How do I choose the right digital art course for my goals?

Start by identifying your creative focus—whether you want to illustrate characters, design environments, create motion graphics, or build a portfolio. For foundational skills in concept and visual design, try The Language of Design: Form and Meaning by CalArts. Interested in storytelling or character art? Explore Character Design for Video Games or Story and Narrative Development for Video Games . Want to learn hands-on software skills? Consider Graphic Design , a specialization ideal for beginners.

Which digital art course should I start with as a beginner?

These beginner-friendly courses help build core artistic and digital illustration skills—no prior experience required: Adobe Illustrator for Beginners: Create Vector Artwork – Teaches techniques to create a visually appealing project with text, colors, gradients, and effects. Introduction to Imagemaking by CalArts – Covers drawing, visual language, and composition through analog and digital techniques. Graphic Design Elements for Non-Designers – Focuses on layout and visual principles that transfer well to digital art.

What’s the difference between a digital art course, Specialization, and Professional Certificate?

A course focuses on one creative area—such as digital painting, character illustration, or art fundamentals, like Character Design for Video Games . A Specialization combines multiple courses for progressive skill-building—like Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization , which includes storyboarding and design workflows. A Professional Certificate is less common for digital art alone on Coursera, but creative professionals may find overlap in design-focused programs (e.g., Adobe Graphic Design Certificate ) or broader creative career tracks.

Top Digital Art Courses - Learn Digital Art Online

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Digital Art

Digital Art Courses

Digital art courses can help you learn digital painting, 3D modeling, animation techniques, and graphic design principles. You can build skills in color theory, composition, and visual storytelling, while also exploring styles like vector art and pixel art. Many courses introduce tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blender, demonstrating how these applications enhance your creative process and allow you to bring your artistic visions to life.

Popular Digital Art Courses and Certifications

Status: New
Status: Preview
Michigan State University
Digital Painting Specialization
Skills you'll gain: Color Theory, Digital Design, Graphics Software, Creative Design, Creativity, Adobe Creative Cloud, Image Quality, Design
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Coursera
Create and Design Digital Products using Canva
Skills you'll gain: Canva (Software), Design, Digital Design, Product Design, Graphic and Visual Design Software, Creative Design, Color Theory, Graphic Design, Intellectual Property, E-Commerce, Direct Selling, Digital Content, Digital Assets, Marketing, Marketing Materials
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
1.3K reviews
Advanced · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
LearnKartS
AI Image Generation and Content Creation
Skills you'll gain: Generative AI, Photo Editing, Multimedia, Prompt Engineering, Content Creation, Digital Content, Business Process Automation, ChatGPT, Adobe Creative Cloud, Marketing Materials, Logo Design, Video Production, E-Commerce
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Skillshare
Kickstart Your Creativity with Procreate
Skills you'll gain: Creative Design, Creativity, Peer Review, Digital Design, Design Elements And Principles, Graphical Tools, Storyboarding, Storytelling, Design Software, Technical Drawing, Color Theory
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
The Museum of Modern Art
Modern and Contemporary Art and Design
Skills you'll gain: Art History, Performing Arts, Photography, Liberal Arts, Aesthetics, Creativity, Electronic Media, Culture, Cultural Diversity, Media and Communications, Public History, Social Justice, Design, Content Creation, Storytelling, Design Elements And Principles, Multimedia, Sustainable Development, Photo/Video Production and Technology, Sustainability Standards
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
15K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Adobe
Image Editing
Skills you'll gain: Photo Editing, Adobe Photoshop, Photography, Generative AI, File Management, Graphic and Visual Design, Creative Design, Graphic Design, Editing, Creativity
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
168 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

What brings you to Coursera today?

