Contemporary Crafts Courses in London
City Lit is the place to develop your craft. Throughout the year, we offer classes in Basketry, Bookbinding, Calligraphy and Mosaics. We have a range of courses to suit our students at every level — from introductory courses for curious beginners, to advanced long courses if you are a professional and you want to develop your practice.
Our studios are perfectly equipped which allows us to create engaging and interactive courses for you. All our tutors are experienced crafters, designers, and makers in their own fields. So as a City Lit student, you’ll get the benefit of learning from their working knowledge.
Our courses also make use of the City Lit Design and Digital lab creating craft courses with a digital element to explore the possibilities of working with traditional craft. Many of our courses are delivered online, offering more accessibility for learners.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
- Calligraphy: 10 projects for beginners
Course start date: Wed 21 May 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sharon ShawThis course offers an exciting range of projects to introduce you to the art of beautiful writing. Develop new calligraphy and lettering skills whilst producing your own greeting cards, wrapping paper, gift tags and wall art.
Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Rush basketry Course start date: Wed 28 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John PageUsing traditional techniques you will make a variety of baskets with this native plant. There will be the opportunity to try experimental work with rush and other materials. All levels are welcome.Full fee £379.00 Senior fee £303.00 Concession £246.00 - Mosaics introductory Course start date: Wed 4 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa BensonDevelop your creative skills in this classic art form, adhering your materials to a temporary surface before applying the completed section to a flat base or casting it into concrete. Please bring ideas, basic materials provided. All levels welcome.Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - Beginners' bookbinding Course start date: Fri 6 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alessia TumbioloCome and immerse yourself in the art of bookbinding with this 6-week, accessible introduction. Whether you're taking your first steps or picking up the craft again, this course will equip you with essential techniques that will enable you to start creating your own handcrafted books and containers. Beginners will build strong foundational skills, while returners can refresh their skills and explore new creative possibilities. - Modern calligraphy Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Veiko KespersaksLearn how to write elegant stylish letterforms using a flexible pointed nib with ink. Once you have learnt how to write a basic alphabet, we’ll begin breaking the rules of traditional calligraphy to find a style that is all your own. The course is suitable for beginners as well as improvers.Full fee £359.00 Senior fee £287.00 Concession £233.00 - Calligraphy: modern copperplate variations Course start date: Wed 11 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Veiko KespersaksLearn how to use a pointed pen for writing in copperplate hand, which is famous for its fine lines, hand-made quality and romantic overtones.This fun class is an introduction to Spencerian script and its connection to basic strokes and letterforms. You will also learn the history of Spencerian script and it will give you some new knowledge of penmanship. Suitable for both beginners and improvers, left and right handers.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Bookbinding: experiments in paper folding Course start date: Sat 14 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ina BaumeisterExplore colour, structure, and layering to produce exciting sculptural forms. By combining and extending techniques such as origami and concertina folding, cutting, piercing and slotting, you will create your own unique books. - Calligraphy: illumination and gilding Course start date: Tue 17 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emiko HashiguchiLearn how to apply gold leaf with various gilding sizes and decorate letters with paints. Suitable for those who are new to illumination as well as those with some experience.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Try it out: calligraphy Course start date: Sat 12 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sharon ShawFancy having a go at this beautiful art form? This short weekend course will introduce you to the fundamental principles of lettering and calligraphy. Focussing on broad edged script, you will use different pens and nibs, and leave having completed your own sample. - Contemporary willow basketry Course start date: Wed 16 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christiane GunziExperiment with unconventional willow baskets and structures, within a traditional context.This course guides you through new textures and forms using a variety of techniques from Europe and beyond. - Try it out: mosaics Course start date: Wed 16 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa BensonThis course is an opportunity to try doing some mosaics and get a feel for this popular craft. - Fine binding masterclass III: creative approaches to design binding Course start date: Thu 17 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sue DoggettIf you already have technical bookbinding skills but want to kickstart, or develop your creative and design skills then this course will help you to develop ways of engaging visually with the content of the book. Through a series of practical excercises and activities, you will learn a range of creative thinking skills and ways to apply them to design for bookbinding. This course is aimed at bookbinders interested in design binding but would benefit anyone working in book arts who is interested in exploring a text visually. - Frame basketry Course start date: Sat 19 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Katie PriceOn this course, you will be introduced to the techniques and tools used in Frame basketry. With the skills you will be shown, you will be able to create either a small hand held basket or several samples in diverse styles.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £175.00 - Calligraphy: Spencerian scripts Course start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Veiko KespersaksLearn how to use a pointed pen for writing in copperplate hand. Spencerian script developed from the English Cursive and stands out for its delicately shaded lowercase and prominent capitals. With very intense shadows, obtained with a pointed pen, it is famous for its fine lines, hand-made quality and romantic overtones. Suitable for both beginners and improvers, left and right handers.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Bookbinding weekend: notebooks and folders Course start date: Sat 26 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ina BaumeisterLearn to make single sheet folded books, a simple multi-section sewn book and a folded slipcase. This weekend course is an opportunity to make an exciting range of notebooks and folders and learn some useful bookbinding techniques. Suitable for beginners.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
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