For many people, finding an art class that is both accessible and affordable can be difficult.
“A lot of kids don’t have art programs at their school, or the programs they do have are meager and underfunded,” artist and art professor Clara Lieutold me on a recent afternoon. “Many adults, too, don’t know where to start—or can’t afford the courses that are available.”
In 2017, Lieu launched Art Prof, a website that offers a wide range of art classes, captured in videos. Taught by professional artists and university art teachers, courses range from the basics, like drawing, to more complex or niche mediums, like types of sculpture, printmaking, and animation. Professional development advice is available, too, in videos with titles like “Facing Artists Block” and “Selling Your Art.” What’s more, lessons are fun. One instructor, illustrator Casey Roonan, often starts lessons with an impression of actor Matthew McConaughey in the cult film Magic Mike. In other videos, a pet guinea pig makes cameos as a very cute, albeit silent, studio assistant. Read more