Learning how to draw or paint no longer requires attending a university or living close to a physical art school. Beginners in Nigeria can now choose from specialised academies, structured online programmes, private tutors and free video tutorials.
However, these options do not all teach art in the same way.
Some programmes focus heavily on realistic portraiture. Some help beginners understand general drawing and painting fundamentals. Others allow students to hire a tutor for individual lessons.
This guide compares five art-learning options available to Nigerian beginners:
- Orédé Art Academy
- Beo School of Art
- Superprof Nigeria
- MasterArtClasses
- YouTube and other free tutorials
The best option depends on what you want to learn, how much guidance you need and whether you prefer a structured programme or flexible individual lessons.
Quick Comparison
| Art-learning option | Teaching approach | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|
| Orédé Art Academy | Specialised practical courses, projects and mentoring | Portrait drawing, oil painting, impasto and animation |
| Beo School of Art | Weekly video lessons, quizzes, practical assignments and one-on-one review calls inside a personal course dashboard | Kids and adult beginners who want structured drawing or painting foundations with personal feedback |
| Superprof Nigeria | Private lessons from independent tutors | Learners who want flexible help with a specific skill |
| MasterArtClasses | Recorded, live and physical courses in traditional textile art | Adire, Batik, tie-dye and fabric design |
| YouTube | Free independent video tutorials | Self-directed learners with little or no budget |
Course prices, schedules and teaching formats can change. Always confirm the latest information with the provider before registering.
1. Orédé Art Academy
Orédé Art Academy is a Nigerian art institute offering specialised courses for beginners and experienced artists.
Its official course catalogue includes:
- Portrait Drawing for Beginners
- Portrait Painting for Beginners
- Advanced Painting
- Impasto Portraiture
- 2D Animation
- Drawing and Painting for Kids and Teens
The Portrait Drawing Course for Beginners introduces students to fundamental drawing and shading techniques. It includes more than ten hours of practical sessions divided into five modules, alongside class projects, personal projects, mentoring, networking and a certificate of completion.
Orédé also offers portrait-painting programmes covering facial structure, proportions, colour mixing, painting techniques, skin texture, hair and facial features.
Its advanced courses go further into realistic oil portraiture and impasto painting using brushes, palette knives, thick paint and textured surfaces. The academy also offers a 2D animation course using tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects.
Who Orédé Art Academy Is Best For
Orédé is a strong option for learners who already have a fairly clear artistic goal.
It may suit you when:
- You want to focus mainly on portrait drawing.
- You want to learn realistic oil portrait painting.
- You are interested in impasto techniques.
- You want a practical, module-based course.
- You value personal projects and mentoring.
- You want to explore 2D animation.
- Receiving a certificate matters to you.
Because the academy offers several separate courses, learners can choose a programme based on the specific medium or technique they want to develop.
What to Confirm Before Enrolling
The course descriptions explain what students will learn, but current prices, schedules, locations and delivery formats are not clearly stated across every course page.
Before registering, ask:
- Is the course currently online or physical?
- When does the next class begin?
- How frequently are classes held?
- How much does the complete course cost?
- Are materials included?
- How does the one-on-one mentoring work?
2. Beo School of Art
Beo School of Art is a fully online art school created by Beo Art Studio and taught by Nigerian artist Benjamin Odeke.
The school is designed primarily for children aged eight and above, while teenagers and adult beginners can also enrol.
Students receive a personal course dashboard at learn.beoarts.com where they can access lessons, read notes, take quizzes, submit assignments, receive feedback, track progress and download their certificate after completing a track.
Rather than beginning only with complicated portraits, the programme first teaches students how artists observe the world.
The curriculum introduces ideas such as:
- Shapes and three-dimensional form
- Light and shadow
- Observation
- Tonal values
- Shading
- Proportion
- Colour relationships
- Colour mixing
- Brush control
- Drawing and painting from real objects
These skills can later support portrait drawing, painting, illustration, murals and other creative directions.
How Learning Works
Drawing and Painting follow a weekly learning structure inside the student dashboard:
- Watch the weekly video lesson.
- Read the supporting lesson notes.
- Complete the lesson quiz.
- Create the practical assignment.
- Upload the finished work directly to the platform.
- Receive a personal review call with Benjamin.
The video lessons are pre-recorded, allowing students to pause, replay difficult sections and learn from anywhere.
The quizzes and practical assignments help ensure that students are not only watching lessons but also applying what they learn.
