Skillshare & Domestika Favorites
Just so you know, this blog post includes affiliate links. :)
Taking time to learn.
I love learning new things! Over the past few years I have made it a priority to take simple creative classes to constantly give me a creative boost and to help me develop my design skills further. As I shared in this month's Wednesday video (head to my private Facebook group to watch the video if you missed it) I wasn't always like this. After graduation from art school I thought I was done with my art education, I knew how to draw and paint, now I just needed experience I thought. But as years went on and I switched gears and became a self taught digital illustrator I realized that I hadn't properly learned to use programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. And this was really holding me back and I sadly hadn't realized it. So when I discovered Skillshare for the first time in 2015 I was delighted. After just a handful of classes on Photoshop and Illustrator I was blown away by so many tips and tricks for properly using the programs and finally improved my workflow and felt confident using these powerful programs. Such a relief!
Because this new knowledge gave me such a boost of confidence and helped me to better my digital artwork I became more and more obsessed with how I could improve my work even more so. Taking creative online classes became a part of my weekly work schedule and an important part of my creative life. Since taking online classes (and honestly becoming a teacher myself) I have seen a huge improvement in my artwork. Not only from my technical skills as I have learnt sooooo many great things from so many talented artist teachers but I have also opened up my creative mind by being exposed to so many incredible artists' processes. Every artist/designer works in a unique way and with every class I take there is always some sort of tidbit that I can take with me to my artistic/design practice in some way.
So I want to share my favorite learning platforms with you. Let's start off with my first love, Skillshare.
Skillshare.
Skillshare is my first love as I mentioned, because it opened up my world to online learning. It's such an incredible platform both as a student and a teacher. I love teaching on Skillshare for so many reasons (but that is a blog post on its own.) As a student I love the membership aspect which allows me to jump between many different classes without the pressure to complete them if I don't want to and I can also binge watch as many classes as I want, if I so desire. The quality of classes on Skillshare is getting better and better and their catalog of subjects is also getting wider and more international. I often just watch illustration classes but I also enjoy some of the fine art classes, crafting classes and other subjects such as mindfulness, plant care, marketing or organization. These days you can learn pretty much anything on Skillshare!!!
Because I love Skillshare so much I would love to welcome you to test it out if you haven't already. With this link you can enjoy a 1 month free trial to see if Skillshare is a great fit for your creative life too.
To get you started, here is a list of some of my very favortie Skillshare teachers.
Domestika.
Domestika is my second love. I've only just discovered it a year or 2 ago but I have seriously become head over heels obsessed. So obsessed that I have now had to limit my class purchases as they were getting a bit out of control, haha. I'm just so very addicted to the class structure, the high quality production of the classes and the incredibly inspiring and talented teachers that are found on this online learning platform. Domestika differs from Skillshare in several ways. They don't have the membership model where you have access to all classes so you have to hand pick the classes you'd like to take and pay for them individually and most classes are in Spanish. (There are also many in English, Portuguese, French, German etc too.) I like this because I put more thought and care into the classes that I take. I sit down and watch them rather just have them playing in the background like I do many Skillshare classes, especially with the classes in other languages than English. I really have to watch the classes and read the subtitles to follow along. I have never had any trouble with the subtitles and enjoy learning in this way. It forces me to really focus!
As you may know I've been on a journey to pivot my portfolio to include children's illustration as well as my current surface design. Domestika is an incredible place to learn about children's illustration . They have soooo many incredible classes on the subject from so many talented inspiring artist from around the globe. (If you would like to hear me gush over classes watch the video on FB here)
Here is a list of a few of my absolute favorites to get you started:
Jimena S. Sarquiz: Building a Portfolio for a Career in Children's Illustration.
Kayla Stark: Experimental Techniques through Children's Illustration.
Because I can't help myself here are a few more of my favorite illustration classes on Domestika:
Ingela P. Arrhenius: Vintage Illustration for Engaging Children's Books.
Julia Bereciartu: Editorial Illustration of Characters in Gouache.
Sarah Van Dongen: Exploratory Sketchbook: Find Your Drawing Style
Gemma Capdevila: Watercolor Techniques for Dreamlike Illustrations.
Adolfo Serra: Illustration Techniques to Unlock your Creativity.
Asia Orlando: Digital Illustration: Create a Colorful Nature Scene.
Ok, so that was a lot to take in and I'm sure I've tempted you to pick out at least a few classes so I am happy to report that I can sweeten the deal even more so with a special discount coupon valid until April 30th, 2022. Use the code: EMMAKISSTINA-10 for an additional 10% off (even already discounted classes, what?!!! yayayay!)
Closing thoughts.
Spending my time on Skillshare or Domestika is always well spent. I think it's a much better alternative to just scrolling on Instagram or even worse, Facebook. I'm constantly refilling my stores of creativity and learn new skills in the process. I couldn't genuinely recommend these platforms more. I really hope that you enjoy these recommendations and will love Skillshare and Domestika as much as I do. Again I want to mention that the links I shared in this blog post are affiliate links and I make a small profit if you choose to purchase but I very honestly only recommend classes and learning platforms that I truly believe in and have taken myself. Thank you for your support of me as an online educator and content creator. :)
xoxo Kristina