Online art courses of all shapes and sizes lie in the depths of the internet, enticing for those looking to take their art to the next level.

So, with so many voices out there, how do you choose the best online art course for you?

This guide will help you compare some of the best overall options, as well as the best options for specific areas of study, from painting to illustration and everything in between.

15 Best Drawing Materials for Beginners

Best Online Art Courses Compared

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#1. New Master Academy

New Master Academy Art Class

Overall Best Online Art Course

A wide variety of skills and subjects are taught by Masters of the Arts.

Affordable, subscription-based courses allow you to take multiple courses without limiting yourself.

Comes with a large collection of images and 3D model assets for your use.

Optional mentoring program to guide your artistic journey

#2. Evolution Artist

evolution art class

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Best Online Oil Painting Courses

Teaching begins with basic drawing fundamentals, with each lesson building on the previous one.

Breaks down the basics into easy-to-digest concepts and gives you quick and actionable personalized feedback to help you improve faster.

Provides you with all materials, including tuition.

10 Must-Have Art Supplies for Beginners

#3. CG Spectrum

CG spectrum art class

Best Online Digital Art Courses

Step-by-step lessons are provided so you never get lost in the process.

Breaks everything down into clear learning paths so you can focus on your goals.

Have a supportive community to keep you motivated and inspired.

#4. Proco

Proco Art Course

Best Online Figure Drawing Courses

Enables anyone to draw characters.

Extensive demonstrations and examples are provided for each exercise.

Gives thorough and constructive criticism and teaches you to criticize your work and that of your colleagues.

#5. 21 draw

21 Online Art Lessons for Drawing

Best Online Illustration Courses

A comprehensive course on every aspect of the instructions you need.

Even if you are new to digital art software, beginners are welcome!

Individual lessons or monthly memberships are available so you can affordably gain more skills.

Reviews of Online Courses

1. New Master Academy

NMA Virtual Art Academy

Overall Rating: 5/5

New Masters Academy is our “Best Overall” pick because they offer a large selection of high-quality online art courses across mediums, disciplines, and skill levels.

With the NMA, you choose which subjects to study and when. No matter what your current focus or goals are, you’ll find courses taught by masters in the field to meet all your needs.

Topics include portraiture, illustration, animation, concept art, all well-organized and easy to categorize despite the abundance of content!

Whether you’re a complete beginner looking to start with beginner-friendly lessons, or you’re more advanced and looking for a challenge, you’ll find yourself mastering new artistic skills in drawing, drawing, sculpting, or all three.

New Masters Academy offers some of the best online art courses for adults, allowing you to learn at your own pace and schedule. This is perfect if you have other commitments or limitations preventing you from getting into traditional art school.

NMA also offers additional resources such as an entire library of images, 3D models, tutorials and one-on-one coaching so you’ll never feel alone.

Their affordable monthly subscriptions allow you to take any live or “on-demand” class of your choice without having to pay huge tuition fees up front or pay per class.

If you need tailored feedback and guidance, consider their one-on-one or group coaching.

You can read our full review of The New Master Academy here.

Enroll in New Master Academy today and take advantage of top-notch online courses that will translate into tangible skills that you can add to your artistic toolbox in no time!

Get the Best Rates at New Masters Academy

2. Evolution Artist

Growing an Online Art Course Dashboard

Overall Rating: 4.9/5

Evolve Artist won the “Best Online Oil Painting Course” category for its focused, in-depth focus on everything you could ever want to know about oil painting.

Evolve Artist’s online art school teaches you drawing techniques from the basics through easy-to-follow study modules that build on each other, one skill at a time.

All beginners to painting are welcome, and if you want to get a head start, check out their free oil painting mini-course for beginners to get a feel for their teaching style.

Evolve will deliver two boxes of premium materials, like Old Holland’s famous oil paints, directly to your door, taking the stress out of you and keeping you from scrambling over materials. These supplies are included in your tuition and are worth over $1000 alone.

eovle Artist’s Toolbox

The program employs group lessons, one-to-one feedback sessions and individual critiques, and fosters a community of students who study with you and who you can interact with.

You can go at your own pace and control how much time you spend drawing each week, working according to your own schedule and personal life.