Beo School of Art Learning Tracks
Discovery
Discovery is a self-paced introductory track for kids and adults who want to understand how art works before beginning a practical drawing or painting programme.
It includes seven video lessons, a guided reading workbook and a quiz after every lesson.
All Discovery lessons unlock immediately. There are no compulsory assignments, submission deadlines or review calls.
The track introduces ideas such as how artists see, how light and shadow work, what value means and how hue and saturation affect colour.
Discovery currently costs ₦15,000 as a one-time payment.
Drawing
The Drawing track is a structured three-month course containing 12 weekly video lessons.
Students learn shading, form, light and dark, pencil grades, blending, proportion, portrait drawing and observation drawing.
Each week includes a video lesson, quiz, practical drawing assignment, direct assignment upload and a one-on-one review call with Benjamin.
The Drawing track currently costs ₦48,000 as a full payment or ₦20,000 monthly for three months.
Painting
The Painting track is a structured three-month course containing 13 weekly video lessons.
It covers colour, mixing, painting mediums, surfaces and the five-layer painting system.
Like Drawing, each week includes a video lesson, quiz, practical assignment, platform submission and personal review call.
The Painting track currently costs ₦48,000 as a full payment or ₦20,000 monthly for three months.
Student Dashboard and Progress
After enrolling, students receive access to their own course dashboard.
Inside the dashboard, they can:
- Watch lesson videos
- Read lesson notes
- Take quizzes
- Review corrected answers
- Retake quizzes when necessary
- Upload practical assignments
- View feedback
- Book or attend review calls
- Track lesson and assignment progress
- Receive course notifications
- Download their certificate after completion
This makes Beo School of Art more than a collection of recorded videos. Students follow a defined learning path and complete practical work throughout the programme.
One-on-One Review Calls
Drawing and Painting students receive personal review calls with Benjamin as part of their programme.
During these calls, Benjamin reviews submitted work, identifies mistakes and explains what the student should focus on before continuing.
The review calls are part of the standard Drawing and Painting structure. They are not presented as a separate mentorship programme.
Certificate of Completion
Students who complete the required lessons, quizzes and assignments receive a verified Beo School of Art certificate of completion.
The certificate can be downloaded from the student dashboard and checked through the school’s certificate-verification system.
It confirms completion of the Beo School of Art track. It is not presented as a university degree, professional licence or government-accredited qualification.
Who Beo School of Art Is Best For
Beo is suitable for learners who:
- Are starting from the beginning.
- Want to understand the foundations behind drawing and painting.
- Prefer recorded lessons they can revisit.
- Need a clear weekly learning path.
- Want quizzes and practical assignments.
- Need feedback on completed work.
- Want personal review calls as part of the course.
- Want to learn through a dedicated online school platform.
- Live outside Nigeria but still want access to a Nigerian art teacher.
View the available Beo School of Art classes and learning tracks.
Beo School of Art vs Orédé Art Academy
Orédé and Beo both provide organised art education, but their course structures and areas of focus are different.
Orédé offers a catalogue of specialised courses. A learner can choose portrait drawing, portrait painting, advanced oil painting, impasto or animation.
Beo offers three connected beginner tracks inside a dedicated online school platform. Discovery introduces how art works, Drawing develops foundational drawing skills, and Painting teaches colour, materials and practical painting methods.
Choose Orédé When:
- You already know the exact artistic area you want to study.
- You are mainly interested in portraiture.
- You want a specialised oil-painting course.
- You want to explore impasto or animation.
- You prefer a focused, module-based programme.
Choose Beo When:
- You are still building your basic skills.
- You want a broader drawing or painting foundation.
- You need a clear weekly learning path.
- You want lessons, quizzes and assignments in one dashboard.
- You prefer recorded lessons with personal weekly review calls.
- You want your progress and certificate stored inside a dedicated course platform.
Neither option is automatically right for every student.
Orédé may be more suitable for learners seeking a specialised course in portraiture, advanced painting, impasto or animation.
Beo may be more suitable for children and adult beginners who want a structured weekly system covering drawing or painting fundamentals, practical assignments and personal feedback.
3. Superprof Nigeria
Superprof is not one art school with a single curriculum.
It is an online marketplace where independent tutors advertise private lessons. Students can compare tutors according to their location, experience, subjects, reviews, teaching format and hourly price.
