The 11 Most Popular Courses in May 2021

Discover the favorite courses of the Domestika community to learn and awaken your inspiration

Every creative course spurs new ideas, but which ones have had the biggest impact on the Domestika community this month? It’s always interesting to find out the answer to this question as the results say a lot about current trends. Also, if you still haven't discovered your favorite artistic discipline, it's never too late: this blog post spotlights eleven practices you might like to try for yourself.

This list explores illustration, embroidery, watercolor, and cake design techniques. If you prefer to work digitally, it also features courses for mastering programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Domestika's expert teachers will guide you every step of the way and share top tips and resources.

Discover your passion and explore the latest creative techniques with the Domestika community’s top picks!

Cake Design: Modern Decorating Techniques, a course by Julián Ángel

Step into the fascinating world of creative pastry and cake decoration. Under the guidance of international cake design instructor Julian Angel, you will learn everything you need to know: sketching and designing, combining colors, creating textures, and decorating. You will also practice lighting and photography tricks that will help your cake stand out on social media.

Photo Embroidery on Fabric, a course by Studio Variopinto

Using thread and pixels, you will learn to transfer images onto fabric and create full-color, textured embroidery projects. Discover the creative process of photographer and embroiderer Minia Banet, who creates unique decorative pieces and accessories. In this course, you will be taught flat and raised embroidery techniques, select the perfect color palette, and start embroidering elements onto your transferred photo. By the end, you will have produced a unique handmade piece, bursting with color, texture, and volume!

Creating Garments Using Crochet, a course by Alicia Recio Rodríguez

Alicia–better known as Alimaravillas–is a Nordic crochet designer and yarn bomber who teaches a very simple method for making your own garments. She is able to create the texture achieved by using two needles using just one. You will first get to grips with pattern making, discover the best tips for knitting, and learn how to create different textures that emulate two-needle knitting. There is so much more to crochet!

Concrete Furniture Creation for Beginners, a course by En concreto

Discover the possibilities of concrete. Eduardo and Carolina–founders of the Mexico-based studio, En concreto–will teach you artisanal techniques for mixing concrete, designing molds, and creating unique pieces. In this course, you will make two decorative and functional pieces. If you are passionate about interior design, Eduardo and Carolina will show you hot to transform spaces with self-made furniture or accessories.

Artistic Watercolor Techniques for Illustrating Birds, a course by Sarah Stokes

Do you look to nature for inspiration? If so, then you are going to love this course by Sarah Stokes. This self-taught artist translates her passion for art and wildlife into unique watercolor compositions. In this course, she will teach you modern methods for creating beautiful illustrations of birds. She will explain what tonal values means and teach you how to use your brushes to create unique effects. You will also discover that modern watercolor is synonymous with freedom and spontaneity.

Daily Sketching for Creative Inspiration, a course by Sorie Kim

Forget perfectionism. Instead, let yourself get carried away by your passion for drawing. Illustrator Sorie Kim will teach you how to play with your ideas so you can create a sketch on a daily basis using different techniques. By completing the fun exercises she proposes, you will get to grips with the basics of sketching. Sorie will explain how to draw perspective, use vanishing points, and inject life into your sketches. You will build up your own visual library and see that observation is your greatest ally.

Exploratory Sketchbook: Find Your Drawing Style, a course by Sarah Van Dongen

Illustrator Sarah Van Dongen–whose clients include Tiny Owl Publishing, Adobe, and AWW magazine–believes that practicing every day is crucial for the evolution of one’s creative process. Under her guidance, you will try out Sarah’s original methods and use them to explore your ideas and draw from observation, using gouache, watercolor, and colored pencils. You will learn to master color, composition, texture, and anatomy so that you can draw and tell your own stories.

Resin Jewelry Design, a course by Mia Winston-Hart

The world of epoxy resin is filled with possibilities. Mia Winston-Hart (@miawinstonhart) is an educator and the founder and owner of a small accessories business in the south of England. She creates brightly colored one-of-a-kind pieces with epoxy resin, a material that allows her to work with an infinite range of shapes and colors. In this course, you will learn how to work with epoxy resin and make your own jewelry collection. You will add color, decorative elements, and finishing touches that will make your pieces completely unique. Mia has created wonderful accessories for customers all over the world.

Digital Fantasy Portraits with Photoshop, a course by Karmen Loh

Capturing dreamy narratives in your digital portraits requires not only great imagination but also great technique. In this course, fantasy illustrator Karmen Loh, also known as Bearbrickjia, shares her method for working in Adobe Photoshop. She will present an easy-to-follow process, and show you her favorite tools, teach you to master color and how to create shadows and highlights. The artist has created fantasy worlds that have amassed a following of over 400 thousand users on Instagram.

Psychedelic Animation with Photoshop and After Effects, a course by Klarens Malluta

Want to transform a simple photograph into a colorful, retro-futuristic work of art? Klarens Malluta invites you to discover the exciting world of psychedelic animation. In this course, this visual artist will teach you how to combine working with two of the most powerful programs (Adobe Photoshop and After Effects) to create mind-blowing animations and share them with the world. You will use three different techniques to create different animations and experiment with a range of effects.

Introduction to Adobe Illustrator, a course by Aarón Martínez

If you want to master vector illustration projects like a professional, this six-course Domestika Basics is for you. Illustrator and designer Aarón Martínez will show you everything you need to know about Adobe Illustrator and introduce you to the most important tools. You will delve into the world of color, add text to your pieces, and study different ways to digitize an image using vectors.

Still haven’t found the practice you want to try? Explore our magnificent library of creative courses.

You may also like:

–120 Books to Spark Your Creativity
–Curious Minds Podcast: Why Do So Many Artists Make Self Portraits?
–6 Design Documentaries That You Need To Watch