http://www.onlineclasses.org/free-online-classes/free-online-classes-for-artists/
Why Continuing Education Is Important for Artists
Many times, artists become proficient at the creative side of their work while the business side of their work suffers. This is one of the many reasons it is important for artists to take part regularly in continuing education. Along with providing key training on the business and promotions side of the arts, continuing education can help artists keep up with the latest trends and techniques and learn Web design skills so they can make their art available to a wider audience. For some art forms, such as tattoo art, you may even be required to undergo continuing education in areas such as health and safety to maintain state licensure. Continuing education is important to artists so they will not become stagnant, but instead be constant learners, pushing their craft forward.
The Advantage of Taking Online Classes
The convenience of online classes is their greatest advantage to artists. Instead of having to drive to a campus at regularly scheduled times each week, you can go to class simply by turning on your computer and connecting to the Internet. This helps artists access the courses they need 24/7 without interrupting their busy and sometimes unpredictable schedules. Besides, artists are known for thinking outside the box, and may not prefer to go to class the traditional way. With online classes, you can advance your education in the arts from your home, a scenic outdoor area with Wi-Fi or a down-to-earth coffee shop instead of going to an institution. And since online classes are just as challenging as traditional classes, and taught by experienced, qualified professors, you won't be losing out on quality either.
How Free Online Classes Can Supplement Your Career
Typical college courses can cost a pretty penny, and if you're a "starving" artist, every penny counts. So why not take advantage of the wide variety of free online classes that are available to all takers? Many of the nation's top institutions are offering free, typically non-credit-bearing educational classes often called Open Courseware. Some of those institutions include MIT, the American Film Institute, Tufts University and Minnesota State University. There are a wide variety of free classes available to suit your interests, including: The Art of Color; Introduction to Sculpture; Creating Interactive Media; and Theatre & Society in the Age of Shakespeare.
- Art of Color: Discover how and why color is used, the psychology of color, and more. [MIT]
- Introduction to the Visual Arts: Get an overview of contemporary art standards and practices. [MIT]
- Dance Theory and Composition: Concepts like weight, time, space and shape are studied in regards to contemporary dance composition. [MIT]
- Performance Art: Learn about performance art in live art, music, acting and more. [Wikiversity]
- Foundations in the Visual Arts: Architecture students learn the basics of visual art criticism. [MIT]
- Copyright Ownership in Works of Art and Images: Learn how to protect yourself and give credit to other artists in this course. U.S. copyright law [Connexions]
- English Renaissance Drama: Theatre and Society in the Age of Shakespeare: Even if you don't want to become a Shakespeare actor, having a solid foundation in Shakespeare's style and plays will be beneficial. [MIT]
- Theater and Cultural Diversity in the U.S.: Study how different cultures express themselves through dramatic interpretations. [MIT]
- Introduction: The Birth of American Artist Printmaking: If you're interested in printmaking, take this course to learn about its origins. [Connexions]
- Classical Hollywood Cinema: Those interested in any part of the film industry — acting, editing, directing, screenwriting and more — can learn a lot from this course. [AFI]
- Creating Interactive Media: Practice using the tools needed for interactive multimedia projects. [University of Southern Queensland]
- Design: Take this class to learn how designers work and make decisions about their projects. [The Open University]
- Adobe Free Sample Courses: These free sample courses will teach you how to use Adobe Acrobat, InDesign, Premier and Photoshop. [Adobe]
- Introduction to Sculpture: Explore the basic principles of sculpture, including aesthetics, site, context and process. [MIT]
- Modern Art and Mass Culture: Study modern art, modernism and modern art criticism here. [MIT]
- Introducing the Classical World: Learn about some of the world's earliest art, which is still held in high regard today. [The Open University]
- Beginning Costume Design and Construction: Those students who already know the basics of costume design should take this course to learn about period research and character analysis. [MIT]
- Introduction to Video: Get the basics of video editing and video recording while learning how video captures a story. [MIT]
- Game Design Project: This course will allow you to design game modules and then one whole game. [Utah State]
- Graphic Design I: Get a very basic overview of the language, key concepts and tools used in graphic design. [Qedoc]
- Fundamentals of Music: Learn all about chords, scales, rhythm, melody and more fundamentals of music. [MIT]
- Composition and improvisation in cross-cultural perspective: Compare and contrast the two different processes for creating music. [The Open University]
- Beginning Guitar: Learn the beginning basics of the guitar here. [Connexions]
- Godel, Escher, Bach: Discover how art, math and music are interrelated. [MIT]
- Classical Drama and Theatre: Study classical dramatic works like Euripides here. [Utah State]
- Media Art I: Learn how to use sound, installations and video in your art projects. [Capilano University]
- Special Topics in Multimedia Production: Experiences in Interactive Art: Listen to artists talk about their experiences creating interactive pieces. [MIT]
- Design for the Theater: Scenery: Get the basics of scenic design for plays and operas here. [MIT]
- Principles of Design: Learn advanced design theories in this course. [MIT]
- Philosophy and the Arts: Lectures here cover high culture vs. low culture and the human spirit in art. [Minnesota State]
- 20th Century Art: Discover the artists and movements that are probably inspiring your work today. [MIT]
- Good Shooting Guide: The Basic Principles: Discover how to shoot clear, artistic video footage here. [BBC Academy]
- Playwriting I: Start learning about playwriting when you take this course. [MIT]
- Interrogative Design Workshop: Learn about the artist's right to speak and create freely. [MIT]
- Fundamentals of Piano Practice: Besides learning scales, you'll learn piano tuning, memorization skills, and more. [Connexions]
- Musicianship II: Students taking music theory should also take this course to develop a supplemental aural foundation. [Sofia]
- Articulation: Learn about articulation in regards to music. [Connexions]
- Videogame Theory and Analysis: Consider videogames and their design in a modern social and artistic context. [MIT]
- Reading Music: Common Notation: Continue to develop your music-reading skills with the help of this course. [Connexions]
- Composing with Computers: Discover computer composing tools that modern musicians are using. [MIT]
- The Persistent Puppet: Pinocchio's Heirs in Contemporary Fiction and Film: Learn about puppeteering, children's storytelling and the universality of Pinocchio. [Fathom]
- Introduction to Music Theory: Study music theory of melody and harmony. [Connexions]
- Symphony and Concerto: You'll study 34 symphonies plus 24 concertos, evaluating style, composers, theory and more. [MIT]
- Script Analysis: Learn how to evaluate scripts here. [MIT]
- Five Steps to Multimedia Storytelling: Learn how to identify multimedia elements and decide which kinds of stories are best for multimedia projects. [Poynter]
- Introducing Game Development: This OCW site will help you create computer games. [OpenCourseWare UK]
- Digital Typography: Web designers and other artists learn more about creating fonts and typography. [MIT]
- Blender 3D Design: Animators, illustrators and model-makers learn how to use this important tool when they take this course. [Tufts]
- Special Topics in Cinematic Storytelling: Learn more about storytelling techniques in this course. [MIT]
- Existentialism in Literature and Film: Discover how films and filmmakers attempt to address the traditional Judeo/Christian God figure. [UC Berkeley]
