Overall Rating
Introduction
Craftsy is an online platform offering interactive classes and resources for various crafts. It features expert instructors and high-quality video lessons, making it easy to learn new skills from home. It caters to all skill levels and has a wide range of classes available.
Are you a creative person? If you are, chances are that you love crafting and if that is the case, then you have probably heard about Craftsy, a digital training school exclusively designed for creatives.
Now, the thing is that Craftsy is not new. It changed to Bluprint and is now referred to as Craftsy again and you are probably wondering if its newest version is anything to write home about.
Well, we put together this review to help you figure that out so you may want to read on.
Contents
An Overview of the Craftsy Virtual Training School
As you may have guessed, Craftsy is a virtual service that focuses on providing users with reasonably priced, high-definition quality craft digital lessons. What's more, these lessons are led by experts in each field.
This platform is loved by many and consequently popular mainly because it is user-friendly, affordable, and professional.
With a goal like "bring creativity to life," you can be sure that once you enroll in these online classes, you will be one step closer to learning and mastering new and innovative crafting skills however and whenever you like.
How Does It Work?
Craftsy is a virtual training school designed for crafters. There, you find an assortment of classes including photography, painting, knitting, writing, and cake decorating among others. Lessons are offered by knowledgeable instructors who are forces top reckon with in their respective fields.
Now, these classes will be accessible to you in the form of clear instructions and HD videos that can be downloaded to digital devices like PCs, tablets, and smartphones.
Since its rebranding in September 2020, Crafty has added new classes so users can expect to learn more. However, you will not be able to purchase tangible goods such as materials and kits on the platform.
Craftsy maintains some features from Bluprint such as the mobile app, but it will take some time to move all the classes from the first Craftsy platform and Bluprint.
Craftsy Premium Membership
Granted, anyone can access and buy classes on the Craftsy platform, but signing up for membership does come with a host of benefits. For instance, a premium membership allows you continuous access to all classes.
Another notable benefit would have to be access to live instructors where you get to listen to any class you want. Besides, Craftsy is working on giving users a download option where users will be able to save classes for future reference.
1. Painting Classes
If you like painting, you will be pleased to learn that Craftsy has an exclusive class for portraitists and watercolorists. The classes can be categorized from old to new and vice versa as well as in alphabetical order.
Currently, Craftsy has 93 painting classes. However, none of them are free. The best thing about Craftsy is that it allows members to train in specific things like painting flowers, screen printing, furniture upcycling, and animal painting among others.
The platform also offers beginner classes.
2. Craftsy Cooking Classes
On the Craftsy platform, you get a whopping 148 cooking classes. You may want to note that two out of those are free.
Anyway, these cooking classes teach fundamental skills like cooking basics and new cooking methods. If you fancy making different cuisines, you will learn how to make Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Thai, Moroccan, Italian, Danish, and Indian dishes among many others.
Other than that, there are also different classes about making chocolate cakes, healthy meals, and artisan bread.
3. Cake Decorating Classes
Craftsy offers a perfect learning experience for individuals who would like to know how to bake and decorate cakes. Other than that, users can access classes about starting and maintaining a cake business, industry secrets, and cake logistics.
Now this category is one of the biggest on the Craftsy platform seeing as it comprises 201 classes. The best part is that you get 14 free cake decorating classes. What's more, 12 of them are by Joshua John Russel, a renowned cake decorator.
Regrettably, the free cake decorating classes offer limited information. If you need more details, you would have to pay for a premium membership.
Most people would raise concerns about being beginners in cake decorating but that should not be the case because there are classes for different levels.
Craftsy does offer an assortment of cookie and cupcake decorating classes as well as cake flavors, fillings, and frostings.
4. Sewing Classes
Are you a lover of fashion? Then you will love Craftsy's sewing classes because they will teach you how to save money by sewing your own clothes.
This is one of the most popular and largest categories on the platform. You get 207 classes with eight of them being free.
Now, these classes are not exactly for novices since most of them focus on particular techniques, sewing lingerie or bags as well as common sewing mistakes and how they can be avoided.
5. Photography Classes
The platform has 84 photography classes and only one is free. Here, you will learn about photographing particular objects or scenes as well as capturing techniques.
There are also a few classes regarding photo editing tools like Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.
What you will love about Craftsy when it comes to photography is that it is ideal for both seasoned and beginner photographers. That way, no one is left out.
