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Are you looking to cultivate a new hobby this fall? Online art and photography classes are a great way to start your journey into a creative activity. E-learning sites like Bluprint, CreativeLive, Skillshare, and Creativebug offer thousands of courses taught by industry professionals that share techniques, tips, and tricks for mastering nearly anything.
With so many choices, it can be intimidating to know where to start. Each month, we select some of the best and most popular classes on these platforms. If you’re interested in learning Photoshop, for instance, give 30 Days of Photoshop a try. The extensive course spends a month going over the complex program. When you’re done, you’ll know it inside and out. But if you’re looking to create artwork offline, there are classes for you, too. Color Meditation, taught by artist Lisa Solomon, is a daily practice that encourages you to experiment with watercolor hues.
Subscriptions are available on all of these sites. For one low monthly price, you can give all sorts of classes a try. Scroll down for our picks and have fun creating!
Learn a new hobby this fall when you try online art and photography classes. Scroll down to see our course picks.
Stock Photos from Di Studio/Shutterstock
Photography & Video
iPhone Photography: How to Take Pro Photos On Your iPhone, Skillshare — Nowadays, you don’t need an extensive camera setup to shoot incredible photographs—you just need a smartphone. Dale McManus shares the basics of iPhone photography as well as tips and tricks to make your photos stand out.
Fundamentals of Photo Editing, Skillshare — Whether you snap pictures with your phone or on a DSLR, Justin Bridges can show you how to transform your images with some essential editing techniques.
Creating Painterly Photographs, CreativeLive — Learn painterly approaches to drawing attention to the characteristics that are often overlooked in the natural world such as patterns, lines, and texture. Doing so will “add a new dimension” to your work.
Filming Families: The Modern Family Video, CreativeLive — If you’re a portrait photographer who wants to capture the entire story of a family, you'll want to incorporate video into your work. Instructor Courtney Holmes will teach you how to add videography to your photography brand and change your mindset from still images to moving pictures.
DIY Cinematography: Make Your Video Look Like a Movie, Skillshare — Filmmaker Ryan Booth shares techniques, tools, and tips for how to make your video look like it has high production value without fancy equipment or a large crew.
Seeing and Shaping Light, CreativeLive — Light is complex, but with the help of Lindsay Adler, you'll be able to “see and shape” light. When you’re done with the class, you'll know how to recreate lighting situations in your work as well as create a lighting system yourself.
Incredible Engagement Photography, CreativeLive — Photographing engagement portraits can be tricky. Couples want artistic shots while expecting their betrothed bliss to appear natural. In this course, photographer Pye Jirsa shows how to balance the technical and creative expectations of engagement photography.
30 Days of Photoshop, CreativeLive — This comprehensive class will teach you everything you need to know about the complex (and often overwhelming) program that is Photoshop. Taught over the course of a month, it introduces you to basic techniques for photo editing, helpful hacks, and more.
Stock Photos from Masarik/Shutterstock
Arts & Crafts
Painting Pop Art Portraits, Bluprint — Portraits are notoriously complicated, but they don’t have to be. Artist Lindee Zimmer shows how to create abstract portraits that will look great on any gallery wall.
Color Meditation Daily Practice, Creativebug — Want to get better with color? Artist and author Lisa Solomon leads this daily practice series that allows you to experiment with color theory, patterns, and layering as you tackle a variety of watercolor prompts.
Doodle and Paint an Animal Portrait, Creativebug — Whether you're obsessed with your own cat or covet an Insta-famous llama, this class will teach you how to create an expressive animal portrait. You'll use blind contour drawing and intuitive color choices to depict the animal.
Botanical Illustration With Watercolor & Colored Pencils, Bluprint — Paint and draw portraits of flowers that will never wilt. Artist Adele Rossetti shows how to recreate blooms in a realistic way while learning color mixing and watercolor wash techniques.
Digital Illustration: Streamlining with Adobe Tools, Skillshare — Illustrator Jing Wei teaches this 30-minute class to help you “master your digital toolkit” so that you can create clean and professional pieces in no time. You’ll learn how to use Adobe Sketch, Illustrator, and Photoshop in a streamlined workflow.
Drawing as Self Discovery: 5 Ways to Start, Skillshare — Illustrator and writer Mari Andrew pairs writing and drawing as a way to connect with others. In this class, she presents exercises that’ll help you channel emotions into your work, reflect via drawing, and promote self-discovery.
Stock Photos from Stokkete/Shutterstock
Creative Careers
Hype Your Brand on Instagram, CreativeLive — Instagram can be instrumental for growing and building your brand. Sue B. Zimmerman will show you how to take advantage of this fast-growing social marketplace.
Personal Finance for Artists & Freelancers, CreativeLive — It takes financial management skills in order to not only survive as a freelancer but thrive, too. Financial expert Galia Gichon is here to help with her introduction to a seven-step plan for managing your personal finances.
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