5 Best Digital Art Courses – Secret Revealed

Published: September 13, 2023

Do you aspire to become a professional digital artist? Do you wish to enhance your digital art skills? If yes, then keep reading!

As a digital artist, you must have a strong foundation of artistic skills such as digital painting, character design, shading and lighting, color usage, and so much more. Practicing creativity is an effective way to take an artistic skill to the next level. If you want to achieve that, this article is definitely for you! 

The increasing popularity of digital art has significantly impacted the job market for artists, with many high-paid opportunities available. The online art market worldwide was estimated at nearly 13.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, rising approximately 7.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. By way of comparison, the value of the global art market was roughly 65.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2012. 

So how will you stand out? Building your skills with some of the best digital art courses seems like a step in the right direction.

Overall, digital art is a growing field with much potential for career growth and financial success. As more industries turn to digital tools for their creative needs, the demand for skilled digital artists will likely continue to grow.

We have listed some of the best online digital art courses for you. Pick a course that meets your requirements and start your exciting learning journey to mastering digital art!

List of the Top Notch Best Digital Art Courses & Certifications

  1. Introduction to Digital Art – Beginner Friendly
  2. The Ultimate Digital Painting Course – Beginner to Advanced – Best Seller
  3. Complete Beginner’s Guide to Digital Art
  4. Digital Painting in Photoshop: Create Amazing Concept Art
  5. Lighting Principles for Digital Painting

1. Introduction to Digital Art – Domestika

Beginner Friendly online digital art course

First up is a Beginner Friendly online digital art course in which you will learn how to represent volume by applying values to 3 basic shapes and seeing how to use contrast for visual depth. 

You will have the opportunity of drawing basics with Jean before discovering his method for sharpening value perception. You can also become familiar with the basic principles of light and how it affects our perception with the help of this course.

For a reasonable $59.99, this course offers 5 hours and 33 mins of 23 video lessons along with 21 additional resources. This course is also available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, and Dutch, so if you are uncomfortable with learning English, this course is the right fit for you!

Want to know your instructor up close? Jean Fraisse is a self-taught digital artist who put his skills to work at advertising agencies. Then, he decided to get into freelance work and started working for major clients such as Marinela and Televisa. His credentials prove that this is one of the best digital art courses for beginners.

Your main form of assessment in this course will revolve around two digital paintings using different kinds of brushes to create the illusion of depth and volume.

There are 4,536 students currently enrolled in this course, with 99% of the 200 reviews available being very positive, making this one of the top courses to master Digital Art. 

2. The Ultimate Digital Painting Course – Beginner to Advanced 

Next up, we have a course that is one of the best digital art courses to learn various skills. From essential tools, fundamentals of drawing, perspective in art, light-color relationships, full still life paintings, landscapes, painting on different textures, and finally to colorizing black and white paintings, this course has it all. 

What you shall be receiving for the price of $84.99 will also be immense. Along with 27-hour on-demand videos, 2 articles, and a whopping 68 downloadable resources, this course will also give you certification and personal counseling from the instructors. 

This course is taught by 2 instructors, Jayson & Austin Batchelor, who have been freelance Illustrators since they were teenagers and work from home. They have a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5, but what is truly amazing about them is that they have a spectacular 90,172 students enrolled in this course, emphasizing it as one of the best online Digital Art courses.

3. Complete Beginner’s Guide to Digital Art

The third course we have is another beginner-friendly pick which is priced at $74.99. In this course, you will be able to think like an artist and be a problem solver. This course is surely for those that are serious about improving their art.

Your instructor will be Rich Grayson, a working freelance illustrator with a youtube channel who steadily expanded from clients who needed branding to do work on indie games and apps. 

You will need a drawing tablet (Wacom etc.) or a computer tablet (ex..Ipad, galaxy, etc). 

Keep an open mind, and there is no time limit, work at your own pace. The course will give you lifetime access to 23.5 hours of on-demand videos, 11 downloadable resources, and your own certification. 

