the help of dodge and burn

4. The section also includes lessons on how to change color on hair and clothing by digital painting using blending modes, as well as painting on gold makeup to add dramatic effects

5. Moving on to the second section of the course, the class will shift to photo manipulation projects ranging from easy to complex

6. In the first project, you will look at the different ways you can isolate and select subjects to be transplanted to new environments and discover how to edit glass so that it adapts to the new background

7. Another unusual yet interesting thing you’re going to learn here is changing white wine into red wine

8. In the next project, the class will transform a simple olive oil bottle into a fishbowl

9. You’ll also be taught how to cut objects, leaving behind fine details, in addition to digital painting on water and making it as realistic as possible

10. From here, you’ll be taken through a head swap project in detail, with emphasis on how to swap heads with the help of combination tools such as liquify and clone tools

11. Your next undertaking will be producing dynamic lighting effects and digital painting make up to create a memorable character

12. Finally, the class will use the tools covered to this point to debunk complex image manipulation as a recap of what you’ve done through the course

This course will greatly suit aspiring graphic designers and active creatives who are looking to enhance their photoshop skills.

It will also apply to any photoshop enthusiast that want to create interesting art using this exciting application.

By the time you finish this course, you’ll be able to manipulate photos however you want without leaving behind evidence of manipulation. The class is easy and straight forward to accommodate newbies and will be great for those possessing intermediate skills. This is one best art courses on Udemy for 2020

Drawing & Painting on iPad with Procreate

The iPad is one of the most notable inventions to come out of the 21st century. It not only serves entertainment purposes but also offers a myriad of features and apps that in the right hands, can create unbelievable art.

Drawing & Painting on iPad with Procreate focuses on teaching enthusiasts how to paint and draw on the iPad using Procreate.

Procreate is among the most exciting drawing apps out there, and you can only access it on iPad.

The course teaches learners the basics of using Procreate to paint and draw, as well as introduces you to other tools that will be instrumental in your digital painting and drawing.

This course is instructed by Brad Collbow, an experienced illustrator and graphic designer with a reputation for publishing different comics. With his multi-year expertise, you can expect to learn a lot from someone who’s been there and done that!

In this course you will learn:

1. You’ll be acquainted with some of the most useful tools and apps on iPad that you can use for digital painting

2. You’ll also learn about comic strips in a step by step process starting from drawing panels to pencils, inks to colors, and backgrounds

3. It will teach you options and shortcuts that can be used alongside every digital tool provided by iPad

By the end of the classes, you should be able to create a personal project from scratch that will necessitate all the skills you’ve been exposed to throughout the course. This course is among the highest-rated on Udemy with more than 30,000 students enrolled. You can be sure that you are getting value for your money when you take up one of the best classes for digital painting.

Conclusion

Art will always remain an interesting endeavour for those who create, as well as those who get to witness it. Thanks to technological advancements, producing art has become easier and more realistic; even those with remote abilities can end up producing masterclasses!

The above art courses are among the best art courses you can sign up for today and will be a great way to get started on digital artwork or expand your skillset if you are a creative.