Craftsy Pricing
We did mention that Craftsy features a mobile app, didn't we? Now, the thing is that this app can easily be downloaded to any iPad or iPhone and the best part is that it is extremely user-friendly.
Craftsy courses are quite affordable seeing as they range from $19.99 to $49.99 an hour. With that, you get HD virtual lessons anywhere and at any time.
We also found it appealing that Craftsy allows users to purchase required course materials through its website. We are talking about things like patterns and supplies for coursework as well as PDF materials.
Moreover, you get to view different free mini-classes that will help you determine your interests, a useful notebook feature that you can use to pause videos as users comment to ensure that you do not miss anything.
Craftsy does offer a money-back guarantee and this will come in handy in case you are not impressed by the courses offered.
The main concern however would be the difficulty that users face when it comes to unsubscribing from the platform's services. Craftsy will allow users to pause the subscription, but the platform does not have an option to completely unsubscribe.
User-friendliness
Whether you are looking to learn about jewelry making, cake decoration, sewing, or knitting, you will love Craftsy not only for its affordability but for its user-friendliness as well.
It features an engaging interface and when that is combined with professional and friendly instructors, you have a winning recipe.
Exhibiting Your Work
After going through your course (s) on Craftsy and acquiring the desired skills, you would want to showcase them, and what better place to do that than online?
You can always develop a website to exhibit your work but the thing is that website design is not easy. As such, you want to use website builders like Squarespace that are easy to use and have templates that can easily be customized.
Moreover, they come with SEO tools to help guarantee that your site is visible to the right audience. With that, you begin to build an organic following.
What Customers Think About Craftsy: The Reviews
Since Craftsy was re-launched, there are not as many reviews about it. Nevertheless, that should not be a cause for concern for you.
Instead, you can try several free classes or purchase a few. After attending the classes, you can decide if they are a good fit for you or not.
Ultimately, there are mixed feelings about the platform. Some users state that Crafty is ideal for people who have more hobbies but they also do admit that the main flaw is the absence of interaction between instructors and users.
Refund Policy
Craftsy comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to claim a refund in case you are not satisfied with the service. If you cancel your membership after the said period, you will get a prorated refund.
Note that the platform does not offer refunds for the monthly membership. You want to cancel your subscription promptly otherwise you will continue to be billed. To cancel, you will have to reach out to customer support through email or phone call.
FAQs
Here we have addressed some commonly asked questions regarding Craftsy that will help you understand the platform better.
More or less, they are. These are just different terms used to refer to the same platform. You see, the platform began as Craftsy where the focus was on crafting. It then changed to Bluprint where lifestyle classes were incorporated.
After a while, Bluprint was rebranded and named Craftsy again. Now while this is the same platform, the pricing and content have changed.
It is not easy for platforms like Craftsy to go out of business in today's modern world. Although the platform has changed and some users are not happy with the changes, it is still useful and there is a considerable number of people who find it useful.
Besides, the new Craftsy has been in operation for a year or so which means that there are changes to be expected which may make it better.
Because of that, Craftsy is unlikely to go out of business.
Yes, it is. The platform has undergone major changes but it does offer discussion sections, additional materials, useful information, and more.
The rebranded Craftsy is fully operational and is currently owned by TN Marketing.
Well, as long as you are a creative person who is interested in crafting and art, Craftsy is designed for you.
The platform has various lessons and classes to offer those who are interested or even obsessed with crafting. Craftsy offers various classes across many different hobbies that any creative will benefit from.
It is especially suited for:
- Individuals who are not as confident but want to develop and explore their creativity
- Seasoned crafters who are interested in nurturing their skills or finessing their techniques
- Anyone who wishes to make unique and customized gifts
- People who love working with their hands
Conclusion
For an online tool, Craftsy offers high-quality virtual classes at a reasonable rate. By subscribing to the service, you get templates, recipes, instructions, lesson plans, and essentially anything you need to develop your crafting skills.
In that regard, this platform is worth trying if you are looking for inspiration and information regarding how to express yourself through your creative work.
What's more, there are learning levels to suit different kinds of learners from beginners to more experienced ones.
Ultimately, Craftsy offers creatives an avenue to sharpen their skills seeing as the interest is already there. We would endorse it to anyone who wants to do the same.
Hello there, my name is Carole Lokey from Texas. I am a die cutting and scrapbooking enthusiast and I have been sharing my passion with my friends and likeminded folks for close to 15 years now. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me via the contact page. Learn More>>