City Lit’s Centre for Advanced Practice is where you can find advanced courses from across all subject areas in Visual Arts. In many cases, this means well established courses of a year or longer, with outstanding reputations for preparing students for study at Bachelors or Masters level. Equally, their quality and depth makes them a viable alternative, for many learners, to the conventional Higher Education route into careers as creative practitioners.
To continue to support learners from a range of backgrounds, with diverse requirements, we have several newly developed courses – with more appearing soon – that build on our long-standing fine art and contemporary craft provision, and bring traditional practices up to date, to ensure learners have the relevant skills for the contemporary creative industries. This is supported through increasing connections with external organisations and practitioners in many courses, for example through real-world project briefs, public exhibitions, and visits from industry professionals.
In the last couple of years, we have introduced new titles in contemporary media and communications-based creative practices, and new courses running across a range of patterns and modes (weekly, monthly, studio-based, online or blended), to ensure that our advanced provision remains accessible and manageable alongside learners’ existing commitments. Alongside these developments, we are progressively refreshing many of our well-established courses, with an increased emphasis on critical discourse, and contemporary cultural debate, in keeping with the advanced level of study and focus on increased confidence, independence and professionalism that are the common characteristics of all our advanced courses.
In addition to our expanding range of advanced long courses, a growing range of advanced one-day workshops is available, aimed at providing knowledge and insight required to support specific aspects of professional practice. These can be taken individually, according to need or interest, or as complementary components of your own pick-and-mix modular course. In common with our long courses, these will provide you with the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to take your advanced creative practice forward.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
- City Lit ceramics diploma: two-year courseCourse start date: Thu 11 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Carina Ciscato, Chantal Condron, Brigit Connolly, Annie TurnerThe Ceramics diploma course is designed for people with previous experience in ceramics or other art related practice. This advanced ceramics course encourages your creative development through a sustained practice-based programme of in-depth ceramic study that covers the artistic, technical, theoretical, and historical contexts of ceramics. For your final exhibition you will have the opportunity to exhibit at an external venue and at the New Designers show at the Business Design Centre in Islington.
Once you have submitted an application for the course, your suitability for the course will be assessed by interview. You will need to bring a portfolio of 2D and 3D/clay work alongside your sketchbooks. During the interview you will be asked to write a short paragraph to demonstrate your writing skills and to show your understanding of the use of numbers. Interviews for this course will take place on dates to be confirmed.
NOTE: Course dates are: 11/09/25 - 25/06/27, Thursday and Friday 9.30am – 6.00pm, 36 weeks per year. The course fee indicated on this page covers both years of the course. Payment plans will be available, details of which are to be confirmed.Full fee £11,499.00 Senior fee £11,499.00 Concession £8,049.00 - Art and design portfolio projectsCourse start date: Mon 15 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rod JudkinsDevelop and realise your creative language in art and design through the development of a personal project. Through workshops and small projects you will be able to build a portfolio of work in 2D and 3D related to your own personal theme or interest.Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - Foundation diploma in art and designCourse start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: MultipleThe UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at City Lit is an exciting and challenging multi-disciplinary art, design, craft and media programme. It is designed to give you the best possible introduction to a wide range of materials, techniques and processes, and to support you in identifying and developing your creative interests and thinking. Validated by the University of the Arts London Awarding Body, it is an internationally recognised qualification with a UCAS tariff that enables you to apply directly to University.
The Free Courses for Jobs initiative is for Londoners aged 24 or over at the start of the course who are: on a low-income; or on certain benefits; or do not have a full level 3 qualification. For more information Click here
- City Lit basketry course: advancedCourse start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lisa Atkin, Christiane Gunzi, John Page, Katie PriceFor learners experienced in a wide range of basketry techniques, this is a new course to build develop your skills. You will be introduced to some new techniques and emphasis will be placed on self directed study and developing a personal portfolio of work. This course is suitable for those experienced in a wide range of basketry techniques and who have completed the City Lit basketry course or have equivalent skills.Full fee £1,749.00 Senior fee £1,399.00 Concession £1,224.00 - Fine jewellery workshopCourse start date: Tue 30 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth Bone, Rae Duncan, Rebecca Ilett, Katrin SprangerWork independently on your own jewellery projects in our well equipped jewellery workshop. This is an opportunity for self-directed and untutored bench time, sharing the studio with the year long VV414 Advanced jewellery course.Full fee £899.00 Senior fee £719.00 Concession £629.00 - City Lit fine jewelleryCourse start date: Tue 30 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth Bone, Rae Duncan, Rebecca Ilett, Katrin SprangerThis advanced course will refine your existing jewellery making and design skills, through sessions in the workshop and guided independent study tasks. With an ethos of ‘idea to product', developing your personal research, design and making approach, there will be structured modules and projects encouraging you to build on your technical skills, presentation, and professional practice. We will explore material, finish and construction, alongside professional practice methodologies such as drawing, prototyping, outsourcing, pricing, and selling. The course culminates with working towards the production of a final body of work. - Advanced graphic designCourse start date: Mon 6 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew McCartenThis course will help you improve your skills in graphic design and visual communications in their broadest sense, for delivery or publication in print and online, working with text, image, layout, medium and message across a range of physical and digital media and formats.
