Want to learn to paint animals? Fair warning: after these courses you won't be able to look at a cat without thinking "highlight on the left pupil, ear in warm tones." We've gathered 5 online courses in animal art for those who want to paint a cat, a dog, a bird, or exotic wildlife. Watercolor foxes and wolves, pencil pet portraits, taiga deer, pastel tigers — each animal painting course is taught by a professional wildlife artist.
The courses cover all popular techniques: watercolor (realistic portraits of wild and domestic animals — yes, a cat can have a portrait too, and it absolutely deserves one), pencil (detailed portraits of pets), and dry pastel (realistic animals in BIG format). You'll learn to capture the texture of fur, feathers, and skin, paint expressive eyes, and create images that make you want to pet the paper.
Courses taught by: Anna Parshenko (watercolor animalistics), Olga Manzhosova (exotic animals), Svetlana Vrublevskaya (pencil), and Anastasia Seraya (pastel). Lifetime access to all materials — paint at your own pace. The cat won't go anywhere. Actually, it will. But it'll come back.
3 free lessons sent to your email. One lesson per day, 24-hour access. No commitment.
Draw 12 realistic paintings of wild animals in watercolor.
Draw 13 bright representatives of the animal world in watercolor.
Draw 8 portraits of taiga animals, master watercolor technique, draw expressive animals.
BIG format course with large detailed pastel animal paintings. 3-5 hours per painting.
BIG course: draw 5 pets realistically using pencils, brushes, and sponges.
Want to try before you buy?
Get 3 free lessons ↑Most of our animal courses use watercolor — you'll need professional or student-grade watercolor paints (12-24 colors), watercolor paper (300 gsm cotton or cellulose), round brushes of various sizes, pencil and eraser. The pastel course requires a set of dry pastels (soft pastels, 24-48 colors), pastel paper, and blending tools. Exact supply lists are on each course page.
Yes! Courses like "Watercolor Animalistics" and "Watercolor Animals" start from the basics and guide you step by step. Each lesson includes a complete process from sketch to finished painting. For those with more experience, the BIG format "Realistic Animals in Pastel" offers 3-5 hour detailed projects.
Most watercolor animal paintings take 1-2 hours per session. The BIG format pastel course takes 3-5 hours per painting, as it focuses on highly detailed, realistic work. You can pause and resume at your own pace — all courses have lifetime access.
Watercolor animal courses focus on transparency, wet-on-wet techniques, and capturing the fluidity of fur and feathers. The pastel course ("Realistic Animals in Pastel") uses dry pastels for incredibly detailed, photorealistic portraits with rich texture and depth. Both approaches produce stunning results — it comes down to which medium speaks to you.
No prior drawing experience is required for our beginner-level courses. "Watercolor Animalistics" and "Watercolor Animals" teach you fundamental techniques alongside animal-specific skills. The "Pets in Pencil" course is also beginner-friendly, starting with basic pencil techniques before moving to detailed pet portraits.
Our courses teach you the techniques and observation skills needed to paint any animal. "Pets in Pencil" specifically focuses on realistic pet portraits using pencil, and the pastel course covers domestic animals. After completing these courses, you'll have the skills to create portraits of your own pets from photographs.
