In this review, I will take you on a thorough tour of the New Masters Academy.
The New Masters Academy is a robust learning platform for art and design. And if you want to skip reading and get my verdict right away, the New Masters Academy is one of the best training courses for aspiring artists.
Everything that follows next will show you why. Of course, the platform has a few kinks I wish could be addressed as soon as possible. I will talk about that too.
Here’s everything this review covers about the New Masters Academy:
- Overview of the course
- What the New Masters Academy contains: Instructors, lessons, and more
- Pros of New Masters Academy
- Cons of New Masters Academy
- Is New Masters Academy worth it?
- Pricing and Refund Policy
- FAQs
There’s a lot to unpack in this review, so let’s get into it right away!
Overview of New Masters Academy
New Masters Academy is a training school for artists—painters, sculptors, fashion designers; you name it.
Let’s just call it NMA for the rest of this review. NMA hosts live classes and also has a massive curriculum of video classes.
The live classes are taught in their in-person training center located in Huntington Beach, California
Alternatively, students can learn from the pre-recorded video classes or enjoy the live streams from their homes. That way, they can learn the most convenient way for them.
On the NMA website, the topics covered are clearly laid out, and there is a button that quickly takes you to the section for beginner-friendly courses if you want to start with that.
The NMA started with Glenn Vilppu, Ed Fraughton, and Steve Huston before expanding into a team of over 30 instructors.
Anybody can sign up for a paid subscription at any skill level and start learning art skills that they can use to build their careers.
In addition to lectures and coaching, NMA provides students access to plenty of resources that are designed to aid comprehension and broaden the scope of their knowledge.
What is inside the New Masters Academy?
The NMA contains comprehensive training on a dizzying array of topics. Some of them are devoted to helping painters and artists alike to grasp the basics of setting up their canvas and drawing instruments for work.
There is a lot of emphasis on training newbie artists to expand their knowledge base to understand different drawing styles and discover which ones will work best on a particular art specimen.
Some modules discuss the many mistakes that artists elsewhere make with their drawing kits and how to avoid them. They also talk about how to detect flaws in a particular artwork and what could be done differently to achieve a better result.
Other modules talk about the special techniques involved in shaping lines, curves, and other elements of a form factor to accurately depict what you see in real life or imagine in your head.
All of the lessons are grouped into courses that are intended to help a student specialize in a core aspect of art and design.
Hence, if a learner wants to specialize in 3D art or comic drawing, numerous lessons form the curriculum for that specialty. That takes away the stress of having to put together a study plan for yourself since everything is in a structured format on the platform.
With that background in mind, let’s explore what’s inside NMA, starting with the courses.
Courses Offered
The NMA has various courses addressing different topics and subjects grouped by difficulty levels.
Here is a list of all the courses in the library by subject:
- Anatomy
- Painting
- Drawing
- Sculpting
- Entertainment Arts
- Perspective
- Art Theory
- Live Class Archive
The list of courses by subject is designed for when you want to create your own study path instead of following the learning tracks the NMA team has put together.
While each course starts from a beginner’s perspective in that subject, you will have to start with the Drawing Foundations to have a solid base for further artistic development.
However, when you choose the course by subject listing and create your own study path, you might not have access to assignments and other forms of interactive learning.
That’s because you will still need to enroll in live classes or an interactive class to enjoy perks like homework, feedback, critiques, and more.
If you only want to take a particular course, you can simply use the filters on the NMA website and apply as many features as you wish. You can, for example, select a beginner course in oil painting featuring an instructor of your choice.
Course Instructors
Dozens of instructors pool their knowledge to make the NMA what it is.
Currently, the number of instructors is over 60, including the original founders, such as Glenn Vilppu.
These instructors represent a diverse range of nationalities and cultures. There are Asians, English, Americans, Africans, and so on.
Every one of the instructors has spent years practicing their skills in their various art studios, for clients, et cetera. Their work has even been featured in top-ranking national and global magazines.
Beyond that, many of these instructors are the same people that have helped comic entertainment industries like Walt Disney, Marvel, and Sony produce imaginary characters that have starred in captivating movies and children’s stories.
All that is to say that you can’t go wrong with the quality of training the instructors provide.
Learning Methods
The NMA has three major types of learning available. They host live classes, stream interactive lessons to their students worldwide, and provide a huge library of courses.
If you enrolled for a live class but missed it, you can still watch the entire session via the recording that will be made available.
Private and group coaching sessions are also available for students who pay for them. They are ways of giving you even more personalized attention and learning assistance. Fortunately, these coaching sessions are also downloadable.
Many lessons also feature demonstrations. These show the instructor working through a drawing from scratch stroke by stroke, and you will have to follow suit with your drawing materials.
Other learning methods include assignments and critique videos.
Critique videos are a fan favorite, and it’s not hard to see why. These videos feature an instructor or two using students as examples while pointing out the errors in that work.
The instructors will highlight the needy parts with bold lines as they discuss what makes an error and how the student (and you) can avoid it. Then, they will talk about the fix, referencing some points in the appropriate video course so you can connect the theory with the practical.
Critique videos help you rule out the possibility of having to learn from your own mistakes and are among the best parts of the training the NMA gives.
Image Library
The image library is a compilation of images given as a reference to practice with.
The image library has hundreds of images grouped into several categories, such as poses, anatomy, environments, models, etc.
You can select a filter or several filters, and you will get images for those categories.
