Should I save college money & just take up online art classes?

I'm from Malaysia, and I thought of going overseas to attend some art classes. But somehow it seems out of reach; the classes I'm hoping to attend is annually raising it's prices, my savings couldn't even cover a year attending it,and living costs are very high.

But recently, I came across a few Youtube videos and online sites by the likes of Stan Prokopenko, Sheldon Borenstein, Mark Crilley etc. as well as free of classic instruction books. Even Gnomon has some affordable looking online classes. The price is way lesser attending a year in art school.

So, should I do it? Should take a chance on these online art classes?

I Taught in an art school for years. I've just joined this site and am learning new things just as I do whenever I'm looking at serious, sincere efforts. When I was learning, the quick pose/sketch methods were the best help to me, by far, and I used them in my teaching.

Students who really wanted to learn, had drive, didn't really need me except for encouragement and a few basics, both of which you can get on this site if you take it seriously. Students who didn't care, or were there only because their parents sent them, or they thought they were supposed to take some kind of classes somewhere, barely got by if at all. Students who wanted some mystic glamour cared little for the skills, tended to copy trends, and rarely got life and feeling into their work.

Some formal art schools will get you too scared to break out with your own way. On the other hand, without critiques, you may never learn to pass on the wonder to others.

Regarding nudes: to me, living things, particularly the human body and soul, are the basis of our innate sense of proportion in everything - music, literature, architecture, and drawing.

This was a very interesting article on the subject. One I happen to agree with quite a bit.

https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/138c5efd45e9

I went to about a year of Graphic Design in '96 and quickly realized I was wasting my time. Hell, they didn't even have a computer in the department yet. They were teaching 60's techniques. Was horrible. I quit, spent that money on a computer instead and taught myself Photoshop, etc, etc...

Now I work as a video game artist and it's fantastic. Took some years just building my portfolio. Back them you couldn't just stream art instruction online. It took some outside instruction from art classes and what not, but still a tiny amount of money spent compared to what I would've spent going to an Art School.

I think not

The art classes at my college was a joke. I learned far much more from online tutorials than I ever did at my community college. I couldn't and still can't afford an actual art school college, and though I would love to do so, it doesn't really matter to me. I find I prefer to learn at my own pace, then again I have a mental disorder that makes going to school or work next to impossible... Anyhow, learn what you can within your current means and don't let not being in an art school deter you from making your art. If you really want to be an artist, then just draw and soak up whatever you can. Find your inspiration and soar.