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UdemyDigital PaintingPaid courseBeginner levelCertificate

The Beginner's Illustration Masterclass (Udemy.com)

Create professional-looking digital paintings and illustrations even if you "can't draw."

4.4
234 reviews

Created by: Edu Evolution

Last updated January 2026

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What you will learn

  • Create powerful custom illustrations in minutes using free or paid software (Illustrator, Photoshop, GIMP, etc) using simple techniques and basic principles.
  • Understand image creation best practices regarding copyrights and using free stock images, original photos, and royalty-free images.
  • Develop the ability to make illustrations that can be used online, in videos, or for print, even if you CAN'T DRAW.
  • Make unique and inexpensive illustrated gifts for friends and family.
  • Save and make money creating your own illustrations for yourself and others.
  • Avoid headaches if and when you lose your work by learning the proper way to save your files.
  • Learn ways to boost creativity using simple, proven creatvity recipes
  • Gain an understanding of the most useful "art-school" design hacks so your images look more professional

How it compares

Against the other 175 rated Udemy courses in Digital Painting on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.4 out of 5higher than 26% of them
  • Reviews234#74 of 176 by number of reviews
  • Length4.4 hourslonger than 58% of them
  • Last updatedJanuary 2026more recently than 86% of them

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Quality Score

Content Quality
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Video Quality
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Qualified Instructor
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Overall Score : 88 / 100

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Course Description

This quick and dirty course will help you make original, custom digital paintings and illustrations using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or Gimp (or any similar program) in just a matter of minutes that look professional and can be used online, in videos and animations, or for print purposes such as on a poster, letterhead, even a T-shirt or other products.
*Please note that free 7 day trial versions of Photoshop and Illustrator are available for download from Adobe's website. Gimp is a free program.
Save money making your own unique digital images and illustrations (and stop paying others to do them for you) and develop skills that can help you start making money creating professional-looking images for
others. You can also use these simple techniques to make unique images and illustrations as free gifts for friends and family.
You also don't need to know how to draw.
There are actually a HUGE number of graphic designers who CAN NOT draw... but they make up for it by using techniques like the ones in this course and naturally, learning more about layout design, composition, color, typography, and other fundamentals of visual literacy.
You can decide how much time you will spend on each image which will then affect your end results. As you do more and more, you can be cranking these out in a matter of minutes and could actually make a little illustration/digital painting business creating these for others on websites like Fiverr, Upwork, and other freelancing websites.

*New: This course now also comes with the FREE bonus course: Make Easy But Powerful Social Media Graphics: Canva |Stencil

Are you ready to take charge and learn quick and easy methods for creating and editing powerful web images/social media graphics like a professional in just 1 hour?
With this course as your guide, you'll learn how to confidentially and professionally create and manage your OWN unique images for your website, blog, eCourse, eBook, presentations, or social media pages using free online tools.

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What Students Are Saying:
"A great course by a great instructor. It was amazing to see the making of an image, with all the techniques, attention to detail, and also to hear the thinking process behind each decision. I found it stimulating and inspiring." -Robin Scanlon
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I'm a practicing award-winning multimedia artist and a former tenured Associate Professor of Digital Media and Program Director of Film & Digital Media at The American University of Rome (2006-2016). I'm currently an Associate Professor of Digital Media at the American University of Myanmar in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma).
Since 2000 I've been teaching students all over the world using my tried and true custom approach (turning complex information into something simple, memorable, easy-to-understand in as short amount of time as possible) to ensure that you get the most important, relevant, and useful information that can be applied immediately.

New bonus lectures and resources will continue to be added and timely advice will be provided in the discussion forum. I love to help and always respond to inquiries and discussions ASAP.
Please Note: All students who enroll in this course also will receive periodic free and discounted access to my other top-rated current and upcoming courses.

You have a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee with no questions asked so you have nothing to lose. I make myself available so you will have access to me if you have questions or need specific feedback along the way.

Empower yourself now by enrolling in this digital painting course and join our growing learning community!

