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Do you have natural drawing abilities? Others must work hard to hone their skills. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, online drawing classes will help you become a better artist.
You can find affordable, self-paced options for all skill levels. If you’re just getting started and haven’t drawn much in your lifetime, you’ll be in good hands with an instructor that teaches the basics. But if you have extensive experience, you will also benefit from more advanced courses that will accelerate your drawing skills.
Ready to get started with a drawing class? Benzinga can lend you a helping hand as you search for the best fit.
Quick Look: Best Drawing Classes
Here’s a sneak peek at the best drawing classes:
- Learn to Draw: Daily Practices to Improve Your Drawing Skills by Gabrielle Brickey
- Drawing Foundations: Fundamentals by LinkedIn Learning
- Drawing and Painting in Photoshop by LinkedIn Learning
- Visual Thinking: Drawing Data to Communicate Ideas by Catherine Madden
- Drawing Foundations: Sketching the Landscape by LinkedIn Learning
- Character Art School: Complete Character Drawing Course by Udemy
- The Art and Science of Figure Drawing: Volume and Structure by Udemy
- Anatomy for Figure Drawing: Mastering the Human Figure by Udemy
- Portrait Drawing: Art of Drawing and Sketching of Portrait by Udemy
What Makes a Drawing Class Great?
A quick search for drawing classes yields many results but how do you know which are best? Keep these considerations in mind as you explore your options and select a course that fits your needs and budget.
Includes Class Projects
Lectures on the art of drawing aren’t nearly as useful as hands-on activities. The only way to advance your skills or perfect your craft is by implementing the techniques through your own independent projects. It’s also helpful if the instructor incorporates demonstrations that allow you to follow along as you learn to master the concepts they’re teaching.
Self-Paced
You want a drawing class that permits you to work at a speed that’s comfortable for you. This is especially important if you’re just starting out since some drawing techniques are more difficult to fully master than others.
Affordable
Don’t spend a fortune on a drawing class. There are many affordable options to choose from. Consider a free course and work your way up to paid selections as your budget permits if you’re just getting started.
Our Top Picks
We’ve taken the guesswork out of finding the top options by doing the research for you. Below, you will find the best online drawing classes from LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare and Udemy.
The courses are listed by skill level — beginners, intermediate students and advanced students can help you find the best fit with ease. We’ve also included a description and enrollment fee for each class to facilitate the decision-making process.
Drawing Classes for Beginners
Start with these introductory courses if you struggle to draw basic images and need a little help.
1. Learn To Draw: Daily Practices to Improve Your Drawing Skills by Gabrielle Brickey
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: Free
Learn to Draw: Daily Practices to Improve Your Drawing Skills teaches you the essentials of drawing from the ground up. By the end of the course, you will have a host of foundational skills in your arsenal.
Portrait Artist Gabrielle Brickey dives the course into 20 lessons:
- Introduction
- Drawing Shapes
- Breaking Things Down Into Shapes
- Seeing Angles
- Drawing the Negative Space
- Drawing Upside Down
- Measuring Techniques
- Drawing Forms
- Breaking Things Down Into Forms
- Value Scale
- Shading Forms
- Drawing Rhythmically
- Experimenting with Materials
- Class Project
- Drawing from Photos
- Drawing from Life
- Copying the Masters
- Quick Sketches
- Drawing from Your Imagination
- Closing Thoughts
You can also sharpen your skills through 5 hands-on projects.
There’s no cost to enroll.
2. Drawing Foundations: Fundamentals by LinkedIn Learning
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: Included with the monthly membership
In a little under 2.5 hours, instructor Will Kemp offers an in-depth introduction to drawing fundamentals. He focuses on three core principles - shape, simplicity and structure.
Drawing Foundations: Fundamentals, which is designed to help you draw with ease, includes 10 modules:
- Introduction
- Materials
- The Theory Behind Drawing
- The Importance of Line
- Value and Tone
- Negative Space and Simple Composition
- Perspective without Pain
- Light Logic
- The Final Project
- Conclusion
Enrollment is free with a LinkedIn membership. Not yet subscribed? Sign up for a free 1-month trial to unlock the video lectures, worksheets and drawing assignments.
3. Drawing and Painting in Photoshop by LinkedIn Learning
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: Included with the monthly membership
Also presented by LinkedIn Learning, Drawing and Painting in Photoshop is designed for newbie artists interested in learning how to use a digital canvas. You will discover best practices for using digital brushes, color pickers, texture tools and so much more.
Here’s a breakdown of the course:
- Introduction
- Setting the Digital Canvas
- Control of the Digital Screen
- Tools for Choosing Color
- Settings for the Brush Tool
- Additional Tools for Applying Color
- Supporting Tools
- Manipulating Color
- Organizing the Digital Canvas
- Digital Drawing
- Colored, Digital Drawing
- Digital Painting
- Conclusion
The class is led by Daniel Lieske is a comic book illustrator, video game artist and product specialist at Wacom.
Intermediate Drawing Classes
Move beyond the basics and learn how to create captivating drawings or illustrate essential ideas or concepts with these intermediate courses.
4. Visual Thinking: Drawing Data to Communicate Ideas by Catherine Madden
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: Free
Information designer and artist Catherine Madden takes you from idea to illustrated masterpiece in this intermediate course from Skillshare.
