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When I moved into a motorhome a few years ago, I left behind my entire traditional art studio.
Drawers full of gouache tubes, stacks of watercolor paper, brushes I’d carefully organized like some paintbrush librarian.
I thought I’d have to choose between making art and living in 300 square feet.
But the Procreate app paired with an Apple Pencil solved this. It’s an entire art studio that fits in a 12-inch electronic rectangle.
But here’s the thing about learning new gadgets and software. Most online courses feel like drinking from a fire hose while someone who’s on fire shouts directions at you from a bullhorn.
You sign up thinking you’ll finally learn the thing, and then, three videos in, you’re stuck on a complicated menu screen, trying to remember which layer you’re supposed to be on.
Meanwhile, the instructor cheerfully explains seventeen different brush settings in 90 seconds.
And that’s PARTICULARLY ROUGH if your neurodivergent brain needs information in nibble-sized pieces that don’t require rewinding 83 times to catch what just happened.
Thankfully, I found Skillshare. An online learning platform that doesn’t make me want to chuck my iPad out the window.
Why Skillshare is Great for Learning Digital Art
Skillshare is a course platform where you pay a monthly fee for access to a catalog of courses from different instructors on topics ranging from watercolor painting to starting a podcast to learning Python.
The classes are structured as short videos (usually 5-15 minutes each), so you can learn one thing, try it, and move on without your brain disintegrating.
You can watch at your own pace, download lessons for offline viewing, and revisit tricky sections as many times as you want without anyone knowing you watched “How to Use the Layers Panel” six times in a row.
Not all Skillshare teachers are created equal, though. And if you’re looking for the best Skillshare Procreate courses for beginners, you’re probably tired of tutorials that assume you already know what half the buttons do.
So here are six Skillshare teachers I keep coming back to for learning digital art on the iPad.
They explain things clearly, provide valuable resources, and their teaching styles work for brains that need structure without rigidity.
1 | Lisa Bardot – Procreate Brushes and Tutorials
Lisa Bardot creates some of the best digital brushes, tutorials, and teaching resources for Procreate that exist on the internet.
Her teaching style feels like sitting down with a friend who happens to know everything about digital art, without making you feel dumb for asking questions.
She doesn’t tell you everything you make is beautiful (because let’s be honest, sometimes it ain’t. Guilty).
Instead, she shows you how to fix the thing that’s bothering you, explains why it’s not working, and gives you tools to solve the problem yourself next time.
She runs Make Art Everyday, drawing prompts and challenges to develop a regular practice. And the Art Maker’s Club, a learning hub where Lisa and other artists will answer your questions when you can’t figure out why your layers keep merging without permission.
Classes to start with:
- Kickstart Your Creativity with Procreate: 20 Fun Drawings for Beginners and Beyond
- Postcards in Procreate: Vintage-Inspired Text Effects
- Easy, Eye-Catching Animations in Procreate
2 | Gia Graham – Hand Lettering
I used to think hand lettering was the creative equivalent of doing taxes. Technically necessary for some people, deeply tedious for me, requiring a level of patience I did not possess.
Gia has this knack for making complex concepts seem simple and approachable to beginners (like making letters look good when they’re sitting next to each other, which apparently has rules I never knew existed).
She’s friendly without being over-the-top enthusiastic, which I appreciate, because sometimes you need someone to calmly tell you where the hell to put the pen.
Mission San Xavier del Bac Tucson Architecture Art Print
Hand-lettered art print I made using techniques from Gia’s classes
Her classes include tons of tips for finding your own style instead of copying someone else’s, which matters if you’re trying to develop work that feels like yours and not like you traced someone’s Instagram post.
Classes to start with:
- Simple Words to Stunning Art: Combine Hand Lettering and Illustration
- Hand Lettering in Procreate: Tricks & Tips to Improve Your Lettering
- Hand Lettering in Procreate: Fundamentals to Finishing Touches
3 | Silvia Ospina – Approachable Surface Pattern Design
Silvia Ospina creates classes that feel polished, making you want to see them through to the end.
The camera work is clean, the pacing is thoughtful, and she provides helpful free resources with every class (brush packs, color palettes, pattern templates you can use immediately instead of staring at a blank canvas wondering where to start).