Enroll now and let's get started building your digital painting, software, and design skills today.Who this course is for:
  • This course is for novices as well as beginners interested in learning simple and basic techniques for getting started illustrating on the computer.
  • Advanced traditional fine artists and illustrators looking for ways to take their natural drawing talents from their sketchbooks to a computer environment will appreciate this easy, step by step approach.
  • Please note this is NOT an in-depth Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop or Gimp course. This courses gets you up and running using the most effective tools and does NOT get into ALL the tools and features of each specific program.
Read More Beginner Beginner Level product length iconTime: 4.4h

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Instructor Details

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My goal is to empower ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
I'm an American/Portuguese international award-winning artist/educator helping empower ordinary people around the globe to communicate and tell their own stories through a variety of media. I have created dynamic content for clients including UNICEF, The World Food Programme, Children International, The Aid Myanmar Society, and The American University of Myanmar.
I have 19+ years of experience teaching digital media and creating innovative programs for secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate students as well as adults and children with no formal education in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. I've also been teaching tens of thousands of online students through online learning platforms since 2014.
I'm a proactive Associate Professor of Digital Media who recently taught for universities, international schools, and NGOs in Myanmar from 2016-2019. I co-founded and directed the Film and Digital Media Program at The American University of Rome (2006-2016). As of July 2019, I'm based in Lilongwe, Malawi.
My animated films have screened in galleries and museums worldwide and in more than 75 international film festivals where they have frequently won "Best Animated Short."
I received my MFA from Pratt Institute in Computer Graphics and Interactive Media and also hold a BFA in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Edu Evolution<

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Reviews

4.4

234 ratings on Udemy

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By Lori Spencer

Eye opening course, would recommend it to anyone interested in creating rapid CG illustrations!

By Stephen Ford

The instructor shares a lot of information and is very well versed in her craft. Excellent course

By Cynthia Olivares

Yes the tools showed in the lessons helps a lot, i'm learning a lot thanks, simple and to the point.

By Joseph M. Underwood

Amazing tutorial and amazing teacher! Really helps you learn all the steps and shows how everything is done.

By Vernon Grant

Very nice course for people like me who have no idea what illustrator is.. Instructor is direct to the point and very experienced ! Definitely recommended !

By Joel Francois

This course is just FANTASTIC. I am a total newbie, and honestly have never thought I would be able to draw any illustration that looks this professional on my own. But today, I can!

By Edward J. Jackson

The instructor guides you through the learning process step by step. Also she points out tools and shortcuts throughout the course. That helps a lot remembering them. Great course!

By Sally R. Stewart

Incredible course. The content is great and is delivered with surgical precison. I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to learn a fast workflow to create wonderful illustrations. In my case, I wanted to know how to paint and I am more than happy with the course and the instructor.

By Tracy E. Ramirez

This course is just FANTASTIC. I am a total newbie, and honestly have never thought I would be able to draw any illustration that looks this professional on my own. But today, I can!

The only thing I wish I could learn more is about coloring and shadows in the final finished illustration.

Anyway, again, a very fantastic course for newbies like me who wants to learn about illustrations. Highly recommended!

By Donna J. Dickerson

I tried to make a careful selection on which course I get for learning Illustrator and I must say that Kristeni does a excellent job as a teacher!

The explanations are great, the pace is perfect and I really think this course is with a reason under the Best Seller tag.

By William P. Cook

Great Class! Exactly what i was looking for. I have always been intimidated by Illustrator and have been using photoshop for projects that I should have been using this program for. Fun, Comprehensive and at a great pace. Only recommendation would be to work more tools into the curriculum. Thanks a lot! Highly recommended. 5 stars!

By Aurer Lousie Otto Peter

The explanations are very clear and very easy to follow even for beginners. Every example and topic is explained in depth with patience. Totally recommended.

Showing 12 of 49 reviews

The Beginner's Illustration Masterclass
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  • Video Duration: icon 4.4h
  • Price: $59.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon January 2026
  • Level: Beginner Beginner
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
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