Drawing courses in London
At City Lit, we have a variety of drawing courses, delivered in our bright, modern studios for students to create and develop a body of drawing work. Supported by our team of experienced and expert tutors, we offer students both a practical guide and an informative insight, providing an opportunity for all levels to explore traditional and contemporary styles of drawing.
We have classes for everyone, whether you’re a complete beginner and you want an introduction to drawing; or you’re at an intermediate or higher level and you want classes that focus on developing advanced drawing skills such as mark making techniques, experimental approaches and use of colour, tone and shade within these disciplines.
Our courses are specially designed to offer you support in overcoming any frustrations, learning new skills and helping you achieve your personal creative goals.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
To arrange a conversation with our drawing coordinator about your interests, options and courses available, please contact our Visual Arts team at visualarts@citylit.ac.uk
- Drawing: a contemporary approach
Course start date: Sat 23 May 2026 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sisetta ZapponeTake your drawing in exciting new directions – build on existing skills and discover new ways of working. A chance to extend your own drawing projects guided by our expert tutor and practising artist, with reference to the work of artists using drawing in the wider art world today.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Portraits 1 Course start date: Sun 31 May 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke Jones, Andrea VoiseyThis course aims to introduce you to this fascinating genre in both drawing and painting portraits through practical experience of the basic skills and concepts involved, including structure and proportion of the head and features, tone, colour, pose and expression. Working from direct observation of the live model.Full fee £479.00 Senior fee £383.00 Concession £311.00 - Collage and mixed media: experimental approaches Course start date: Mon 1 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ruth BrisonCollage is an exciting, accessible and creative medium. Experiment with a rich variety of materials and found images to make vibrant work experimenting with surface, form, colour and pattern, inspired by artists who make effective use of this way of working.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Draw, paint, print Course start date: Thu 4 Jun 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mary WintourThis lively, hands-on course celebrates experimentation and encourages you to discover your own creative voice. Explore a wide range of art techniques and working methods to collate a personal collection of work.
Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Drawing and mindfulness: into abstraction Course start date: Thu 4 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyExplore how mindfulness can enrich the process of drawing, as we encounter a range of approaches to making abstract drawings, with reference to artist’s work. This course offers a great introduction to mindful drawing or ways to explore it more deeply. A practical drawing course exploring the visual language of abstraction, with reference to colour, composition, tone and layering.
Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Drawing into painting Course start date: Fri 5 Jun 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Eleanor BedlowGain an understanding of the creative journey from a drawing to finished painting. Explore the creative potential when drawing and painting activities are combined.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Sketching at Tate Modern Course start date: Thu 11 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Steve WrightExploring the pleasure and challenge of sketchbooks; learn and improve your drawing skills and 'ways of seeing' and understanding, working from an exciting range of artworks in Tate modern.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Life drawing: mixed media approaches Course start date: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Annie AttridgeThis course introduces exciting contemporary approaches to life drawing using a variety of processes including using wire to draw with, clayslip for mark-making and plaster. You will be encouraged to explore creative and imaginative approaches in your response to the life model. Suitable for all levels but some previous drawing experience an advantage.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00 - Drawing 1 Course start date: Sun 14 Jun 2026 (and 6 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke Jones, Andrea VoiseyAn introduction to drawing from observation through a carefully structured approach in a studio environment. Suitable for beginners.Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - 50 drawings in a day Course start date: Mon 15 Jun 2026 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Charles ChambersA high energy programme of directed and self-directed drawing projects, with rapid shifts in materials, scale, subject and focus. Strictly no discards - come ready to play, risk, invent and discuss. For those with some drawing experience.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Life drawing into life painting Course start date: Sat 20 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sisetta ZapponeLearn or develop life drawing skills and approaches to painting the nude figure. Including use of tone and colour selection, composition and paint handling to develop solidity, atmosphere and expression. Some experience of drawing is recommended.Full fee £399.00 Senior fee £319.00 Concession £259.00 - Drawing: perspective techniques and approaches Course start date: Wed 24 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenExplore the practical and creative use of perspective through a series of lively exercises. This course introduces the basic principles used to visualise objects and spaces, as well as creative methods of using perspective to exploit depth and space in a drawing.
Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Drawing: focus on space and depth Course start date: Wed 24 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenExplore the potential of perspective, layering, light and shade to create space and depth in a drawing. By experimenting with different drawing mediums play with the picture plane in a drawing to achieve an illusion of depth. Using observational drawing make a still life come alive through the play of contrast and cast shadows.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Anatomical portrait drawing Course start date: Fri 26 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrea VoiseyEnhance your portraits by uncovering what lies beneath the surface. Through demonstration and direct observation of the model you will examine proportion, rotation and the key anatomical structures of the head and neck that denote likeness.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Large-scale drawing and mixed media Course start date: Sat 27 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenEnjoy a lively, more active way of art-making and make work on a grander scale. Complete a number of experimental projects that explore how big mixed media drawing can be exciting, challenging and surprising.Full fee £339.00 Senior fee £271.00 Concession £220.00
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