Overview and important course information
Our online and self-paced courses allow 3rd grade through high school students to explore the digital arts from the basics, with no experience required, to advanced digital art that pushes the boundaries of digital art software.
Courses are grouped into four tracks where the skills taught in the first course are built on in the following course within each track. The art forms taught in each track integrate with the art forms taught in the other tracks. For example, students' digital drawings and paintings can be imported into their digital animations, and they can all be imported into their video games.
We are super excited to announce the addition of our fourth track, the Youth Digital Arts Space Program. In our first groundbreaking YDASP course, KSP101, students build and pilot six rockets and one satellite as they progressively build their skills to land on the two moons in the Kerbin System, Minmus and the Mun, record lots of science, collect surface samples and safely return to Kerbin. This is an outstanding example of harnessing the digital arts to teach advanced topics such as rocket science. The software taught in KSP101 is the amazing Kerbal Space Program which was created using Unity video game development software. We teach Unity video game design in our Unity2D101 course and soon to be announced Unity3D101 course. Both of these courses do not require any coding so all students can learn how to integrate their original artworks to create amazing video games like the Kerbal Space Program.
Each of our courses is available 24 hours/day, fully supported, and completes with a student digital art portfolio of class work. Each course is 60 days long and costs $155, except for our High School Visual Arts course which is twice the length and price. Students need to put in 3 - 4 hours per week to finish well within their 60 day enrollment period. The software taught runs on PCs or MACs, is professional level, free to install on as many computers as you wish and updates are free. KSP101, DA101, DA102 and IMVGD101 are the only courses that use highly discounted commercial software. We provide a 60% off discount code for KSP and a 40% off discount code for Moho Debut 13.5, the software taught in DA101 and DA102. We provide an exclusive deeply discounted Construct 3 license, the software taught in IMVGD101, included in the price of the course.
Our Four Integrated Course Tracks
How to enroll in your courses
Before purchasing any courses, please complete your student registration.
To pay for your own courses: after you've registered please login before you purchase your course using the Take this Course buttons located in each course listed below.
If your school will pay using a PO: send them the courses you wish to enroll in and the YDACS username that you created when you registered.
Detailed course information
KSP101
In this groundbreaking course third grade through high school students build and pilot six rockets and one satellite as they progressively build their skills to land on the two moons of the Kerbin System, Minmus and the Mun, record lots of science, collect surface samples and safely return to Kerbin.
DM101
Digital Manga. Digital art skills taught in this course: vector graphics drawing and animation. The software taught in this course is free.
DPP101
Digital Photo Painting. Digital art skills taught in this course: bitmap graphics digital photo drawing and painting. Prerequisite: DM101. The software taught in this course is free.
DDP101
Digital Drawing and Painting. Digital art skills taught in this course: more advanced vector graphics and bitmap graphics drawing and painting. Prerequisite: DM101, DPP101. The software taught in this course is free.
3DDRW101
3D Drawing. Digital art skills taught in this course: 2D vector drawings are extruded into 3D models and then combined with advanced bitmap drawing techniques to create a beautiful underwater artwork. Students also animate 2D vector drawings in cutting edge 3D software. Prerequisite: DM101, DPP101, DDP101.
Youth Digital Arts Cyber Studio
Youth Digital Arts Cyber Studio. The Youth Digital Arts Cyber Studio is where our advanced students. Student National Mentors. Student National Fellows and YDACS staff work on open-ended projects, collaboration and brainstorming. Prerequisite: DM101, DPP101, DDP101 or VGD101, VGD102 and IMVGD101.
VAMCGS
High School - Visual Arts - Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels and Storyboarding. VAMCGS teaches the principles, tools, and techniques used to create Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels and Storyboards. Prerequisite: DM101, DPP101 or DDP101. The software taught in this course is free. This course is twice the length of our other courses: 120 days.
DA101
This is the first course in our 2D animation track. This course uses simple yet powerful drag and drop software that anyone can master. Digital art skills taught in this course: digital animation of the first 6 Principles of Animation. We provide a 40% off discount code for Moho 13, the software taught in DA101 and DA102.
DA102
This is the second course in our 2D animation track. This course uses the same simple yet powerful drag and drop software that anyone can master and builds on the skills taught in DA101. Digital art skills taught in this course: digital animation of the second 6 Principles of Animation. Prerequisite: DA101. We provide a 40% off discount code for Moho 13, the software taught in DA101 and DA102.
VGD101
Platform video game design. Digital art skills taught in this course: simple to use use drag and drop and matrix programming of students' first platform video game called Super Knight. The software taught in this course is free.
VGD102
RPG video game design. Digital art skills taught in this course: simple to use drag and drop and matrix programming of students' first RPG video game called Mega Knight. This course builds on the skills taught in VGD101 and introduces additional advanced skills. Prerequisite: VGD101. The software taught in this course is free.
IMVGD101
Internet and Mobile Video Game Design. Digital art skills taught in this course: more sophisticated drag and drop and matrix programming using Construct 3 to design and create students' first video game that can be played on mobile phones, the internet and computers. This course builds on the skills taught in VGD101 and VGD102 and introduces additional advanced skills. Prerequisite: VGD101, VGD102. A hugely discounted year long license for the full version of Construct 3 is included in the price of the course.
Unity2D101
In this groundbreaking course our third grade through high school students design and create an amazing professional level video game in one of the most powerful professional video game development programs: Unity! Without any coding required!