Currently, there are 34,310 students enrolled in this course, which has 4.5 out of.5 stars, confirming it as one of the best beginner digital art courses.

4. Digital Painting in Photoshop: Create Amazing Concept Art

This 6.8-hour course on Adobe Photoshop CC teaches how to create digital art from start to finish with 27 lessons and bonus content on wood, fire, and ice painting. It covers tools such as layers, selections, dodge and burn, custom brushes, blending modes, adjustment layers, layer styles, and quick masks. 

What’s more? It also includes a pre-drawn pose to work with and teaches how to rough sketch ideas before refining them. The course can be completed with any drawing tablet, although the instructor uses a Wacom Intuos 4.

You will have lifetime access to 7.5 hours of video, 1 article, and 2 downloadable resources, which will of course, be in addition to your certification- all for $84.99. 

For this course, your instructor will be Robert Marzullo, a working professional artist for most of his life. He has created 3D animation and characters for television, illustrated storyboards for commercials, and operated his sign and design firm successfully for over 15 years. His expertise makes this one the best digital art courses we could find online.

There are 32,20 students in this course with a stellar 4.9 stars rating. 

5. Lighting Principles for Digital Painting

In this course, you will learn how to stimulate light into your work using a logical methodology that your instructor has developed over the last two years and Adobe Photoshop to apply his simple process to five different light settings. You will understand how light behaves and how it affects the elements in your work to quickly resolve any light situation.

Samuel Smith, who will be your instructor, pursued digital painting and learned mostly by himself. He was a freelancer who kept learning in his free time and was eventually contacted to join the production of Netflix’s “Klaus” in Spain. 

To take this course, you will need basic knowledge of how to work on Photoshop and basic digital drawing skills.

For the reasonable price of $59.99, you will receive lifetime access to 15 lessons, 18 additional resources, and 10 exercises. There are 22519 students already enrolled in this course with 100% positive reviews showing that this is the best online digital art course you can find in terms of ratings.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Digital Art Online Courses

  • Instructor Experience: This is essential when choosing an online digital art course. Look for an instructor with a strong background in the subject matter and, ideally, experience teaching digital art. 
  • Instructor qualification: A qualified instructor will have the knowledge and expertise to provide high-quality instruction that meets industry standards.
  • Course content: This should be comprehensive, covering all aspects of digital art, from fundamentals to advanced techniques. Look for a course that includes a variety of media, such as drawing, painting, and 3D modeling, and covers popular software programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blender.
  • Learning Objectives: These should align with your goals. Whether you want to improve your skills for personal or professional reasons, the course should provide a clear path to achieving your desired outcomes.
  • Flexibility: The course format should fit your lifestyle and learning preferences. Look for a course that offers flexible learning options, such as self-paced modules or live online sessions, so you can learn at your own pace
  • Reviews: The experiences of past students with the course. Look for reviews that highlight the instructor’s effectiveness, the course content’s relevance and quality, and the overall value of the course. 

Best Digital Art Courses - FAQs

Is studying digital art worth it?

Yes, because you will reap the rewards quicker. Digital painting is actually faster to master than traditional drawing or painting.

Are digital artists in demand?

There is now a high demand for digital content creation, management and distribution.

What is the highest-paying digital art job?

The highest paying digital art job is a Viisual Effects Artist: $97,500-$120,000 per year

Conclusion

In conclusion, digital art is a rapidly growing field with plenty of opportunities for those wanting to pursue a career. 

Enrolling in the best online digital art courses can improve your skills and stand out in a competitive job market. When choosing a course, factors to consider include the instructor’s experience and qualifications, course content, learning objectives, flexibility, and reviews from past students. 

We have listed some of the best digital art courses, including Introduction to Digital Painting, The Ultimate Digital Painting Course, Complete Beginner’s Guide to Digital Art, and Digital Painting in Photoshop. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced artist, there is a course for you. 

So, choose a course that meets your requirements and start your exciting learning journey to mastering digital art!