How Vitruvian Fine Art Studio Scales Online Classes with WooCommerce & Sensei

Introduction

Chicago’s Vitruvian Fine Art Studio had a simple goal: let more people learn drawing and painting online. They already used WooCommerce for in-person class registration. When they needed a learning platform, Sensei LMS fit right in, making selling and delivering courses easy.

Background

David Jamieson co-founded Vitruvian to teach realistic drawing, painting, sculpture, and anatomy. Classes at their Chicago location are hands-on, but they saw a wider audience that couldn’t attend in person. Putting lessons online would let them reach art students across the world.

Challenges

They needed to sell courses smoothly and protect content so only paid users could see it. Most LMS options didn’t link easily with WooCommerce, making billing and access control messy. Plus, longer courses risked scaring off new students when they saw a long list of lessons.

Technical Plugins Overview

Beyond Sensei and Modules, they used Gravity Forms for uploads, Groups for membership, Dynamic Pricing for smart discounts, and Cart Notices for clear messaging. Each adds a small piece to the setup without slowing down the site.

Solution Setup

Pairing WooCommerce and Sensei LMS solved the sales and access part. Each course became a WooCommerce product. When students bought it, Sensei unlocked lessons one by one. They used default WooCommerce reviews for proof, and a star-rating shortcode placed ratings under the price to grab attention.

Modular Course Design

The Complete Portrait Drawing course includes 10 hours of video across 27 lessons. To avoid overwhelming students, Vitruvian added Sensei Modules. Instead of 27 items in a list, they split lessons into five units, each with four to six steps, making the course easier to browse.

Upselling Critique Add-On

Most students work through lessons on their own, but some want detailed feedback. Vitruvian created a “Portrait Drawing Critique Extension” as a separate WooCommerce product. Buying it adds the student to a private group for extra lesson pages and lets them upload images of their drawings.

Gravity Forms handles the file upload form on those extra pages. Students snap photos of their work, upload them, and share notes on areas they find tricky. Instructors record a quick screen video with comments and send back a secure link.

Discounts and Notifications

To nudge more students to opt in, they set up Dynamic Pricing and Cart Notices. If the base course is in the cart, the critique add-on drops 25% automatically. A cart notification spells out the deal so buyers don’t miss it. Since adding that combo, more students pick the feedback option.

Marketing & Promotion

They use email campaigns to announce new courses and share sample lesson clips. By integrating WooCommerce with Mailchimp, they send follow-up messages to students who browsed but didn’t buy. Facebook ads targeting art students drove site traffic and sign-ups.

User Experience

Students log in, see their dashboard, and click a course. They view modules, click lessons, and track progress automatically. If they buy the critique add-on, extra lessons appear with an upload form. After submission, they get feedback video links right in their account.

Results

The site now sells simple courses and premium add-ons in one flow. Enrollment moves without extra work for the team unless a student picks the critique service. Those who do get detailed tips, and the add-on keeps prices and admin time under control. Overall, student feedback has been strong, and sales tick up steadily.

Looking Ahead

Vitruvian plans to add a discussion board so students can talk about their work and see peer reviews. They’re watching WP forums like BBPress and BuddyPress for a good fit. They also hope Sensei might add file uploads in lessons natively, cutting out plugin steps.