This course is not for those who want to dabble in different media, you have to commit to spending a lot of time painting.

Want more information? Check out our full review of the Evolve Artist here.

If you’re ready to take on oil painting as your new medium of choice, but need some guidance and support along the way, enroll in Evolve Artist’s online art classes for a fraction of the cost of traditional art schools!

3. CG Spectrum Review

cg spectrum virtual art course

Overall Rating: 4.9/5

CG Spectrum offers some of the best digital art courses designed specifically for the entertainment industry, all taught by industry professionals. These intensive courses are designed to prepare you for success in professional fields such as animation, illustration, 3D modeling, concept art and game design.

Introductory courses are for beginners, starting with the basics of each skill.

The CG Spectrum course is for those serious about learning art industry skills. They require a minimum of 20 hours per week dedicated to each course and a maximum of 40 hours.

Courses range in length from 3 to 9 months and provide a wealth of information as well as assignments, projects and exercises.

You can choose to take group lessons or pay an additional fee for individual one-on-one instruction.

These courses are more expensive, but provide the most professional training in the industry. With clear career goals in mind, they produce students who are hired by professional studios.

4. Proco 

Proko online art course

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Proko’s fun, engaging online course ranks among the “Best Figure Drawing Courses” because it takes the dread out of drawing people.

Proko classes aren’t limited to figure drawing, though, and cover sculpture, digital painting, character design, and just about every other subject you can imagine.

Proko lessons are easy to follow for both beginners and seasoned artists.

Proko offers hundreds of free short course videos (with millions of views) expanded in greater depth in longer paid advanced courses taught by experienced instructors.

Classes focus on teaching you how to identify and recreate drawing fundamentals such as gesture, structure, proportion, anatomy, and shading. Armed with these skills, you’ll be able to draw characters in any pose like a pro.

Classes are broken down into specific skill sessions such as “How to Draw Gestures,” “Human Anatomy,” “Portrait Drawing Fundamentals,” and “Figure Drawing Fundamentals.” Each lesson is step-by-step and includes multiple presentations, assignments, pdf workbooks and review videos.

There is also an active online community on the Proko website. Students share their drawings in a constructive environment, giving and receiving criticism, tips and advice.

Adult Art Class

Read our full Proko Figure Drawing and Proko Anatomy Lesson Reviews for more details!

Enroll in Proko’s friendly and approachable classes today and learn to master graphics and all other subjects alongside other students!

5. 21 Lucky Draw

21 Draw-by-Numbers Painting Class

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

21 Draw has been voted “Best Illustration Course” for its outstanding courses taught by master illustrators who are active and well-known in the industry.

21 Draw’s courses cover all the topics aspiring illustrators should strive to master. They’ll teach you character design, anatomy, lighting, shadows, environments, and more.

They teach you to use specific industry-standard illustration software such as Photoshop, Procreate, and Clip Studio Paint. So if you’re new to illustration and digital painting, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to get started.

You can purchase lessons individually, opt for a monthly subscription, or save money with an annual membership, which gives you access to hundreds of lessons of video content.

Check out our full 21 Draw reviews to learn more about their courses.

Aspiring illustrators, sign up for 21 Draw and let them show you how to pick up new skills fast and have all your goals within reach!

6. Aaron Blaise – Bio Art Teacher Review

Online Drawing Courses for Adults

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Aaron Blaise’s comprehensive and affordable online course at Creature Art Teacher is one of the best animation art courses online. Aaron Blaise is a master of animation, behind such Disney classics as Mulan, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast, so you know he knows what he’s talking about.

The Complete Animation Course comes with over 20 instructional videos that guide you through the 12 principles of animation and the “scene approach” to animation.

Aaron Blaise collaborates with other professional industry artists to deliver amazing courses such as “Sculpting with Z-Brush with Tony Cipriano” so you can hone your skills in any field.

These courses are useful for both traditional and computer animators.

You can purchase individual courses or an annual premium membership. Premium members have access to all courses, brush packs, lessons and bonus tips and tricks available on the site.

Join current industry professionals taught by Aaron Blaise!

7. Pencil King Review

Pencil King Online Drawing Course

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Lessons range from short self-guided and pre-recorded tutorials to longer sessions that include one-on-one coaching calls.

