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.
- Advanced visual communications: social impact by visual designCourse start date: Tue 24 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: George StickneyCan visual design create enough impact to change society? What effect do posters and campaigns have in changing people’s minds on various subjects? This course is for those with some experience in making graphic images who want to explore campaigning in graphic design and media.Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £244.00 - 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 - City Lit pre-foundation courseCourse start date: Fri 9 Jan 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Marcus RichardsThis exciting and intensive course supports you to develop the key creative skills, methods and thinking in art and design, across 2D, 3D and critical studies required for entry to our UAL-validated Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art & Design.Full fee £949.00 Senior fee £759.00 Concession £664.00 - Advance your life drawingCourse start date: Wed 28 Jan 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Advance your practice of drawing the human figure from observation. You will be encouraged to consider anatomy and perspective in order to develop how you represent the human figure in space.Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £314.00 - Art and Ideas: Identity and the selfCourse start date: Thu 8 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Online
This course is for students and creative practitioners interested in identity as a creative and conceptual theme. Explore and discuss ideas, theories and work by significant artists and writers to enhance and inspire the development of creative work.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £139.00
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