Create Arts Online

Create Arts Online is an online school of mixed-media and fine art courses for hobby artists who want to learn at their own table. It sells self-paced video courses one at a time, and the homepage describes an artistic community that "welcomes all skill levels" with courses "taught by expert instructors in their techniques and styles."

The school belongs to Tami Macala, its founder, creative producer and owner. Her instructor bio on the site calls her a professional artist and teacher who lives in Santa Barbara, California, with a background in costuming, television and film, and says she "has been a working artist for the last 25 years." Since 2000 she has taken custom commissions and taught students in her own studio. In 2016 she started a sister school, Mosaic Arts Online, and in 2020 she created Create Arts Online to bring the same style of course production to mixed-media art. The bio says the two schools together host "over 150 instructional videos."

What a learner gets

The catalog covers the hands-on side of mixed media. The homepage names art journaling, collage, drawing, acrylic painting, watercolor painting, block prints, polymer clay, paper art, doll making and mixed-media painting, and the course list runs well past that. The catalog page reports 54 products in all, a count that includes single courses, two-course bundles, free downloads and a gift certificate.

A few examples show the range. Karla Duterloo teaches two Abstract Composition courses that combine abstract painting with collage. Sarah Shriver covers polymer clay kaleidoscope caning, with a beginner and an intermediate course. Helen Shafer Garcia teaches block prints with watercolor, a course on drawing in journals, and Poetic Watercolor Journaling. Carol Shelkin works with alcohol inks on tempered glass, Katherine England teaches Contemporary Soldering Projects and a book-building course on daily art practice, and Yulia Hanansen has Linocut Prints for Beginners. Kecia Deveney covers doll making, a folded concertina affirmation book and an assemblage shrine. Cheryl Cohen makes art from natural materials, Sunny Carvalho teaches character drawing and Copic marker art in CopicTown, Patti Euler has courses on paper mosaics, woven fiber art and cigar box art, and Jen Cushman teaches casting and resin. Tami Macala's own courses include greeting cards with alcohol inks and a book page collage with a mantra board.

Each course is broken into sections. The homepage says they are designed so students can work "in their own space, at their own pace" and complete each project step by step, and that the skills taught "can be easily accomplished and repeated." After working through many of the techniques, it adds, a student will be ready to try more ambitious projects.

The filming is the distinctive part. Instructors demonstrate "from an over-hands perspective," which the site says "provides a clear and detailed view of how to learn and create mixed media art without distractions." A learner sees the work much as it would look on their own table rather than watching a teacher face the camera.

Every course comes with two extras. One is a free promotional video and personal interview with the instructor and Tami Macala, bonus footage meant to introduce the instructor and their techniques. The other is a downloadable PDF of recommended tools, materials and resources, so a student can gather supplies before starting.

Access is permanent once bought. The homepage puts it plainly: "once you purchase a course, it is yours," with lifetime access and the freedom to "refer back to any section of the course as often as you like." The course FAQ adds that the course "starts now and never ends" and that a student has unlimited access "for as long as you like" on "any and all devices you own." The site compares it to "having a virtual mixed-media art instructor by your side 24/7." Courses are watched on the site rather than saved: the homepage states that no copying or downloading of any part of any course is allowed and that Create Arts Online retains all copyrights.

Students are invited into the Students of Create Arts Online Facebook community "to work with and learn from other inspiring artists," and the homepage asks visitors to "Join our community of thousands of mixed media artists." Testimonials on the homepage speak to the self-paced format. Emma G. writes, "Love that I can stop and go as many times as I like," and Sharon D. says, "And I can play and create on my own schedule!"

Prices, refunds and free material

Courses are priced individually, and the homepage shows the featured ones. Most sit at $97: Mixed Media Main Street and the Fun Funky Fibers weaving course with Patti Euler, Three Times True with Jen Cushman, Echoes of the Soul with Dee Gray, and Introduction to Metal Embossing with Elitia Hart. Easy Peasy Art Journal and Mixed Media Art Angels, both by Patti Euler, are $87. Ready! Set! Cast! with Jen Cushman and The Art of the Glass Cloche with Dee Gray are $127, Ready! Set! Resin! is $128, and From the Journal to the Wall with Sarah Gardner is $147. Across the featured courses that is a range of $87 to $147 per course.

Bundles pair two courses by the same instructor at a saving, under lines such as "Two courses, one price, more savings!" Examples include Abstract Composition 1 and 2, Sunny Carvalho's Character Drawing with Watercolor Absurdity, Sarah Shriver's beginner and intermediate caning courses, and Patti Euler's Paper Mosaics with Gilded Mosaics. The catalog page shows no bundle prices.

For gifts, the store sells a gift certificate where the buyer chooses the amount for a friend or loved one. Existing students are offered a referral deal on the homepage: "Refer a friend and get 20% off!!"

There is free material to try first. A free introductory video on the homepage shows some of the instructors and the behind-the-scenes production. The free course Tips for Creating Mixed Media Art is a download aimed at "anyone that is new to mixed media art," covering vision, gathering mixed media materials, layering and composition, adhesive techniques and finishing touches. A free Daily Art Practice Habit Tracker is offered as a tool for keeping track of daily art.

The refund terms sit in the course FAQ: "If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund." Questions go to Tami Macala by email, using the address printed on the homepage. The site mentions no certificate of completion for any course.

Who it suits

Create Arts Online fits hobby artists who want to learn a specific mixed-media technique well and keep the lesson. Someone curious about polymer clay caning, soldering, resin casting or art journaling can buy one course, gather the supplies from its PDF, and rewatch the over-hands demonstrations as often as needed. Beginners have an easy start in the free tips download and a 30-day refund window on paid courses.

It also suits learners who prefer owning a course to renting a library. Every purchase stays in the account for good, and the bundles reward anyone who wants both courses from a favorite instructor.

Two caveats are worth knowing. A large collection is built course by course, since the site sells each one separately. The courses are also creative practice rather than a qualification, so they suit personal growth and making art more than a credential for a career. For a hobbyist who wants focused, rewatchable lessons from practicing mixed-media artists, that is exactly the point.