She specializes in patterns and illustration, combining hand-drawn charm with digital polish in ways that feel approachable. Her background working with brands means she understands how to teach you how to create work that’s both artistic and functional.
What really sets Silvia apart is that she shows up. If you post a project in one of her classes, she responds with feedback (not just a heart emoji and “great job!”).
She even shares student work on her social media channels. I love that she also offers accessibly priced digital resources so you can keep practicing without having to reverse-engineer everything from scratch.
Classes to start with:
- Patterns in Procreate: Supercharge Your Workflow with an Image Library
- Fun Patterns in Procreate: From Doodles to Designs in Minutes
- Digital Illustration: A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Procreate
4 | Maja Faber – Mockups and Surface Pattern Design
Maja Faber has over 100,000 students on Skillshare, which speaks to the effectiveness of her teaching style.
She covers surface pattern design extensively, but she also offers classes on related skills like creating mockups, making GIFs, and developing color palettes.
The variety in her course catalog. If you want an in-depth, multi-hour course that walks you through every aspect of pattern design, she has it.
If you want a 30-minute class that teaches you one specific technique, she has that too. This flexibility matters when you’re trying to fit learning into a life that doesn’t always cooperate with your creative ambitions.
She includes value-packed freebies with her courses (Procreate brushes, pattern toolkits, templates) that you can use long after you finish the class.
Her teaching approach acknowledges that learning new creative skills is hard without making you feel like you’re failing if you’re not good at something immediately.
Classes to start with:
- Make Your Own Mockups in Procreate Using Photos and Adobe Photoshop
- Professional Patterns in Procreate: Tips to Level Up Your Pattern Design
- How to Create Stripes and Lines Patterns in Procreate
5 | Rich Armstrong – Creativity and Finding Your Style
Rich Armstrong is a product designer who brings a playful, experimental energy to Procreate classes, making you want to try things rather than just passively watch and nod along.
His teaching philosophy centers on exploration and finding your own style rather than copying his techniques exactly, which is refreshing when so many classes feel like paint-by-numbers exercises.
He explains things clearly without over-complicating the process, and he genuinely seems to enjoy making art (surprisingly rare in educational content).
He has courses specifically on Procreate, but also teaches classes using other iPad apps if you want to expand your toolkit beyond one app.
Classes to start with:
- Digital Marbling: Create Stunning Abstract Art in Procreate
- Procreate Animation: Make Fun GIFs & Videos
- Abstract & Organic iPad Doodling: Foster Your Creativity with Play & Experimentation
6 | Julie Erin Designs – Print on Demand and Surface Pattern Design
Julie Erin Designs specializes in bite-sized classes you can complete in under 30 minutes and walk away with a finished project.
This is incredibly valuable when your available time comes in random 20-minute chunks between other obligations.
Her teaching style is calm and friendly, and she has this way of explaining things that makes even complicated techniques feel manageable.
Strawberry Fruit Pattern Journal | Hardcover Notebook
My strawberry pattern from Julie’s 15-minute Pattern Design Course
She’s engaged with her students (if you leave a comment or upload a project, she responds, and she even likes projects students create in other classes).
She focuses heavily on creating designs for print-on-demand, so if you’re interested in eventually selling your art on products (or making your own custom notebook covers and phone cases), her classes provide practical, immediately applicable skills.
Classes to start with:
- 15 Minute Pattern Design in Procreate: Create a Spring Daisy & Strawberry Seamless Pattern for POD
- 10 Minute Pattern Design in Procreate: Create a Seamless Sunflower Pattern for Print on Demand
- Dreamy Digital Landscapes in Procreate (Beginner Friendly + Free Brushes Included!)
Learning how to create digital art on your iPad doesn’t have to feel like you’re trying to read an instruction manual written in Pig Latin.
The iPad and Procreate combination has given me back the ability to create art regularly without needing a dedicated studio space or worrying about using up expensive materials every time I want to experiment.
These six teachers’ courses are structured for brains that need clear explanations and the ability to pause and rewind.
So if you’ve been staring at Procreate, wondering where the heck to start, I hope this list helps you sail past the art paralysis and into making things.
Still here? You must be drawn differently.
This is the part where I’m supposed to remind you there’s a newsletter, but let’s skip the pitch.
If you’re someone who’s still trying to figure out how to be a creative human after years of being told to be a productive one, Neurospicy Creative Collective might be your kind of space.