Pencil Kings organizes 30-day challenges to keep students motivated, engaged and having fun. They will make your daily practice of specific skills like shading and perspective more consistent.

They also share hands-on lessons about becoming an artist and building a contemporary art career based on the skills you learn from them.

Register for courses individually or get a lifetime full access pass to all 100+ courses.

Scroll through Pencil Kings’ courses to learn about everything they have to offer to help you achieve your specific artistic goals.

8. Paintable review

Drawing Online Art Courses

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

If you’re looking for an alternative to CG Academy, Paintable is one of the best digital art courses out there. Their Digital Painting Academy contains hundreds of step-by-step video lessons with assignments, study groups, and monthly feedback from professional artists.

With what they call an “active learning approach,” goals are clear, focused, and achievable.

There are 8 learning paths including: Fundamentals, Advanced, Light and Color, Anatomy, Portrait and Figures, Perspective, Environment and Fantasy. Work on every skill area needed to become a professional-level digital artist.

You can also purchase bundles of their most popular lessons to develop specific skills, such as portrait art. Once you purchase a bundle, you have lifetime access to it and any future updates or additions.

9. Domestic censorship

Domestic Home Art Lessons

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Domestika offers online courses in illustration, photography, digital painting, graphic design, 3D art, animation, modern art, art history, abstract painting, watercolor painting, acrylic painting…the list goes on and on!

There are a variety of courses to choose from, from affordable self-study courses to quality tutoring courses.

Domestika’s community forums allow you to interact with teachers and other students and get feedback on assignments, so you’re never isolated while studying and can make sure you’re on the right track.

They offer general classes like “Drawing for Beginners” as well as some super specific ones like “Drawing Attractive People with Personality” so you can focus on the skills you feel you lack.

You can view statistics for each course, including how many students took the course, their reviews, how many lessons it contained, and how many hours it took to complete. With all this information and transparency, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into and the quality to expect!

10. Skill Sharing Review

Art of Online Skill Sharing Courses

Overall Rating: 4/5

You can learn any fine art medium (including gouache and watercolor), illustration, graphic design, animation, concept art, modern art, art history, post-war abstract painting and more with Skillshare’s online courses.

Skillshare offers a selection of courses called “Learning Paths” to help you achieve specific goals, such as “Watercolor Magic: The Basics of Color Blending” and “Procreate Basics: Saving a Digital Sketchbook on iPad Pro”.

This course organization helps keep you focused and on track, as there are so many great courses to browse and try.

With just one membership, you get convenient access to thousands of courses without having to pay for a new location every time you want to learn a new skill. You don’t have to limit what you study based on your budget.

There are classes for all skill levels taught by professional artists. Lessons are rated by skill level, so you know which ones are best for you, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced.

How to Choose the Best Online Art Courses for You

The first question to ask in your search is what do you want from an online art course?

Since we now know that each course functions differently and has different purposes and goals, you will want to find the course that best matches your current goals as an artist.

Are you looking for longer, more in-depth courses that focus on one medium? (Evolution Artist checks this box for aspiring oil painters).

Develop the artist class

Or do you want a broader understanding of the fundamentals of a different medium such as New Masters Academy or Skillshare courses? Subscribing to these online art schools is the best gift you can give an artist.

More questions to ask:

How much time do you need to spend on art courses? Different courses require different levels of commitment, demands and flexibility.

For example, 21 Draw offers a number of short courses and tutorials, while CG Spectrum and Evolve Artist are courses that last several months.

Do you want to focus on a specific skill in a medium?

What is your budget for online art courses? Do they offer payment plans?

Are the courses you are interested in producing real, tangible results? (When possible, read reviews from past students to see how their work has improved.)

Evolution Artist Review

How Do Online Art Classes Work?

Online art classes are often taught through a combination of live video lectures, pre-recorded video lessons and tutorials, group webinars and reviews, one-on-one instruction, and assigned projects.

What are the advantages of online art courses?

The advantages of online art courses are many. You can learn new skills from the comfort of your own home. You can learn from some of the best artists in the world that you wouldn’t have access to in person. And you can usually learn at your own pace.

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