That rumble you've been hearing is a bandwagon passing by called Faux Finishes. Maybe you've heard how faux finishers make twice as much money as ordinary painters. Maybe you want to raise the level of your craft beyond spraying apartments eight hours a day. The variety of choices, however, demands that you do your homework. Some courses are geared toward painting contractors.
Some courses stress faithful duplication of natural objects.
You may get your own individual table and tools for hands-on learning. You may not. Paint is applied with sponges, feathers, rags, squeegees, and ordinary brushes, as well as special tools, like check rollers, newspapers, and potatoes. Faux finish workshops and schools have proliferated in recent years, reflecting the revival of this decorative art after decades of dormancy. I see nothing but growth in it.