Our lives are busier than ever, but it's important that, among the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we still take time for ourselves. Learning a new skill is a great way to foster a lifelong relationship with education that will enrich your life and ultimately boost your happiness. Online creative classes will help you in your quest for creativity. Sites like Skillshare, CreativeLive, and Craftsy all offer on-demand e-learning in photography, art, design, and entrepreneurship.
As if education wasn’t a sweet enough deal, Skillshare and Craftsy are offering concessions on their classes. Through Skillshare, you can purchase a subscription for just $0.99 for three months. This is their premium service that allows you to take as many of their 18,000 classes that you like. Craftsy has something similar with their newly-launched Craftsy Unlimited, where you can watch everything for one low monthly price. Right now, they are offering a free seven-day trial.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out our picks of the week below, and visit our classes category to see what else we’ve selected for you in previous weeks.
Scroll down to find 15+ online creative classes you can try today!
Photography
Editing Techniques for Night Photography, Craftsy: Capture the brilliance of the stars by developing your night photography editing skills.
The Art of Seeing, CreativeLive: We often look, but don’t really see our subjects. World-renowned National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting will change the way you view the field of nature photography with his inspiring workshop. The course concludes with a critique of his students’ work.
Take Control of Your Light, Craftsy: Light is vital in photography, and using it indoors can be tricky. This class will help you demystify the process by learning how to use indoor equipment properly.
Natural-Light Macro Photography, Craftsy: If you know how to photograph them, little details can make a huge impact. This class will show you how to take macro photos without any fancy gear.
Food Photography, CreativeLive: This three-day, mouth-watering workshop introduces you to the fundamentals of photographing your food—from lighting to styling to post-production techniques.
The Outdoor Photography Experience, CreativeLive: Photographer Chris Burkard shares how he captures stunning outdoor images and how you can, too.
Arts & Crafts
Drawing Essentials: Rendering Form, Craftsy: To draw realistically, you’ve got to know the fundamentals. A great class for beginners, you’ll learn the basics of rendering form.
Color in Bloom: Painting Flowers With Oil, Craftsy: Follow in the rich tradition of oil painting and bring beautiful blooms to life on canvas.
Expressive Pages: Journaling the Everyday, Craftsy: Combine elements of art and writing to chronicle your day in a visually creative way.
Realistic Textures in Colored Pencil, Craftsy: Become introduced to colored pencils techniques and depict textures like fur and fruit skins realistically on paper. (Check out some of the best colored pencils here.)
Sketching People in Motion, Craftsy: This intermediate-level class teaches you how to capture the essence of movement.
Ink Drawing Techniques: Brush, Nib, and Pen Style, Skillshare: One of illustration’s most famous faces, Yuko Shimizu, lends her expertise when it comes to ink drawing. Understand the types of materials to use, illustrating textures, and more.
Creative Careers
Studio System: A Photography Business Bootcamp, CreativeLive: Implementing systems are an integral part of a successful business. Learn how to apply this idea to photography and turn your business into a “well-oiled machine.”
Make Things Make Money: The Business of Illustration and Lettering, CreativeLive: When trying to forge your own path, it’s helpful to learn the stories of others. In this course, hand lettering artist and commercial illustrator Dina Rodriguez shares the things she did to become a successful freelancer.
Going Freelance: Building and Branding Your Own Success, Skillshare: Thinking about going freelance? This 50-minute course “dives into the essentials of going it on your own.”
How to Communicate with Clients: Building Relationships that Last, Skillshare: No matter who your client might be, if you want to get rehired, you’ve got to have good communication skills. Will Bryant teaches you techniques he’s used, as well as tools for you to use after.
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