She teaches you how to brainstorm more effectively, convey challenging concepts and convert data to stories and charts. The class caters to entrepreneurs, creative team members, designers, writers and artists seeking ways to leverage the power of visual thinking with images.
Visual Thinking: Drawing Data to Communicate Ideas spans a little over 1 hour and includes 13 lessons:
- Introduction
- Your Project
- What Is Visual Thinking?
- Basic Shapes Warm-Up
- Core Journey
- Mind Mapping
- Two-Factor Bar Chart
- Three-Factor Bar Chart
- Scatter Plots
- Charts that Tell a Story
- Visual Possibilities
- Closing
Grab a free seat in this course with a Skillshare trial.
5. Drawing Foundations: Sketching the Landscape by LinkedIn Learning
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: Included with the monthly membership
Have some drawing experience under your belt and want to learn more about sketching landscapes? Look no further than this intermediate course from Udemy.
It’s also led by Will Kemp and includes lessons to help you create stunning landscape sketches. You will also learn practices for sketching outside to capture the scene that you’re attempting to recreate on the canvas.
Drawing Foundations: Sketching the Landscape comprises 8 primary modules:
- Introduction to Materials
- Landscape Sketching Foundations
- The Basics of Landscape Sketching
- How to Get the Most Out of Your Sketchbook
- Capturing Changing Conditions
- How to Draw Elements of the Landscape
- Creating Mood and Atmosphere
- Putting it All Together
There’s no cost to enroll if you have a LinkedIn membership. If not, you can take the class for free by signing up for a 1-month trial.
6. Character Art School: Complete Character Drawing Course by Udemy
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: $129.99
Instructor Scott Harris, art director at the DAS: School of Art and Design, draws from many years of experience to bring you this Udemy bestseller. It provides step-by-step instruction on drawing professional images of humans and characters that can be used in animation, cartoons, comics and games.
Character Art School: Complete Character Drawing Course features 14 core modules:
- Intro to Art Fundamentals
- Drawing Fundamentals
- Character Forms and Proportions
- Gesture Drawing Workflows
- Character Composition and Design
- Facial Expression and Emotion
- Hair and Cloth Dynamics
- Character Post-Production
- Comprehensive Character Demos
Enroll today for full lifetime access to 26.5 hours on-demand video, 18 articles and 25 downloadable resources. You will also receive a certificate of completion when you finish the course.
Advanced Drawing Classes
Seasoned artists will find these courses useful.
7. The Art and Science of Figure Drawing: Volume and Structure by Udemy
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: $99.99
Interested in learning how to draw figures in 3D? This course is worth considering.
The Art and Science of Figure Drawing: Volume and Structure is facilitated by experienced artist Brent Eviston. He covers the development of the rib cage, pelvis, head, neck, legs, arms and more.
Included in the registration fee are 20 lectures jam-packed into 5.5 hours on-demand video and 24 downloadable resources. The course is also backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied for any reason.
Have basic drawing skills, including measuring, shading and volumes techniques before you enroll.
8. Anatomy for Figure Drawing: Mastering the Human Figure by Udemy
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: $94.99
Offered by professional painter Neil Fontaine, this advanced course explores techniques that will help you draw human figures like the professionals.
Anatomy for Figure Drawing: Mastering the Human Figure includes 12 primary segments:
- Proportions – Please Start Here
- Skeleton – The Important Foundations You Must Know
- Muscles and Where They Attach – Needed to Draw Any Pose From Imagination
- Structure of Man
- How to Draw Hands, and Anatomy of Hands
- Feet – The Anatomy of Feet
- Skull, Head and Face
- Adding on the Skin
- How Muscles Move and Look When Flexed
- Learn Where Fat Builds Up and Different Body Types and How to Draw Them
- Putting it All Together – Drawing Poses
- Bonus Lessons
You will need a pencil and paper or art program on a Mac or PC to complete the course successfully.
9. Portrait Drawing: Art of Drawing and Sketching of Portrait by Udemy
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: $69.99
Portrait Drawing: Art of Drawing and Sketching of Portrait is co-facilitated by Matin Shafiei, colored pencil and ballpoint pen drawing artist and Milad Ahmadi, professional programmer. It features a hands-on activity that entails you sketching the girl's face standing next to a window.
The course includes 42 lessons that are categorized as follows:
- Introduction
- Working on Facial Components
- Working on the Hair and Chest of Model
- Working on the Clothes of Model
- Working on the Hand of Model
- Working on the Sleeve of Dress
- Working on the Window Part
You will need a flat bristle brush, small soft brush, standard A4 paper, 220 grams of Fabriano cardboard, Eschtenbakh cardboard, dough eraser, electronic eraser, etude eraser, graphite pencil and Staedtler Mars Lumograph (B8).
Find the Best Drawing Class for You
Whether you want to learn the essentials of drawing or advance your skills, there’s an online course for you. Take a look at our recommendations to explore viable options and get started in just minutes.
Southern New Hampshire University Online
SNHU Online Offers:
- Flexible schedules
- Affordable tuition
- Online tutoring
- Access to electronic research materials
- Specialized academic advising
- Supportive online community