The platform lists tutors across subjects such as:
- Drawing
- Painting
- Illustration
- Watercolour
- Oil painting
- Acrylic painting
- Cartooning
- Calligraphy
- Abstract painting
- Art examination preparation
Lessons may be delivered online or face-to-face.
Individual tutors set their own rates, so the total cost depends on the tutor, subject, number of lessons and teaching format.
Who Superprof Is Best For
Superprof may suit you when:
- You want to select your own tutor.
- You need help with one particular skill.
- You prefer to pay hourly.
- You need physical lessons in your city.
- You are preparing for an art examination.
- You want complete control over your schedule.
The Main Limitation
Because every tutor operates independently, there is no universal Superprof art curriculum.
The quality, learning order, assignments and support depend on the tutor you choose.
It works best when the learner already knows what kind of help they need.
4. MasterArtClasses
MasterArtClasses focuses on indigenous African art and Nigerian textile practices.
Its courses cover subjects such as:
- Adire Eleko
- Batik
- Tie and dye
- Stitch and dye
- Fabric-resist methods
- Textile design
The platform offers pre-recorded courses, live interactive online classes and physical studio sessions in Lagos.
Who MasterArtClasses Is Best For
MasterArtClasses may be the right option when:
- You want to learn Adire or Batik.
- You are interested in Nigerian textile traditions.
- You want to design fabrics.
- You want practical craft skills that could become a business.
- You prefer choosing between recorded, live and physical learning.
This is not a direct replacement for a general drawing or painting course.
A learner focused on pencil shading, portrait structure or painting fundamentals may need a different programme.
5. YouTube and Free Tutorials
YouTube remains one of the easiest places to begin learning art.
Beginners can find free tutorials on almost every subject, including portrait drawing, shading, acrylic painting, anatomy, perspective, watercolour, digital illustration and colour mixing.
Who Free Tutorials Are Best For
YouTube may suit you when:
- You have no course budget.
- You want to experiment before enrolling.
- You are highly self-directed.
- You already know what you need to learn.
- You only need help with one small topic.
The Main Limitation
The problem with YouTube is rarely a lack of information.
The problem is the absence of order and personal correction.
A beginner may watch a portrait tutorial today, a landscape video tomorrow and a digital painting lesson the following week without developing the foundations connecting them.
The learner must create their own curriculum, practice schedule, assignments and feedback system.
That works for disciplined students, but many beginners become overwhelmed or unknowingly repeat the same mistakes.
How to Choose the Right Art Class
1. What Do You Want to Learn?
Someone interested in realistic portraits needs a different programme from someone interested in animation or textile design.
Identify your immediate goal before comparing prices.
2. Do You Need Structure or Flexibility?
A structured course tells you what to learn and in what order.
A private tutor allows you to choose the subject of each lesson.
Complete beginners often benefit from structure. Learners with experience may prefer targeted tutoring.
3. How Much Feedback Do You Need?
Recorded lessons are convenient, but personal feedback helps identify mistakes that the learner may not notice.
Check whether feedback is included, limited or sold separately.
4. Do You Want a Dedicated Learning Platform?
Some programmes are delivered through video calls, messaging apps or downloaded materials.
Others provide a course dashboard where lessons, quizzes, assignments, feedback and progress records remain together.
Consider whether having everything organised in one place matters to you or your child.
5. Can You Practise Consistently?
No course can replace practice.
Choose a programme whose schedule you can realistically follow and whose assignments you are willing to complete.
Final Recommendation
There is no universal best art class in Nigeria.
Choose Orédé Art Academy when you want a specialised course in portrait drawing, oil portraiture, impasto or animation.
Choose Beo School of Art when you want a structured online programme for kids or adult beginners, with weekly lessons, quizzes, practical assignments, personal review calls and a verified certificate inside a dedicated course dashboard.
Choose Superprof Nigeria when you want an independent tutor for flexible hourly lessons.
Choose MasterArtClasses when you want to study Adire, Batik, tie-dye or Nigerian textile design.
Choose YouTube when your budget is limited and you are disciplined enough to organise your own learning.
Start Learning With Beo School of Art
Beo School of Art offers fully online Discovery, Drawing and Painting tracks for children, teenagers and adult beginners in Nigeria and worldwide.
Start with the self-paced Discovery track, enrol in the three-month Drawing programme or begin the three-month Painting programme.
Drawing and Painting students receive weekly video lessons, quizzes, practical assignments and personal review calls with Benjamin. Students who complete their track receive a verified certificate of completion.
Explore Beo School of Art classes and choose the learning track that fits your goals.
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