Start my career

Change my career

Grow in my current role

Explore topics outside of work

Status: Free Trial
Michigan State University
Concept Art for Video Games
Skills you'll gain: 3D Modeling, 3D Assets, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Video Game Development, Adobe Photoshop, Animation and Game Design, Conceptual Design, Computer Graphic Techniques, Graphical Tools, Graphic and Visual Design, Data Import/Export, Design Elements And Principles, Image Analysis, Color Theory, Editing
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
113 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Adobe
Generative AI in Adobe Creative Cloud
Skills you'll gain: Photo Editing, Adobe Illustrator, Color Theory, Adobe Photoshop, Responsible AI, Typography, Generative AI, Graphic and Visual Design, Graphic Design, Photography, Data Ethics, Design, Adobe Creative Cloud, Design Elements And Principles, Graphic and Visual Design Software, Digital Design, File Management, Prompt Engineering, Branding, Storytelling
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
876 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Skillshare
Nomad Sculpt for Beginners
Skills you'll gain: 3D Modeling, 3D Assets, Color Theory, Computer Graphics, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Computer Graphic Techniques, Animation and Game Design, Graphical Tools, Data Import/Export, Image Quality, User Interface (UI), Creative Design
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Skillshare
Mindful Digital Art: 5 Prompts for Self Development
Skills you'll gain: Mindfulness, Personal Development, Self-Awareness, Growth Mindedness, Creativity, Digital Design, Graphical Tools, Color Theory, Creative Thinking, Storytelling, Design Elements And Principles, Design Software, Adobe Creative Cloud
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Michigan State University
Pixel Art for Video Games
Skills you'll gain: Animations, Animation and Game Design, Unity Engine, Color Theory, Video Game Development, Adobe Photoshop, Game Design, Computer Graphics, Graphic and Visual Design, Creativity
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
273 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Skillshare
Midjourney: Generative AI for Creatives
Skills you'll gain: Graphic and Visual Design, ChatGPT, Creative Design
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months

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In summary, here are 10 of our most popular digital art courses

Digital Painting Specialization: Michigan State University
Create and Design Digital Products using Canva: Coursera
AI Image Generation and Content Creation: LearnKartS
Kickstart Your Creativity with Procreate: Skillshare
Modern and Contemporary Art and Design: The Museum of Modern Art
Image Editing: Adobe
Concept Art for Video Games: Michigan State University
Generative AI in Adobe Creative Cloud: Adobe
Nomad Sculpt for Beginners: Skillshare
Mindful Digital Art: 5 Prompts for Self Development: Skillshare

Frequently Asked Questions about Digital Art

Start by identifying your creative focus—whether you want to illustrate characters, design environments, create motion graphics, or build a portfolio.

For foundational skills in concept and visual design, try The Language of Design: Form and Meaning by CalArts.
Interested in storytelling or character art? Explore Character Design for Video Games or Story and Narrative Development for Video Games.
Want to learn hands-on software skills? Consider Graphic Design, a specialization ideal for beginners.‎

These beginner-friendly courses help build core artistic and digital illustration skills—no prior experience required:

Adobe Illustrator for Beginners: Create Vector Artwork – Teaches techniques to create a visually appealing project with text, colors, gradients, and effects.
Introduction to Imagemaking by CalArts – Covers drawing, visual language, and composition through analog and digital techniques.
Graphic Design Elements for Non-Designers – Focuses on layout and visual principles that transfer well to digital art.‎

A course focuses on one creative area—such as digital painting, character illustration, or art fundamentals, like Character Design for Video Games.
A Specialization combines multiple courses for progressive skill-building—like Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization, which includes storyboarding and design workflows.
A Professional Certificate is less common for digital art alone on Coursera, but creative professionals may find overlap in design-focused programs (e.g., Adobe Graphic Design Certificate) or broader creative career tracks.‎

Digital art is a form of artwork that is created by an artist using digital technology. It's a type of multimedia art. Art that is presented using digital technology, such as a computer monitor or TV screen is also included in this genre of art. As a field of study, it can be combined with many other technological areas, such as data transmission, metaliteracy, and using emerging technologies to achieve goals, such as self-branding.‎

Career opportunities that can arise from learning digital art include comic book artist and architectural 3D modeler. These are jobs that artists would have performed by hand in the past, but digitized technology makes it possible to do in less time and with greater accuracy. Digital artists may also work as legal and medical animators, using skills such as digital signal processing to create visual aids that bring a legal or medical situation to life on the screen.‎

This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.