3D Models
3D models join the list of learning tools that the NMA provides. They are spatial representations of a shape or figure from all angles.
The NMA provides 3D models in several categories, such as figure poses, tetrahedral shapes, human models, digital casts, clothing, et cetera.
The 3D models on the platform enhance visual comprehension and can help students draw with greater finesse and attention to detail.
Discord Community
In addition to the community forums in the NMA platforms, there is a Discord community with thousands of students. NMA team members and coaches are also there.
Surprisingly, like the community forums, the Discord community is accessible to non-subscribers.
The Discord community has a separate channel for each art category. However, if you are not a paid subscriber, you won’t be able to access all channels.
Pros of New Masters Academy
Complete Learning Experience
NMA’s content library is so vast there’s hardly any aspect of art and design that it doesn’t cover.
The scope and depth of the training—as far as the little details in drawing—make NMA highly recommendable for anyone who needs to fill the gaps in their knowledge of a certain art concept.
Aside from having exhaustive courses, several other factors combine that make NMA’s learning experience check most, if not all, of the right boxes.
Live classes are one. Learning from pre-recorded videos can be great, but the feeling is different when you are interacting with the instructors and your fellow students in a classroom style.
And since there are multiple learning channels besides live classes (talk about streaming and the video library), you can be as flexible with your learning as you want.
There is the part where you receive critical analysis for your drawing or painting exercises.
And don’t get me started on the learning resources—such as the 3D models. There is also the image library, downloadable e-books, et cetera. It can almost seem like the course creators have thought of everything you might need.
Reasonable Pricing
For all that bulk of courses and other resources, the pricing is not too expensive. It’s way less than what you’ll pay for a traditional art school.
The best part is that your recurring subscription doesn’t unlock just a section of the platform. It grants access to everything.
Lots of Filters
There are filters for almost every resource on the platform. You can select courses that match certain criteria and do the same to the image library and 3D models.
There are up to 10 different filters for all the learning materials on NMA.
Those filters can be real timesavers when you want to get to a particular course or learning tool but don’t know the exact category.
And while none of the content on NMA is censored, some filters will block out content, such as images that will offend sensitive viewers.
Quality Instructors
The NMA is not where the average Tom and Jerry can go and start mentoring regardless of qualifications.
All of the instructors are certified art professionals with extensive training in the field through university degrees and working at their workshops or for major clients.
Many of them have even starred in popular comic shows or have, in some other ways, contributed to them either by drawing the characters or designing the plot.
Quality Videos
Every video is filmed in high definition, and you can see every tiny detail in the instructors’ demonstrations.
The videos also have closed captions for when you are struggling with the speech somehow (you will rarely have that).
Good thing the subtitles are available in English and Spanish, which gives you greater chances of understanding the language.
Personal Coaches
You can also get a dedicated coach—if you can pay for that service—which, of course, will go a long way to help you organize your learning process. Such a coach will understand your needs and help you overcome painter’s block or any other challenge.
Cons of New Masters Academy
After digging deep into the NMA, I couldn’t spot any major fault with the platform as much as I would have loved to nitpick.
However, I did find something I did not like, and it has to do with the absence of refunds.
The refund policy does not permit a money-back guarantee which means you can only hope that you don’t get disappointed with the package or else your money is gone.
With that in mind, if you are eager to test the platform, start with the monthly library plan, as that is the cheapest option.
Is New Masters Academy worth it?
In a word, yes. New Masters Academy ranks among the top courses to consult when stepping into the world of art and design.
It’s got the best instructors you can ask for and probably the most comprehensive curriculum of any art and design course.
New Masters Academy is also very interactive in style. You can always pay to get instructors that will give you personalized feedback, critique, and also help you plan your learning paths.
Every concept in the course is treated thoroughly and comes with demonstrations of an artist drawing a complete figure or doing other tasks using the principles they teach you.
And when it comes to extra resources, there’s probably more than you ask for. Everything you will need is provided, and all you need to do is learn, ask questions, and do your assignments.
New Masters Academy Price – How much does it cost?
New Masters Academy has three different subscription plans. Their main difference is in the level of guided assistance they provide.
The least plan is the library plan which only unlocks access to the complete library of in-demand courses and the Discord community. It costs $49 for the monthly plan or $36 per month for the annual plan.
If you go with the annual library plan, you will pay $432 once.
The next higher plan is the library+ plan which goes for $59 per month for annual billing or $79 for month-by-month billing. It grants all the perks of New Masters Academy except for interactive classes and group coaching sessions.
The library+ plan will cost $708 for annual access.
The live plan is the highest tier on the NMA. It adds interactive live sessions and two weekly group coaching sessions for $149 per month (annual billing) or $199 monthly (monthly billing).
The live tier will set you back by $1788, paid once if you choose the annual plan.
Refund Policy
FAQs
Is New Masters Academy worth it?
Yes. New Masters Academy is worth it. For the money you pay, you get an exhaustive curriculum and in-depth training to boot.
Is New Masters Academy good for beginners?
New Masters Academy has a lot of courses geared toward beginners. When you sign up for the training platform, you must take the drawing foundation course to catch up with the basics.
How much does New Masters Academy cost?
That depends on the subscription tier you choose. You will get the most value from the Live Plan ($1,788 for annual access), which gives you access to all New Masters Academy benefits.
How do I cancel my new Masters Academy?
It’s simple. Make sure to cancel your billing before your charge renews.
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