Learning how to draw or paint no longer requires attending a university or living near a physical art school. Beginners in Nigeria can learn through specialised academies, online programmes, private tutors and free video tutorials.
However, these options differ in their teaching methods, areas of focus and level of support. Some concentrate on realistic portraiture, while others teach general drawing and painting fundamentals. Some offer private lessons, and others focus on traditional Nigerian textile art.
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 right choice depends on what you want to learn, how much guidance you need and whether you prefer a structured programme or flexible 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, assignments and personal review calls through an online dashboard | Kids and adult beginners learning drawing or painting fundamentals |
| 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. Confirm the latest details with each provider before registering.
1. Orédé Art Academy
Orédé Art Academy is a Nigerian art institute offering specialised courses for beginners and experienced artists.
Its course catalogue includes:
- Portrait Drawing for Beginners
- Portrait Painting for Beginners
- Advanced Painting
- Impasto Portraiture
- 2D Animation
- Drawing and Painting for Kids and Teens
Courses and Teaching Focus
The Portrait Drawing Course for Beginners introduces fundamental drawing and shading techniques. It includes more than ten hours of practical sessions divided into five modules, as well as class projects, personal projects, mentoring, networking and a certificate of completion.
The portrait-painting programmes cover areas such as:
- Facial structure and proportions
- Colour mixing
- Painting techniques
- Skin texture
- Hair
- Facial features
For learners interested in advanced work, the academy also offers realistic oil portraiture and impasto painting. Impasto involves applying thick paint to create visible texture, often using brushes or palette knives.
Orédé also offers a 2D animation course using tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects.
Who Should Consider Orédé?
Orédé may be a good fit if you:
- Want to focus on portrait drawing or painting.
- Are interested in realistic oil portraiture.
- Want to learn impasto techniques.
- Prefer a practical, module-based course.
- Value personal projects and mentoring.
- Want to explore 2D animation.
- Prefer a specialised course over a general introduction to art.
Its range of separate courses allows learners to choose a programme based on the medium or technique they want to develop.
What to Confirm Before Enrolling
Course descriptions explain the learning content, but current prices, schedules, locations and delivery formats may vary.
Before registering, confirm:
- Whether the course is online or physical.
- The next available start date.
- How frequently classes are held.
- The total course cost.
- Whether materials are included.
- How mentoring and personal feedback are delivered.
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, although teenagers and adult beginners can also enrol.
Students access their lessons through a personal course dashboard at learn.beoarts.com. The platform brings lessons, notes, quizzes, assignments, feedback and progress tracking into one place.
What Students Learn
Rather than beginning with complicated portraits immediately, the programme introduces the foundations behind drawing and painting.
Topics include:
- Shapes and three-dimensional form
- Observation
- Light and shadow
- 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 the Learning Structure Works
The Drawing and Painting tracks follow a weekly learning process:
- Watch the weekly video lesson.
- Read the supporting lesson notes.
- Complete the lesson quiz.
- Create the practical assignment.
- Upload the finished work to the platform.
- Receive a personal review call with Benjamin.
The lessons are pre-recorded, so students can pause and replay difficult sections. Quizzes and practical assignments encourage students to apply the material rather than only watch videos.
Available 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 lessons unlock immediately, with no compulsory assignments, deadlines or review calls.
Price: ₦15,000 one-time payment.
Drawing
The Drawing track is a structured three-month course containing 12 weekly video lessons. It covers shading, form, light and dark, pencil grades, blending, proportion, portrait drawing and observation drawing.
Each week includes a lesson, quiz, practical assignment, platform submission and one-on-one review call.
Price: ₦48,000 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, colour mixing, painting mediums, surfaces and the five-layer painting system.
Students complete quizzes, practical assignments and platform submissions, with personal review calls included in the programme.
Price: ₦48,000 full payment or ₦20,000 monthly for three months.
Student Dashboard and Feedback
The dashboard allows students to:
- Watch lesson videos.
- Read lesson notes.
- Take and retake quizzes.
- Review corrected answers.
- Upload practical assignments.
- View feedback.
- Track lesson and assignment progress.
- Access course notifications.
- Attend or book review calls.
- Download their certificate after completion.
Drawing and Painting students receive personal review calls with Benjamin. These calls are used to review submitted work, identify mistakes and explain what to improve.
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 dashboard and checked through the school's certificate-verification system.
It confirms completion of a Beo School of Art track. It is not presented as a university degree, professional licence or government-accredited qualification.
Who Should Consider Beo School of Art?
