Free online courses in Drawing and Painting

Discover free online courses that help you learn sketching, perspective, figure drawing, color, composition, watercolor, acrylic, oil, and digital art at your own pace. Begin with Drawing Lessons for Beginners or explore Painting tutorials and lessons. These accessible classes offer practical guidance for beginners and developing artists who want to strengthen techniques, experiment with new media, and create expressive artwork. All courses are free and include a certificate to document your learning journey.

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Video courses

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Text courses

Free online courses on Drawing and Painting

Free Ebook + Audiobooks! Learn by listening or reading!

How to Draw What You Actually See: Sighting, Proportion and Negative Space

Your drawings look off because your brain draws symbols, not shapes. Learn sighting, negative space and proportion checks to fix it.

Gesture Drawing for Painters: Capture Movement, Energy, and Story in Minutes

Learn gesture drawing techniques for painters to capture movement, rhythm, and energy quickly in sketches and paintings.

From Reference to Original: A Practical Workflow for Drawing and Painting Without Copying

Learn a practical workflow to turn references into original drawing and painting, without copying, using studies, planning, and critique.

Building a Daily Art Practice: Simple Routines to Improve Drawing and Painting Faster

Build a daily art practice with simple routines for drawing and painting, plus a 14-day plan to improve faster and stay consistent.

Essential Tools and Materials for Oil Painting Beginners

Discover the essential tools and materials every beginner needs to start oil painting, from paints and brushes to mediums, palettes, and easels.

Mastering Color Mixing Techniques in Oil Painting

Learn essential color mixing techniques for oil painting to create harmonious palettes, realistic skin tones, and natural hues with expert tips and practical advice.

A Journey Through Art: How to Find Your Unique Painting Style

Discover practical tips to find your unique painting style. Explore inspiration, techniques, and embrace your evolving artistic journey.

Exploring the Fundamentals of Color Theory in Painting

Discover the fundamentals of color theory in painting. Learn about the color wheel, harmony, warm and cool tones, and tips for applying color effectively in your art.

What are people saying about free online courses of Drawing and Painting

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Syed Muhammad Haider Raza Rizvi

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your way of teaching is amazing .

CourseDrawing Lessons for Beginners

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Anshika

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I am fan artist pleasei give my panting artist give me Autograph by me and my artist teacher

CoursePainting tutorials and lessons

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Yvonne Obi

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so detailed. I love how it is broken down and easy to follow

CourseDigital Painting

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KrugerVenette

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Well presented. Really learned a lot about perspective and shading which I battle with most.

CourseDrawing Lessons for Beginners

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Fatima

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thank you for your hard work

CourseDrawing Lessons for Beginners

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Emil Macayan Peralta

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A big help for me who wants to improve more on keeping lines accurately. Love the video!

CourseDrawing tutorials and lessons

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Joanna Pal

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Absolutely helpful. A lot of my struggles and questions had finde their answers in ScheferArt videos. Thank you very much.

CoursePainting tutorials and lessons

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tebogo mamabolo

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expected the 1st video to be an introduction about the course, it just seems to start off in the middle.

CourseDrawing tutorials and lessons

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Archana Naik

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i learned many techniques from this course I like abhishek sirs teaching skills

CourseDrawing for Beginners

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Vusumuzi Kwaaiman Given Mtsweni

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Thank you Billy, There's really a lot one can do with limited material.

CourseHow to Draw persons

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Also learn about

Develop artistic skills with free online learning

Explore free online courses designed to support visual arts education through structured lessons, practical exercises, and accessible study materials. Learners can develop foundational and advanced competencies in observational drawing, composition, perspective, color theory, shading, proportion, anatomy, and creative expression. The selection also introduces traditional and digital media, including graphite, watercolor, acrylic, oil paint, and digital illustration. Every course is free, features exercises for skills practice, and includes free certification after completion.

Learn drawing and painting through guided practice

These educational resources are suitable for beginners, independent learners, art students, and anyone interested in expanding a creative portfolio. Start with Drawing Lessons for Beginners to study line, form, value, and visual observation, or follow the Art Fundamentals course for essential principles of visual language. Exercises encourage active learning, technique refinement, and progressive control of artistic materials.

A broad curriculum for creative development

The catalog includes figure drawing, portrait construction, iPad illustration, contemporary art trends, oil painting techniques, acrylic methods, watercolor studies, and perspective from beginner to advanced levels. Students can select lessons according to their learning objectives and revisit exercises to strengthen accuracy, hand-eye coordination, visual analysis, and personal style. For additional study options, browse free courses focused on Painting or review the dedicated Drawing for Beginners collection.

Access the free courses in the Cursa app

To access the courses, users must install the Cursa app on an Android device through Google Play or on an iPhone through the App Store. Choose Download for Android or Download for iOS / iPhone. The app provides convenient access to lessons, exercises, learning progress, and free certification.

Study at your own pace, compare techniques across different media, and build a consistent practice routine. These free online art courses combine conceptual instruction with applied exercises, helping learners transform theoretical knowledge into drawings, paintings, studies, and original creative projects.

What is the best online drawing course for beginners?

A beginner drawing course should cover basic shapes, line control, shading, proportion, and simple perspective.

Can I learn to draw online with no experience?

Yes. Start with short lessons on shapes and observation, then practice regularly with simple subjects.

What materials do I need for a drawing course?

A sketchbook, pencils, eraser, sharpener, and ruler are enough to begin; digital courses may require a tablet and stylus.

How do online painting lessons teach acrylic, watercolor, and oil techniques?

They typically demonstrate brush handling, color mixing, layering, washes, texture, and completing paintings step by step.

Is digital painting suitable for beginners?

Yes. Digital painting courses can teach brushes, layers, clean line art, color, and shading from the basics.

Why is perspective important in drawing?

Perspective helps objects and spaces look believable by showing depth through one-, two-, and three-point methods.

How can I improve at drawing people?

Learn gesture, proportions, anatomy basics, facial features, and shading, then practice drawing from reference images regularly.

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Free digital certificate for all courses

Complete any course and issue your certificate via the app — at no cost.

Learn more about the certificate