It’s hard to believe we’re more than halfway through 2022, but sure enough, autumn is coming. For you, that might mean back to school, back to work or just a change in the weather.

Wouldn’t it be nice to bring a new hobby with you into the end of the year? Something to help you unwind, or maybe even make a little extra money? Luckily, you can learn plenty of skills online, and this collection of some of Skillshare’s most popular classes will show you how. 

Quick Links

Graphic Design Classes

Logo Design Basics: Develop a Memorable Brand Identity

Teacher Shantanu Kumar sits at his desk, facing the camera. In the background are a few tables and some colorful chairs.
Shantanu Kumar makes logo designing easy, repeatable and fun.

“People don’t buy products. They buy brands.” Designer Shantanu Kumar knows the secret of building memorable brands, and it all starts with a logo. Grab a sketch pad and come learn how to gather inspiration, build mind maps, sketch and then digitize your work.

Best of all, you’ll walk away with everything you need to repeat this design process again and again.

Entrepreneurship Classes

eCommerce for Creatives: Sell Your Artwork with an Online Store

Teacher Alicia Souza sits at a table facing the camera. There is a long red leather bench stretched out along the wall behind her, as well as a few framed art prints and some plants.
Alicia Souza’s business savvy and technical know-how can help artists turn their work into a sustainable income source.

It’s a tale as old as time: you’re an artist and love creating, but when it comes to business, you’re at a loss. Maybe you don’t know where to set your pricing, how to set up an online store, or what it would take to set up a website and social media presence to sell your work.

Illustrator and entrepreneur Alicia Souza has been where you are, and she’s here to help you break into the business side of making art. By the end of this class, you’ll have all the tools you need to take your art from a hobby to an income source. 

Social Media Classes

Quick Wins: Turn Your Art into Fun Reels for Instagram

An overhead shot of teacher Charly Clements working on her iPad. On screen, there’s a drawing of a woman with glasses and dark hair in front of a green background, and Charly is dragging her Apple Pencil across the drawing, leaving the linework but removing the color.
Creating video content for Instagram doesn’t have to be a chore. 

Do you feel cheated by Instagram’s decision to pivot to video? Are you an artist who would rather spend your time creating new work than brainstorming ways to turn that work into Reels? You’re not alone.

Thankfully, greeting card designer, illustrator, and Skillshare Top Teacher Charly Clements is here to help. With her guidance, you’ll learn how to turn your existing work into fun, engaging, and Instagram-friendly video content. 

Illustration Classes

Blooms & Shrooms: Draw Fun & Funky Art in Procreate

Teacher Cat Coquillette sits at her desk. In front of her she has an iPad with a mushroom illustration, a notebook, some watercolor paints, and a cup full of paintbrushes.
Even if you’ve never used Procreate before, Cat Coquillette will teach you everything you need to know. 

Procreate is an incredible program that you can use to create endless beautiful illustrations. But with so many options and tools built into it, it can be overwhelming for beginners. Let artist, entrepreneur, and Skillshare Top Teacher Cat Coquillette show you how to get started with Procreate.

All skill levels are welcome as Cat demonstrates how to make an on-trend illustration that you can frame, give away, or even use (or sell!) as a surface pattern design. 

Figure Drawing for Illustration: Drawing People, Faces & Scenes

Teacher Leah Gorden sits at her desk. Books and jars of paint brushes sit in the front of the frame, and behind her we can see an upright piano, a few plants, and some photographs, posters and books.
Adding people to your drawings means adding life to your drawings, and Leah Goren will show you how it’s done. 

Adding people and portraits to your drawings quickly adds story, emotion, and movement. If you’ve never drawn figures before, feelings of frustration or perfectionism can be difficult to overcome.

That’s where illustrator Leah Goren comes in, with her crash course in portraiture. Tag along as she  incorporates key techniques and exercises that have helped her grow her own artistic talent. Learn new skills, and start to develop your own personal style. 

Film & Video Classes

Texturing in Adobe After Effects

Teacher Jake Bartlett sits in his office. Behind him is a bookshelf, a neon sign in the shape of his face, and a variety of decorative items including posters, figurines, and a model of the question mark cube from Nintendo’s Mario games.
Adding texture to your designs in Adobe After Effects is a quick way to take your work to the next level. 

Learning to animate in Adobe After Effects is a journey—the software is so powerful that there’s always something new to discover. So once you’ve mastered the basics, what’s next? Motion designer Jake Bartlett would tell you it’s time to start thinking about texture.

In doing so, you can help distinguish your style and add personality to your work, while making it look more polished and professional. Explore some of the techniques that Jake swears by, and learn about overlays, effects, and shading. 

Beginners Guide to Creating A Hand Drawn Animation Style in Adobe After Effects

A still image from an animation of three monkeys. The monkeys, drawn in blue and green, are hanging down from somewhere offscreen against a solid red background.
You can create stunning, hand-drawn art just like this without drawing a single line!

Hand drawn animation is breathtaking to look at, and can capture variations in mood, emotion and tone that computer animation may struggle to achieve. The trade-off? It takes a long time to produce.

Animator, designer and director Russ Etheridge has found a way around this, and he’ll teach you how he uses Adobe After Effects to create this style without doing any drawing at all. His quick and easy process will get you incredible results in a fraction of the time it would take to animate by hand. 

Self-Care & Creativity Classes

Everyone is Creative: 5 Exercises to Reconnect with Your Inner Creativity

An illustration of a cloaked figure standing on top of a hill, holding a gigantic pencil in the air. The hill is littered with swords, axes and flags, and the sun is setting behind it. Overlaid on this image is the phrase “Everyone is creative.”
It’s time to get back in touch with your creative side. 

Graphic designer Alison Koehler wants to take you on a quest: an artist’s quest! Through this journey, she’ll help you  connect with your creativity.

If you’re an artist experiencing burnout, or someone who’s always wished they could be more creative, Alison’s tried and true exercises will help you access your imaginative side. 

Watercolor Painting Classes

Free-Flow Watercolor: 7 Days of Relaxing Landscape Painting

Teacher Bianca Rayala sits in front of a window covered by white curtains. One of her watercolor paintings, featuring a forest, is on an easel next to her, and some plants and a bookshelf sit nearby.
Bianca Rayala will show you how to paint your way to relaxation.

It’s not always easy to relax—between work, family and maintaining a social life, it can be hard to find a minute in the day for self-care. But did you know that you can find relaxation and access your creative side through painting?

Skillshare Top Teacher Bianca Rayala is ready to teach you how to paint intuitively. You’ll learn to create beautiful landscapes on the page while building a sense of calm and clarity within yourself. 

Music Classes

Piano Basics: Learn Notes, Scales & Chords

An overhead shot of teacher Elijah Fox-Peck playing his piano. Overlaid on top of the image is an illustrated version of piano keys, highlighting which notes are which.
Anyone can make beautiful music with the right knowledge at their fingertips. 

Music can be a transformative experience, whether you’re listening to it or playing it yourself. When it comes to starting a new instrument, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

With more than eighteen years of musical experience, Elijah Fox-Peck will walk you through the basics of playing the piano while giving you guidance, tips and exercises to complete along the way. 

Fall For Creativity 

Now that you’ve got the tools, it’s time to dip your toes into the waters of your new hobby! Whether you’re hoping to build breathtaking animations or learn to pick out a tune on the piano, Skillshare’s got you covered with everything you need to learn online.

Written By

Dylan Morrison

  • Click here to share on Twitter
  • Click here to share on Facebook
  • Click here to share on LinkedIn
  • Click here to share on Pinterest