10 affordable online creative learning platforms
Always wanted to pick up an art or tech skill, but never found the time or place? We’ve got you covered. From massive open online courses, or MOOCs, to small batch tailored bootcamps, there is a wealth of online learning formats out there. Whether you want to augment existing knowledge, learn a completely new skill or boost your CV with some industry-specific credentials, we’ve plumbed the internet for the e-learning platforms, offering empowering and flexible options you can take on remotely and in your own time.
General Assembly
Cost: Free options, with short courses starting from £2,100
With curricula put together by industry experts specialising in tech, General Assembly’s aim is to get their students hired. Courses vary in scope: from the technical, such as UX design and data science, to the creative, such as visual design and digital marketing. Most of their offerings are online, but they also have a handful of IRL locations in London. Programmes range from full-time bootcamps to one-day workshop, with evening, weekday or weekend classes also available.
edX
Cost: Free, with certifications starting from around £70
An online short course platform jointly created by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this site boasts courses from institutions all over the world – from Stanford to Cambridge. Its popular flagship introduction to computer science class, CS50, has seen close to four million students enrol. Nearly every course on edX is available free of charge, but you’ll need to pay to get an accredited certification and full student support. Other popular courses include UX, graphic and web design.
Behance Livestreams
Cost: Free
Behance is a network for creatives to showcase their creative work – but on top of that, it also has a useful livestream section. You can learn digital art skills by watching industry leaders work or tuning in to tutorials on video editing, motion graphics, photo retouching, illustration and more. Many of these are part of Behance’s collaboration with Adobe Live and geared towards Adobe Suite products.
SuperHi
Cost: Some free courses, with paid courses starting from £50
SuperHi bills itself as a positive global community of people learning together online. The platform’s online courses are primarily about coding, design and project management, covering topics such as app design, animation, javascript and Spark AR. There are also free starter guides and simple tutorials about subjects including 3D books and painting with code. Plus, there’s a Slack community where you can showcase your progress and receive feedback.
London Drawing Group
Cost: By donation, with a suggested price of £20 per session.
The group is a London-based collective of contemporary artists brought together by a shared love of drawing. Founded by artists who met at the Royal Drawing School, it provides both in-person and online live drawing classes as well as lecture sessions taught by practising artists – encompassing everything from “Drawing Medieval Vulva Badges” to “Beatrix Potter Drawing Nature”.
Domestika
Cost: From £49.90 per course
Domestika offers thousands of online courses on a broad set of creative skills, from furniture and fashion design to architecture and audio, as well as more digital design-based categories. There are lots of live courses too, where you can take part in activities like practical drawing exercises and character development.
Skillshare
Cost: Free one-month trial, then paid membership from £10.46 per month
Catering to a wide range of skill levels, Skillshare offers over 30,000 creative classes taught by creative pros. Alongside the creative, digital art and design courses on offer, there’s plenty on personal and professional growth too. Highlights include classes with high profile design icons – from “Ink Drawing Techniques” with Yuko Shimizu to “Doodles to Designs” with Jon Burgerman.
LinkedIn Learning
Cost: Free one-month trial, then paid membership from £29.99 per month
A subsidiary of the ubiquitous professional networking platform, LinkedIn Learning provides video courses taught by industry experts. Courses are highly varied, with the ability to filter between what’s popular and what’s relevant for your career. It’s not free, but if you’re a student, it’s worth investigating whether your uni offers free access for students and staff.
Udacity
Cost: Individual courses from £755, with paid membership from £187 per month
This e-learning platform is aimed at those seeking to develop skills for jobs in tech. Courses are more involved, with 2-6 month programmes. It’s highly rated for its student support, with one-to-one mentor help and peer chat, both of which are often missing in other MOOCs. Udacity also offers paid micro-credentials, aptly called Nanodegrees.
FutureLearn
Cost: Some courses available for free, or paid membership from £20.83 per month
Join online media and art courses from leading universities and cultural institutions with FutureLearn. Courses explore creative industries like film, music, journalism and theatre – with experts teaching you new skills via fast-paced, short term learning. They also have a host of non-creative courses available too.
