City Lit Art School — Art Classes in London
Explore new and exciting subjects within a range of art and design disciplines, develop your skill set, get the support required to change career or launch yourself as a freelance artist or designer. All this and more delivered through our practical and engaging art and design courses at City Lit.
Our range of part-time, weekend and evening art and design classes are taught by successful artists and practitioners to ensure you get the skills, knowledge and experience you want and deserve. From experimental painting and drawing to contemporary jewellery making, there is sure to be a course for you. Study from 1 day to 2 years, whether you are a complete beginner or a practising artist preparing for an MA. Our courses are designed with you in mind, so you get to spend more time doing what you love.
Set a new goal, start your next creative adventure with City Lit and let us support you to realise your ambitions.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
Any questions? Contact our visual arts team on visual.arts@citylit.ac.uk
- Drawing and painting from the imagination
Course start date: Thu 6 Nov 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyExplore the richness of the imagination in drawing and painting. Cultivate a range of methods for stimulating and connecting to what inspires you, and ways to express your imagination freely through the medium of acrylic painting and drawing. - Affinity photo: professional image editing Course start date: Fri 7 Nov 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael HardingLearn about the potential and possibilities available to you when using Affinity Photo and develop practical skill and knowledge.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Jewellery: wax carvingCourse start date: Fri 7 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Carve, model and experiment with wax to create your own unique jewellery designs. Learn about the lost wax casting process, outsourcing and finishing of your casts.
Full fee £289.00 Senior fee £231.00 Concession £188.00 - Oil painting: focus on light and shade Course start date: Fri 2 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lindsay PickettThis oil painting course takes inspiration from the moody and luminous imagery of classic Film Noir such as ‘The Third Man’. Students will explore composition, tonal transition and contrast to enhance their pleasure in oil painting and create strong and powerful paintings.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Textiles for beginners short course Course start date: Fri 7 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Renata MinoldoGet started with the basics of textiles by painting, printing and stitching fabric. Combine simple practical techniques with design work in colour, texture, pattern and composition.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to photography Course start date: Wed 12 Nov 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dominic HarrisDiscover the basics of photography to improve your photographs and impress your friends. Learn about shutter speed, aperture, photo composition, light and taking pictures in different environments. This course is perfect for complete beginners or for learning new skills. Please take this course before enrolling on our intermediate courses.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Make a willow basket in two evenings Course start date: Mon 14 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John PageMake a small bread or fruit basket over two evening sessions. Suitable for beginners as an introduction to traditional willow basketry techniques, or for those with some experience wanting to refresh their skills.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Drawing and mindfulness: the imaginationCourse start date: Thu 5 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyDiscover the enriching relationship of mindfulness and the imagination, whilst exploring a range of methods for stimulating and connecting to what inspires you. This course offers an introduction to mindful drawing, as well as a context to explore it more deeply through the imagination.
Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - London photography walk: River ThamesCourse start date: Wed 1 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Michael HardingExplore and discover London through photography walks around locations rich in photographic potential.
The walks revolve around photographing views along the River Thames, from the Aldwych area eastwards to the City, from London Bridge to the Southbank and from Westminster to the newly developed Nine Elms area. Bring your own camera and comfortable walking shoes as you capture places, spaces, objects and people.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Improve your film workshop Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lily MarkiewiczWant some feed-back and a helping hand to improve your film project? Join this workshop to get professional and peer support and elevate your film to another level.Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - Printmaking studio: focus on colour Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kath CastilloA 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. - Carving in wood or stone Course start date: Thu 8 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Belinda EdwardsGet inspired by trying carving techniques in stone or wood and create your own small carving in wood and stone. Suitable for anyone from beginners to experienced carvers. This course will explore the characteristics of wood and stone, lead you through the steps of design and carving, encourage you to explore and develop your ideas, and try more experimental techniques. - Pottery: evening course Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Trish SpenceFor those with previous experience who want to work towards their own goals, or for beginners who want to learn hand-building and throwing processes. We'll also cover glazing and surface decoration. - Bookbinding: 10 projects for beginners Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kate RochesterAn exciting range of graded projects to introduce you to bookbinding. Come armed with enthusiasm and walk away with a stack of small books and a heap of information on materials, tools and techniques. - 3D animation with Blender Course start date: Wed 7 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Benjamin AustinIf you are new to 3d animation, you’ve had a go at teaching yourself but are not making progress, or perhaps you are transferring to Blender from a different 3D program, this course is for you.
It will take you through a professional approach to creating characters and environments in 3D from scratch, as well as introducing workflows and techniques to help produce polished 3D animations of your own.
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