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
- Art and environment in Ice Age Europe
Course start date: Thu 22 Jan 2026Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the artistic treasures of our most remote past, when our ancestors in the Ice Age created beautiful cave paintings and astounding sculpted works. - Craft focus: mastering descriptive language Course start date: Sat 24 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sophie McKenzieDescriptive language can provide texture and clarity to a story, promoting reader engagement and a sensory experience. In this short course, learn how to create vivid descriptions that will elevate your prose. This course will support writers of fiction and non-fiction.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Become more lipreadable Course start date: Fri 13 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lorraine BragginsDo you know a hard of hearing or deaf person who needs to lipread you? Find out how lipreading works and how you can make some small adjustments in order to become more 'lipreadable'.
This course will be taught in spoken English and not in sign language.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - Writing the prose poem Course start date: Sat 14 Feb 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julie IrigarayA form that’s flowered in recent years, this short course will guide you to write your own prose poetry.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Craft focus: voice and dialogue in fiction Course start date: Sun 15 Feb 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosie ChardAll fiction must speak to us as readers. It must communicate atmosphere and plot, character and layers of meaning with a unique 'voice'. Characters must also sound like themselves with dialogue that compels and convinces. Learn the fundamentals of voice and dialogue in this one-day course.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - How to write a non-fiction book proposalCourse start date: Sun 1 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Nick BarlayLearn how to write a compelling non-fiction book proposal on this interactive and informative short course, which will demystify the essentials to give your project the best chance of success.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing poetry from visual artCourse start date: Sun 1 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lawrence BradbyArt has inspired some of the world’s greatest poetry. This course will show you how to draw from visual art when writing your own poems.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Teatime Talks: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, imagined portraits Course start date: Tue 3 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronOne of the most absorbing contemporary artists working in the UK today, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye paints startling ‘portraits’ of characters entirely derived from her imagination. Discover aspects of her artistic process and the ideas and themes behind her paintings on this course.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Submitting your short stories to magazinesCourse start date: Sat 7 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vicky GrutThis is a fast-track course to help you hone and prepare your short stories for submission to magazines and publishers.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing environmental essays and featuresCourse start date: Sat 14 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Laura SilvermanLearn what makes environmental writing sing and how to write an article or blog post, from research to editing.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing autofictionCourse start date: Sat 14 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Natasha BellBlurring lines between fact and fiction, blending the 'real' and 'imaginary', autofiction is a rich playground for writers. In this short advanced taster course, learn what 'autofiction' is, how it differs from other forms of life writing, and explore how to write it.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Craft focus: narrative time in fictionCourse start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vicky GrutAll fiction is bound by time: a story must begin and end. In this practical short course learn how time functions in fiction and, through practical writing exercises, how you can manipulate it to great effect. Suitable for those with some creative writing experience.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing historical fictionCourse start date: Sun 22 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anna RichardsDig into the past to craft historical fiction that speaks vividly to contemporary readers. From Hilary Mantel to C.J. Sansom, learn techniques writers use to turn historical record into compelling fiction.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Music history bookclub: Viva Violetta and VerdiCourse start date: Fri 17 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Edward BreenThe music history book club meets towards the end of each term to discuss novels and biographies with musical themes and references relevant to the music history programme.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - London photography: bridges in the city Course start date: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Michael HardingExplore london and capture the beauty of the capitals bridges that span the Thames. This off-site photographic course will have you down to the river with your camera, exploring the diverse architectural designs and structures of bridges on the Thames that connect London. Learn about their history whilst learning the secrets to successful architectural and location photography.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00
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