Beo may suit learners who:
- Are starting from the beginning.
- Want to understand drawing or painting fundamentals.
- 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 included in the course.
- Prefer learning through a dedicated online platform.
- Live outside Nigeria but want access to a Nigerian art teacher.
Explore Beo School of Art learning tracks.
3. Superprof Nigeria
Superprof is not a single art school with one curriculum. It is an online marketplace where independent tutors advertise private lessons.
Students can compare tutors based on their location, experience, subjects, reviews, teaching format and hourly rates.
Art-related subjects may include:
- Drawing
- Painting
- Illustration
- Watercolour
- Oil painting
- Acrylic painting
- Cartooning
- Calligraphy
- Abstract painting
- Art examination preparation
Lessons may be delivered online or face-to-face.
Because tutors set their own rates, the total cost depends on the tutor, subject, number of lessons and teaching format.
Who Should Consider Superprof?
Superprof may be suitable if you:
- Want to choose your own tutor.
- Need help with one specific skill.
- Prefer paying hourly.
- Want physical lessons in your city.
- Are preparing for an art examination.
- Need complete control over your schedule.
Main Limitation
There is no universal Superprof art curriculum. The quality of instruction, learning order, assignments and support depends on the tutor you select.
This makes the platform useful for targeted learning, especially when you already know the skill you want to improve.
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 Should Consider MasterArtClasses?
This option may suit you if you:
- Want to learn Adire or Batik.
- Are interested in Nigerian textile traditions.
- Want to design fabrics.
- Want practical craft skills that could become a business.
- Prefer choosing between recorded, live and physical classes.
MasterArtClasses is not a direct replacement for a general drawing or painting course. Someone 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 without paying for a course.
Beginners can find tutorials on subjects such as:
- Portrait drawing
- Shading
- Acrylic painting
- Anatomy
- Perspective
- Watercolour
- Digital illustration
- Colour mixing
Who Should Consider Free Tutorials?
YouTube may be suitable if you:
- Have no course budget.
- Want to experiment before enrolling.
- Are highly self-directed.
- Already know what you need to learn.
- Need help with one small topic.
Main Limitation
The challenge with YouTube is usually not a lack of information. It is the lack of a clear learning 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 that connect them.
The learner must create their own curriculum, practice schedule, assignments and feedback system. This can work well for disciplined students, but others may become overwhelmed or repeat mistakes without realising it.
How to Choose the Right Art Class
1. Identify What You Want to Learn
A learner interested in realistic portraits needs a different programme from someone interested in animation or textile design.
Start by identifying your immediate goal:
- Drawing fundamentals
- Portrait drawing
- Oil or acrylic painting
- Animation
- Textile design
- General creative development
Your goal will help you eliminate options that do not match your interests.
2. Decide Between Structure and 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 a defined learning path. Learners who already have experience may prefer targeted tutoring.
3. Consider How Much Feedback You Need
Recorded lessons are convenient, but personal feedback can help identify mistakes that are difficult to notice independently.
Before enrolling, check whether feedback is:
- Included in the course.
- Limited to certain assignments.
- Delivered through review calls.
- Available at an additional cost.
4. Check the Learning Format
Consider whether you prefer:
- Pre-recorded lessons.
- Live online classes.
- Physical studio sessions.
- Private one-on-one lessons.
- A combination of recorded lessons and personal feedback.
Also check whether lessons, assignments and progress records are kept in a dedicated platform or delivered through separate tools.
5. Choose a Schedule You Can Maintain
No art course can replace practice. A programme is only useful if you can consistently attend lessons, complete assignments and spend time developing your skills.
Choose a schedule that fits your responsibilities and the amount of time you can realistically dedicate to learning.
Final Recommendation
There is no single best art class in Nigeria for every learner.
| If you want to... | Consider |
|---|---|
| Learn portrait drawing, oil portraiture, impasto or animation through specialised courses | Orédé Art Academy |
| Learn drawing or painting fundamentals through a structured online programme with assignments and personal feedback | Beo School of Art |
| Hire an independent tutor for flexible lessons | Superprof Nigeria |
| Study Adire, Batik, tie-dye or Nigerian textile design | MasterArtClasses |
| Learn for free and organise your own practice | YouTube |
For beginners who want a defined learning path, regular practical work and feedback, a structured programme may be easier to follow than collecting disconnected tutorials.
For learners who already know exactly what they want to improve, a specialised academy or private tutor may be more appropriate.
Choose the programme that matches your goal, learning style and available time.
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