My Current Favorite Domestika Classes
As an artist I love to learn new techniques and try out new skills. There’s something so wonderful about looking at art through another creator’s perspective that helps you see new possibilities in your own work.
When your creative hobby is also your job, your focus can sometimes become quite narrow, so I love to explore different mediums and projects with the classes on Domestika.
As a Domestika teacher myself, I know how much work and thought goes into these classes, so it’s always an exciting way to support other creatives, and I thought I would share a few of my current favorite classes that I’m taking!
*this post contains affiliate links. You can read the full disclosure of what this means at the end of this post.
Painting Classes
Before becoming obsessed with gouache I used to paint a lot with watercolors, and I still love to see the different ways that artists use this medium. These are two of my fav watercolor classes:
Watercolor Techniques for Dreamlike Illustrations
This course is absolutely enchanting! We get to know artist Gemma Capdevila as she talks us through her process for creating these beautiful paintings, from choosing a color scheme to working with the transparency of watercolor to achieve really pretty effects.
I adore a healthy dose of whimsy in my artwork, and Gemma’s work and process satisfies this beautifully!
She also tackles a little bit of digital manipulation, and how to scan artwork for further editing in Procreate (I love that this is included- I often use Procreate to test out ideas before painting, so it’s cool to see how valuable it can be at the other end of the painting process).
The only downside to the class for me is that the audio is only available in Spanish. But even having to read the English subtitles, I thoroughly enjoyed this course!
Watercolor Travel Journal
Every time I come across the artwork of Alicia Aradilla, it makes me want to throw my gouache away and become a watercolor travel artist- her work is amazing!
One of the things I love about the Domestika classes is that they all begin with a little bit about the teacher and their influences. I love this insight into another artists world, and these classes with Alicia are no disappointment. I think I would be happy to just sit there and watch her show me pages of her travel journals all day!
This is another course in Spanish, so I watched with the English subtitles on. But like Gemma’s course it doesn’t really bother me when the class is so excellently organized. I think this would be more of an issue if we were jumping between subjects or topics, but the lessons follow a really nice logical progression, so even if I miss a few words here and there while I’m painting along It’s not a huge issue.
Alicia’s control of watercolor is so bold and effortless you cant help but pick up your paints and give it a go. I thoroughly enjoyed this class- and while I’m not ready to actually give up my gouache, this was a great visit back to the world of watercolor.
Procreate Classes
So I love to paint, and over the years I’ve used many different mediums. But one that I love- that I never really expected to- is digital painting on Procreate. Like I mentioned above, I love being able to quickly test out ideas before I get out all my paints, so I was excited to see these classes to let me expand my Procreate skills!
Atmospheric Scenes in Procreate: Paint with Color and Light
I was immediately drawn to this class by Ramona Wultschner because it reminds me of the kind of enchanting atmosphere I love to create in my gouache paintings, and I thought it would be great to explore this from a digital perspective.
If you ever want to see how good a Domestika course is, just check the Project tab. This is where students are able to share their course project, and you can browse though this before purchasing the class. The projects from this class are amazing- and I truly believe this is a testament to how beautifully Ramona shares her process and passion for her work.
The exercises that Ramona suggests to familiarize yourself with the techniques are excellent, and I love that she shares the exact brushes she uses in the course resources- you just download them onto your iPad and away you go!
All in all this was a lovely course and a great exploration of the functions of Procreate!
Illustrating Fantastical Animals with Procreate
I love to paint landscapes, and I always think of them as snapshots from stories where the character has just left. But when I saw this course by Julia Körner, I was completely lured in by the trailer!
Julia’s work is full of magic…. think ninja cats & adventurous foxes… need I say more?
I figured this course would be a nice way to think about adding characters to my magical worlds, and it didn’t disappoint! Now I want to make ALL THE CHARACTERS!
Like Ramona’s course above, the information for how to use Procreate to create and test out ideas is so helpful. I feel like there’s no stone left unturned and you’re left feeling like you can definitely give this a go!
For me, I can measure how much I enjoyed a course by how excited I am to get started and try out the techniques. I will often watch the lessons with a cup of tea to see what we’ll be doing before I grab any supplies. But with this class I had to pause it to go fetch my iPad almost straight away. My poor, forgotten cup of tea went cold next to me!
A lovely course from a knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher!
I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on these classes! I shall be back from time to time as I find more that I love. Have you taken a class that you think I’d enjoy? Let me know! You can email me at ruth@moderngouache.com or DM me on IG @ruthwilshaw 💕
Until next time, happy painting!
Ruth x
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links to selected Domestika courses. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. All opinions shared in this post are my own ✨
