The Best Online Courses To Take Up

Art History

Why is an unmade bed art? What’s the difference between contemporary and modern? Why is the Mona Lisa so famous? These are just some of the questions answered by award-winning arts education platform London Art Studies, which has opened up its subscription site and now offers an hour’s worth of free content. It’s being called the ‘Netflix of the art world’ for a reason: you can dip in an out of the short films, or follow one of the themes (from ‘Beauty’ to ‘Desire’) throughout the site.

Makeup

Become a pro in all things beauty. Masterclass offers a course with renowned makeup artist Bobbi Brown, who’s eponymous line is based around the idea that makeup should be natural and enhance your features. Across 19 lessons, you’ll learn everything from how to choose the right foundation to how to apply makeup in one minute when you’re running late.

Chocolate Making

Learn the art of chocolate making with one of the world’s leading chocolatiers, Paul A Young. Paul’s course includes in introduction to the world of chocolate, alongside teaching on how to make truffles, ganaches and moulded chocolates. It’s available through online course provider Learning with Experts, with classes limited to 20 to allow real-time feedback from the master himself.

Sustainable Living

Why not dedicate some time to learning about our beloved planet? The Sustainable Living Course from Centre of Excellence teaches students about everything from energy conservation to recycling to food waste, offering practical tips on how to be more eco-friendly in all aspects of life.

Decluttering

Many of us are keen to channel our inner Marie Kondo – but decluttering can feel overwhelming. Luckily International Open Academy is here to help with its Decluttering Your Home Masterclass, which offers advice on how to say goodbye to items that are no longer serving you, as well as providing information on how clutter affects your overall wellbeing. Tidy home = tidy mind.

Computer Programming

As technology continues to grow, coding is becoming an increasingly valuable skill across all kinds of industries. It may look confusing – but you don’t have to be a genius to understand the language of the internet. And, naturally, it can all be learnt online. There are numerous websites offering courses, many of which are completely free, such as Codeacademy. Udemy also offers a variety of good courses, many of which are suitable for total beginners.

Photography

Whether you’re keen to become a pro photographer or are simply looking for ways to jazz up your Instagram feed, now’s the time to learn. Those interested in the former should sign up to a professional diploma course at the Institute of Photography, which covers everything from shutter speeds to portrait lighting. For the latter try the London School of Photography, which offers shorter workshops on topics including food and product photography, photojournalism and street photography.

Languages

There’s never been a better time to become bilingual. Whether you haven’t studied a language since your GCSEs or you’re an advanced linguist, there are a whole host of online language courses available covering pretty much all languages around the world. Alison, for instance, offers language lessons in everything from Arabic to French, with courses ranging from basic to advanced. alison.com

Gardening

‘Gardening and spending time outdoors are activities which enable us to put down our phones, slow down and actually appreciate the world around us and the beauty and inspiration that can be found in our plants, gardens and green spaces,’ says Poppie Jamie, founder of wellbeing app Happy Not Perfect. ‘Caring for plants and watching them grow can give us a real sense of purpose and help us feel grounded.’ The RHS has joined forces with MyGardenSchool to offer a series of online gardening courses, the first being Gardening for Wildlife. This four week course consists of video lectures, an ebook, a virtual classroom, and feedback on your own garden from expert Andy McIndoe. The organisation has also launched ‘Grow at Home’, a new platform for sharing gardening advice with its members.

Champagne

Become an expert in fizz with Comité Champagne’s online course. Suitable for anyone from wine lovers to sommeliers, the course features videos and interactive quizzes on all things champagne, covering everything from the making process to climate change initiatives in the region. There are two versions to choose from: the Classic Version, which is free and provides access to four educational modules, and the Premium Version, which is paid for (approx. £43) and includes additional content and webinars. champagne-mooc.com

The Great Outdoors

For many of us, lockdown highlighted the importance of spending time outdoors – but Steve Backshall’s course takes things one step further. The BBC’s Deadly 60 star has launched a new course entitled Nature Knowledge Expert, designed to teach nature enthusiasts about the wild world. You’ll learn about some of the world’s most intriguing and deadly creatures and the corners of the earth they inhabit, the democratic structure of the animal kingdom, sea life and the phenomenon of migration. From £59, learningwithexperts.com

Dance

Dust off your dancing shoes, budding ballerinas: English National Ballet has launched an online dance studio titled BalletActive. Sign up for access to a variety of ballet-based classes, yoga, meditation sessions and even a flamenco set, with new classes added each month. Newbies can give it a go with the seven-day free trial.

Coffee making

Looking to upgrade your morning coffee? Become a caffeine connoisseur at Balance Coffee’s online barista school. The platform features videos, tips and hacks on all the elements that go into the craft of coffee – from the best non-dairy milk alternatives to latte art to how to make iced coffee, plus a guide to all the equipment.

Wedding floristry

Planning a wedding? Philippa Craddock, the florist commissioned to design the floral displays for Harry and Meghan’s big day, is launching two online wedding floristry classes. The first is targeted at brides and grooms – no prior experience required. The second is better suited to those keen to work in wedding floristry. philippacraddock.com

Wildlife Drawing Classes

Lockdown might be over, but if you’re a city dweller struggling for time to get into nature, or find it difficult to make space during the day for creativity, this is the perfect solution for you. Classes are either online or IRL and an expert will guide you through the physiognomy of the animal, their movements to help you improve your accuracy, or simply just to learn a bit more about the environment.

Online classes start at £10, wildlifedrawing.co.uk

Cooking

Keen to expand your repertoire in the kitchen? Learn from the experts with BBC Maestro, which recently added a number of new digital cooking courses. Discover how to cook exciting vegetarian food with Marco Pierre White or learn the ins and outs of modern Indian cuisine with Vineet Bhatia.

Art 

Aspiring artist? Check out Art Academy London, which offers a range of online courses. Learn the fundaments of drawing, portraiture, sketching or oil painting, or delve into some art history – whether you’re into French art, romanticism or modernism, there’s something for everyone. artacademy.org.uk

Image: Anne Tetzlaff