Find an art tutor in Aberdeen

Why learn art and design in Aberdeen?

In an increasingly creative world, art and design are continuously moving towards the forefront of industry and various specialisations in the subject are in more demand than ever.

It makes sense too… Art and design have fewer boundaries than ever and as technology advances, we have new and exciting tools to use in the pursuit of creativity. It’s no surprise that creative industries want to capitalise on this, so as a result, the old rhetoric that an art degree is purely aesthetic has never been less true!

If you’re interested in studying art and design or even music in Scotland, Aberdeen is the city to do so! There are plenty of appealing reasons to study in Aberdeen in general, one of the main draws being the relatively low cost of living, which is naturally appealing to students, paired with a lively and vibrant city environment which is key to success as both a young student and as a creative learner.

We're serious about the cost of living factor in Aberdeen too... Including rent, the city is about 40% cheaper than London and cheaper than other cities in both England and Scotland by about 20%. Pair that with a great university campus, friendly people, lively music and glowing reviews from both natives and tourists, what's not to love as a student.

Add on top of that the fact that Aberdeen University doesn't need a lot of UCAS points compared to other universities of similar rating and reviews, and Aberdeen rightfully earns students view as one of the top places to get a degree overall.

If you're not at the University age yet or you're a parent about to read this, Aberdeen is also a great place to go to school or college for lessons and to pick up those foundational skills like painting and photography which will eventually lead to that coveted degree.

In the scope of art itself, the city of Aberdeen draws on over 500 years of history and culture, which come together to give art students access to unique and powerful insights and experiences they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else in Scotland, along with top-notch educators, who are peerless experts in the art and design fields.

How can I study art and design in Aberdeen?

You might be wondering to yourself, how do I learn art and design? Where do I pick up the skills or even the UCAS points I need? This question can be tricky to answer for any vocation, let alone the creative fields, but read on and we'll try our best to answer it.

The most effective method changes from person to person, so instead of just guessing, let’s have a look at the different ways of learning the subject while rating the pros and cons. This way, you can decide the best overall method for you, whether it be independent learning, university courses, art school, workshops or whatever else.

Resources for Learning Art & Design

A lot of artists and designers describe themselves as “self-taught artists”, but what exactly does this entail? What it certainly doesn’t mean is that they suddenly mastered their disciplines by practising alone.

Self-taught does involve external influences, but the key difference is that the artist doesn’t take lessons from a teacher, or attend a course. Instead, they buy or borrow their own learning material, such as books, and use what’s already out there to teach themselves new techniques and styles.

A big benefit of being self-taught is that both classes and universities aren't open all the time. This can depend on availability, time of year, the type of arts you want to study and so many other factors. Not to mention if you were late to enrol, you might have to wait a whole year before you get another chance to access a particular course, university or school.

Being successful as an independent self-taught artist is tough, but getting it right is all about drawing on as many influences as possible and dedicating as much time as you can to practise and importantly experimentation, which allows you to end up with your own distinctive style. Fortunately, this is easier than ever to do online, with an ever-growing supply of free work in all different styles, which you can view anytime anywhere.

Some workshops are even available online via Zoom meetings and online conferences, so always keep your eye out for new opportunities relating to the arts!

An example of this in practice is to take advantage of your surroundings. If there's an interesting gallery open... go to the gallery! If you notice a creative workshop near you... go to the workshop! Even taking the time to explore the history of arts is free, and can greatly enhance your knowledge of techniques and the history behind them.

Try to take in every painting, art study, view, landscape, gallery, even website that you might come across. The only limit to independent study of art is your own imagination and creativity.

Even if you don't get accepted into your dream school, college or university, many of them host exhibitions, open days and workshops that are worth checking out, sometimes directly on the campus that you would otherwise have paid a lot of money to attend.

Should you take formal art classes? 

Learning is easier with company; joining a course or a class with like-minded people has numerous benefits, including but not limited to the ability to compare your progress to your peers and take inspiration from each other to achieve even better results.

If you’re attending a course in person, you also have the added benefit of not needing to pay for the software and equipment, which is instead provided by the art institution itself.

The cost of equipment and software licences is one of the biggest challenges independent artists have to face, especially in photography; courses give you a chance to familiarise yourself with the skills and software that other people can only access for large fees or through a shady website.

If you make the most of a course, you can be hands-on with this gear in your day-to-day life for not just one year, but several. Even expensive books become available to read by simply putting in a request at the campus library, or accessing them online through a private database.

Attending a class also provides you with a chance to get a valuable and formally recognised art and design qualification, which will be vital to finding work opportunities in Scotland or abroad once you’re finished.

The Benefits of Private Art Tuition 

When it comes to individual progression, nothing beats private art tuition in terms of efficiency.

This is because with the help of an art tutor, you will have access to direct and personalised feedback/reviews which will help you quickly improve based on your individual strengths and weak points as an artist.

We haven't even mentioned the obvious, not everybody lives in a city where school, university and college are easily accessible. Online tuition bypasses this problem by bringing the lessons to you and making art and design skills/information more accessible than ever before.

The only drawback of private art lessons is that they might be more expensive than other methods, but keep reading to find out how to get the best value tuition available.

How to find art and design tuition in Aberdeen?

If you’re interested in getting one-on-one art and design lessons in Scotland but are unsure where to start looking, look no further than Superprof!

By simply inputting your request into the search bar on our homepage, you’ll be greeted with all the information you need to get in touch with the art and design teachers who have the best rating based on your location.

From there, Superprof helps you get in touch with your ideal tutor, so that you can request your first session.

You’ll be thrilled to learn that most educators on Superprof offer their first session for free, so you’ve got nothing to lose by trying it out.

Lastly, Superprof is available not just in Scotland, but all over the UK including London, England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Check out the main website for more information, we've got new content every day for students and educators alike!