When you are starting on your path to learning the needed skills to be an artist you have a ton of options.

Option one – You could fumble through it and give it a go on your own.

Option two – You could get a subscription to an art platform with lots of different artist teaching classes, like SkillShare.

Option three – You could pick a few artists that have classes on specific topics they teach.

Each of these options has pros and cons.

Option one – teach yourself.

With this model, you go on YouTube and search for something you want to learn. You get a ton of videos on the subject and you dive in. You go to the library and check out books on your subject matter, read the book, and follow along with the instructions.

Pros:
It doesn’t cost you anything to do either of these methods other than your time and the gas to go to the library.
It allows you to try out a style of art you want to learn for next to nothing. Outside of the supplies or software needed for the projects.

Cons:
You don’t know much about the instructors you are learning from.
There is no interaction with the instructors.
YouTube videos give you live demonstrations, but why they do certain things may or may not be explained in the video.
Some videos are geared towards skill levels you may not have reached or have passed.
Books are wonderful, but they don’t always show you step-by-step instructions to recreate the same piece of art.

Options two – art classroom subscription

This model is a fantastic way to learn and try different forms of art. This is actually how I started. I have a SkillShare account with classes saved for several different types of art forms.

Pros:
For a set fee, you can explore all the artists on the platform.
You learn at your own pace.
If you don’t like the class instructor you can move on to a different artist.
You are not just limited to one type of art creation.

Cons:
There is a recurring fee.
With all the optional classes you can easily get distracted.
You may find too many classes to take and make no forward progress.
Not all classes go very far in depth.

Option three – Courses with Specific Artists

I am a big fan and a frequent buyer of these courses. I love how I get access to the instructor and can go deep on the subject matter I am learning about. Courses are normally held on standalone platforms that give a custom experience for the student.

Pros:
Go deeper on the subject matter.
Access to the instructor.
Special team to help with students.
Custom experience (some come with swag goodies).
A community of other students to join and go through the course with.

Cons:
A large investment.
Longer time requirement.
You can’t bounce on the subject if you don’t like it. (Most courses have a refund policy, but not always.)

How do you pick the right teacher?

Unless you know the artist, YouTube is going to be a hit-or-miss. You are going to have to watch the video to know if you can handle learning from them. It would also be a good idea to check their bio, websites, and social profiles if they have one.

With books, you want to check the reviews to see what other people say about the contents of the books and if they have included images or video reviews.

Membership sites like SkillShare have a long history of providing sound instructions. They don’t vet every class on their site, however their services are sound. When picking out an instruction on the platform you need to check the instructor’s bio and their website if they have included one in their bio. Another indicator of their ability as an instructor is how many students they have and how many student projects have been submitted with the completion of the class. To see what their work looks like as an artist check their social accounts. This will give you a good idea of how long they’ve been producing this type of work and how they share their work.

When you go the route of buying a course consider the following things.
Researching the instructor is one of the most important things to do before you buy. See if they have a free mini-class you can participate in to see their teaching style and what their approach is with their class structure. What type of press have they had? What do their former students say about their course? How long have they been an artist or part of the business you want to create?

Check what platforms they use to host the classroom and community on. Is this platform easy to navigate and do they offer support if you have difficulty with the platform? Will the community be held on Facebook or a private platform like Circle? How long do you have access to the course and community? What is the class schedule? How are the modules released? Is there any time worked into the schedule for you to complete the work before moving on to another subject?

What is the investment? What are the purchasing options and is there a payment plan? Is the site order form secure? Refund policy, do they have one?

Other things to consider:

-Is the timing right for you to go through the course or would you have to wait to start working on it?
-Do you have support within your life that will help motivate you when something becomes challenging? Or to encourage you when the going gets tough?
-Are you willing to find time in your schedule to work through the course?
-Can you financially afford to invest the money needed for the course and supplies?

Most things in the art realm have a shiny factor to them. When you strip away all those things you have to be willing to put in the work, time, resources, energy, and dedication to complete the course.

By saying “yes” to one thing you are saying “no” to something else. The first time I heard Bonnie Christine say that it hit hard.

By saying “yes” to any of these options you are saying “no” to something else you’d be doing. With a yes, you might have to say no to watching TV after you put your kids to bed, you might have to get up early, or you might have to have someone babysit the kids while you learn. None of those things are bad. Taking care of your responsibilities as a wife and mom always comes first, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work art into your schedule.

I do courses while my kids are doing their independent work for school. I have also stayed up late to work through some course material. There are several ways you can work art classes into your schedule. Communicate clearly what you need with your family and why this is important to you. They may surprise you with how supportive they are of your dreams and ambitions.

Before committing to any learning method do your research and remember to have fun.