The Best Online Courses for Creatives (including FREE ones!)

There's no denying that learning or even further enhancing a creative skill can be extremely rewarding.

However, often a lack of free time (or other factors such as distance, cost and even lack of confidence) can get in the way of this pursuit.

That's where online courses come in - they're able to be completed from the comfort of your very own computer during any time of the day (or week...or year!) and are often cheaper because of this.

Below you'll find the best online courses from one of our favourite providers, Craftsy, which cover a whole range of creative topics. Please note: this post contains affiliate links because we love Craftsy so much, we even became an affiliate of the platform!

Simple & Stunning Watercolor Techniques with Mary Murphy

Testimonial: "Mary gives quick lessons chock full of valuable information. She imparts tricks and techniques from years of experience and does it with the relaxed tone that watercolor requires. I've been beyond inspired and productive since enrolling in her class." - Cort Rut

Product Photography at Home with Jessica Marquez 

Testimonial: "This class is really well taught, detailed and straight to the point. What I really love about it is that product photography is taught as a process. So I am really pleased with my purchase and I highly recommend it to people who want to present their arts and crafts in a professional manner." - linftrade1673

Basics of Digital Photography with Rick Allred

Testimonial: "This class is excellent. It shows a lot of cool things for beginners and intermediate photographers. If you want to learn about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, etc., this is it. A lot of examples and an easy-to-learn class." - Matt8063

Breaking Into the Business of Photography with Catherine Asanov 

Testimonial: "She knows her business , I love that she explained everything in detail and not only explains it but shows you how to start your business. And give you different outlooks on what your creativity is. I am so happy that I took this class and I'm very very impressed." - adimple

Acrylic Painting: Basics & Beyond with Michael Lynne

Overview: "Discover the essential techniques you need to paint confidently with acrylics! Experienced instructor Michael Lynne walks you through setting up your palette and introduces you to the colorful world of tints, tones and shades. Learn to recognize and recreate value shifts to depict light and form, and develop your painting skills with fun cube studies. Use a simple block-in method to sketch your first still life, and create a sense of space and dimension with cast shadows and highlights. Find out how to incorporate perspective and color theory into a landscape painting, and add depth and luminous warmth with acrylic washes and glazes."

40 Techniques Every Sewer Should Know with Gail Yellen 

Testimonial: "I'm basically self-taught from watching my grandmother sew. This class did such an excellent job of walking through all the great techniques that take your sewing to the next level. I feel like I have an army of skills to use on my future projects! Thank you so much, Gail!" - Eva Maria

10 Essential Techniques for Better Drawing with Patricia Watwood

Testimonial: "A great introduction and method for figure drawing. Very clear and well-made video series. Any questions that you might have during the course are always answered. Patricia has some great insights (...) she speaks right to you and describes her methods and reasons for what she does. I will definitely be following her principles and practices for my figure drawings to come." - Jusangen

The Essential Guide to Photoshop with Skott Chandler

Overview: "Get the most from your Photoshop software with step-by-step guidance from award-winning photographer and Photoshop expert Skott Chandler. First, learn how to navigate Photoshop like a pro and create convenient custom settings to achieve the results you want on every photo you edit. Then, get tips keeping your files organized and confidently make adjustments to raw files. Next, develop a deeper understanding of the tools available to you in Photoshop and get helpful tricks for retouching portraits and landscapes using color correct, masking and more."

Scrapbook Design & Storytelling: Beyond the Basics with Jen Gallacher

Testimonial: "Cannot thank you enough! I love, love, love ... the assortment of classes, as well as the fact that I can watch the lessons at my own pace, the instructions, the ability to write myself notes, etc. I also love the fact that the classes are for life! Thank you again for such a fantastic and wonderful site for just about everything I love to do!" - Harvestmoon

...And how about some FREE mini online courses for creatives?

There's literally every topic covered over at this link of FREE courses, but here are some of our favourites below:

.

Will you be taking part in any of these wonderful online courses for creatives? Perhaps you have a great course suggestion? We'd love to hear in the comments section below!

tips and tricksMelanieartist, best online courses for creatives, Craftsy, creative, fashion designer, photographer, tips and tricksComment