City Lit Art School — Art Classes in London  

An intermediate-level course for students with some experience. Learn new skills and techniques. Develop and build on existing knowledge in traditional and contemporary bookbinding, including leather paring and fine binding.



Term 1 22/09/2025 – 20/10/2025 (half-term week 27/10) 03/11/2025 – 01/12/2025



Term 2 12/01/2026 – 09/02/2026 (half-term week 16/02) 23/02/2026 - 30/03/2026.

Learn how to write beautifully with a dip pen and design and produce a piece of work with illuminated letters using colour and gold leaf. All levels.

Following on from the course 'Painting 2', enhance your paint handling skills and understanding of the dynamics of a painted surface, through a series of set projects and short critical discussions. Examine the role of painting tools, marks and scale in building a painting.

Building on existing knowledge, this course introduces you to the concept of Typology in photography, grouping images based on shared characteristics. Through hands-on exercises, you will explore project themes, refine your selection skills and develop a Typology series using photography, Adobe Photoshop and Bridge.

This 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.

Whether you are a photographer or a writer, this short course will give you ideas for combining words and images to discover new approaches and create new work.

Develop your painting in greater depth on this advanced course, working with a team of artist-tutors and a committed network of peer-practitioners, across a set of projects focusing on a range of contemporary themes, processes, and debates. The course is intended for experienced painters with a positive and enquiring attitude to the practices and discourses of painting in its various forms, and a commitment to peer-dialogue and critical discussion. Focused and intensive studio-based weekend projects (once per month), are interspersed with weekly online tutorials, feedback, discussion and seminars.

This 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”.

A course for intermediate and experienced printmakers wanting to build on previous experience and experiment with process to consolidate and hone technical skills. The focus is on colour application, advanced intaglio processes, realising personal projects and the production of high quality prints.

On this course you will develop your creativity, your personal artistic understanding, and a body of contemporary art work at an advanced level through the experimental exploration of a personal project. The course is facilitated by practicing artists and theorists, who will support you through guided critical and creative research, experimental workshops, critical studies, studio practice and tutorials.

Interested 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.