Center for
Continuing Education
Digital Arts Certificate

Master the use of Adobe Software and Earn a Digital Arts Certificate

Gain hands-on experience in the fundamental, technical, and creative skills you need to become a successful digital artist—all in 12 months or less. This 360-hour online Digital Arts Certificate course will teach you to develop digital images, traditional drawings, and digital illustrations through hands-on projects. You will also master the use of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to help build or expand a career as a digital artist in areas such as graphic design, fine arts, visual marketing, and more.

 

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Job Outlook for Digital Artists

  • The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that job demand for graphic designers will grow 3% through 2031, and job demand for special effects artists and animators will increase by 5%.
  • There were nearly 324,000 job openings in these areas in 2021, according to the BLS.
  • This certificate is also a great way to differentiate yourself as a web developer or digital designer—careers that are expected to grow 23% over the next decade and result in 45,400 newly created jobs nationwide. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Digital artists use their creativity to develop visual concepts with computer software or traditional hand drawings to communicate ideas that will inform, inspire, and engage viewers. They work with clients and use a combination of layout, color, style, form, and other artistic tools to bring a vision to life in compelling ways.

Our Digital Arts Certificate is a comprehensive online training course that can be completed at your own pace. You will gain skills using both traditional and digital media as you build a portfolio of experience in hands-on exercises for digital imaging, vector drawing, traditional drawing, color and composition, and editorial illustration. You will also master every aspect of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator that you will need to build a career as a digital artist.

There are several careers that will open up to you once you have earned your Digital Arts Certificate, including graphic designer, special effects artist, animator, and others. According to the BLS, graphic designers are in demand, with 265,000 jobs listed in 2021. Graphic designers earn an average annual salary of $50,710, but the top 10% earn more than $98,260. The BLS reports that special effects artists and animators earn $78,790 on average, with the top 10% earning more than $131,370.

Course Objectives

  • Demonstrate entry-level professional Photoshop skills and effective decisions in selecting and editing images
  • Exhibit a sophisticated use of color and contrast as well as the ability to research colors and make choices that are appropriate for each client and project
  • Create vector art illustrations in Illustrator, using shape drawing and freehand drawing/tracing tools, Pen tool, type tools, and basic effects
  • Develop basic line drawings using pencil and paper following the principles of perspective and proportion
  • Be able to use color sampling, meshes, blends, masks, 3D tools, and tiles in Illustrator to create both realistic and stylized artwork
  • Develop drawing skills that show the ability to analyze a subject, represent realistic form and perspective, manipulate colors, and reflect contemporary stylistic approaches
  • Create straightforward, balanced, and stylized icons, sequential illustrations, logos, and editorial illustrations using Illustrator's shape tools, freehand drawing tools, and classic illustration techniques

 

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Prerequisites and Requirements

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

 

Curriculum

  1. Photoshop Basics
  2. Color Theory
  3. Illustration Basics
  4. Intro to Drawing
  5. Illustrator Advanced
  6. Drawing I
  7. Digital Illustration Advanced

 

Instructors

An author, designer/illustrator, educator, and Mac expert who has worked in the field since 1985, Andrew Shalat has written hundreds of articles about Macs and has published three books: "How to Do Everything with Online Video," "Do It Yourself Mac Projects," and "MacDesign Out of the Box." He has been a speaker and faculty member of the Macworld Expo since 2001. Shalat is also a regular contributor to design and Mac related sites including Inside Mac Radio, InDesign Magazine, and Creativepro.com, and MacWorld.

Jordon Schranz is a New York/New Mexico-based visual artist, musician, curator, and educator whose work focuses on the idea of social and political interaction and their underlying cultural structures. Jordon earned his BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Currently he is working in Las Cruces, New Mexico on an extensive project based on security camera footage and themed around issues of privacy and surveillance. In addition, Jordon is an active member of the New York experimental music scene, regularly curating, performing, recording, and promoting avant-rock, free jazz, noise, and experimental music performances in addition to running Tigerasylum. Jordon is the Director of Fine Arts for the Sessions Online School of Fine Arts and an instructor at the Las Cruces Museum of Art and the Preston Contemporary Art Center.

Michael Hamm is a freelance designer and web developer with over a decade of experience in the creative field. Based in Washington state, Michael provides design solutions for clients across the country through his company ClayEdward Design. Prior to working on his own, Michael worked for JPMorgan Chase in Houston, Texas as an interactive designer. His work has been published in various web design books and magazines and he is a regular contributor to Layers Magazine. In addition, he has served as technical editor on several design books published by Friends of Ed. Michael recently co-authored Introduction to Web Design Using Dreamweaver published by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. Michael is an Adobe Certified Instructor in Adobe Illustrator and has a Diploma in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Houston. Michael is the founder, designer, programmer, and writer of PointsandPaths.com, a website that grew from his passion for illustration software and all things vector.

Registration and Enrollment

This course is open enrollment and 100% online. You can enroll and begin at any time.

 

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