It is ideal for anyone who has already completed our City Lit graphics course, and for anyone wishing to build a more extensive and professional portfolio of graphics work, whilst developing a deeper understanding of the connection between text, image, message and media.
Confirmed industry specialist guests: Lydia Thornley, Designer, Creative Director and Reportage Illustrator and award winning film producer/director Mark Craig, maker of the film “The Last Man On The Moon”.Full fee £2,549.00 Senior fee £2,039.00 Concession £1,784.00 - Advanced children's book illustration: professional practiceCourse start date: Tue 7 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tim Ellis, Zehra Hicks, Dee ShulmanInterested in a career in Children’s Book Illustration, or advancing your practice to the next level? With the guidance and support of your tutors, you will have the opportunity to engage with experienced industry professionals, and develop your practice and personal visual vocabulary to a professional standard.
Visitors on previous years have included:
- Davinia Andrew-Lynch, Curtis Browne Agency
- Helen Chapman, Art director Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, Little Tiger Press, DK & Penguin
- Rebecca Garrill Art Director Andersen Press
- Margaret Hope, art director MacMillan Books
- Anne McNeill, Editorial director Random House and Penguin books
- Rachel Petty, former editorial director Macmillan Children's Books, currently author/illustrator agent at the Blair Partnership
- Arabella Stein, Managing Director, Bright Agency
- Millie Van Grutten RCW Literary Agency. - Extended drawing for artists and makersCourse start date: Wed 8 Oct 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Annie Attridge, Clare Barton-Harvey, Ruth Brison, Tony Hull, Claire Hynds, Monika Kita, Ute Kreyman, Mario Lautier Vella, Faith VincentA multi-disciplinary course that will help broaden your skills and experience. Record, imagine, visualise, transform,
narrate and develop through a series of practical projects. This exciting course is designed to help you place drawing at the centre of your chosen artistic discipline.
This course requires a pre-enrolment application. Please click 'Start Assessment' on the right-hand side of this page to start your application.Full fee £1,649.00 Senior fee £1,319.00 Concession £1,154.00 - Advanced printmaking: practice and discourseCourse start date: Wed 8 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
Tutors: Claire HyndsThis year-long advanced course is aimed at artist-printmakers who wish to develop a sustainable personal practice through the medium of print. With the support of expert tutors, you will be guided through experimental, practice-based research and developmental tasks that challenge your preconceptions of print media including etching, screen-printing, lithography and relief. You will eventually focus on a longer project that encourage both a personal enquiry and the development of an individual methodology. The course involves theoretical, contextual and practical components.Full fee £2,099.00 Senior fee £1,679.00 Concession £1,469.00 - Advanced printmaking: personal project developmentCourse start date: Thu 9 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rolina Elsje BlokUnlock your creative potential in the Advanced Printmaking Personal Project Development course! This engaging programme invites you to extend your printmaking practice while developing a substantial personal project. Over the length of the course you will explore advanced printmaking techniques, refine your artistic voice, and produce a body of finished work.Full fee £2,099.00 Senior fee £1,679.00 Concession £1,469.00 - Advanced figure and portraitCourse start date: Fri 10 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul Dixon, Desmond Haughton, Amy-Rose Holland, Brian Sayers, Benjamin Senior, Andrea VoiseyRepresentation of the human form offers inexhaustible potential for expression and for the communication of ideas. This is an exciting advanced course for those with experience of working with the figure and/or portrait who would like the challenge of exploring new perspectives on the figurative tradition through drawing, painting and and a range of contemporary and mixed media.Full fee £2,899.00 Senior fee £2,319.00 Concession £2,029.00 - Children's book illustration: advanced projectsCourse start date: Wed 30 Apr 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tim EllisAn intensive highly focused follow up course to develop design, drawing, imagination, characterisation and narrative skills. Ideal if you’re planning to prepare a portfolio for presentation to publishers or wishing to further develop your skills and imagination.Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £314.00
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