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
- A Day with T.S. EliotCourse start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Suzannah V. Evans, Phyllis RichardsonCome and explore the Nobel Prize-winning poet, T. S. Eliot, in a stimulating group context where our focus will be on immersing ourselves in the language and contexts of his striking poetry.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Study day: Modern art and colour – from post-impressionism to fauvism
Course start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersExplore the experimental use of colour and form in the late nineteenth century post-Impressionists and Symbolists paintings, and study its impact on the Fauve artists, with focus on Matisse.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - The Amaravati stupa: an ancient, colonial and contemporary historyCourse start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Arjmand AzizExamine the history, architecture, aesthetics and religious significance of the Amaravati stupa. Admire parts of it during the visit at the British Museum.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Dante's Divine Comedy: an introductionCourse start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Francesco BucciolThe Divine Comedy is an imaginary journey through the three realms of the afterlife, a fascinating compendium of life in 14th century Italy. Dante's ability to depict humanity in all its aspects is timelss and has fascinated readers ever since.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - French 3: focus on listening and speakingCourse start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Valerie JézéquelThis skills-based course is for intermediate learners of French and aims to train you on strategies you can apply to listen more effectively to spoken French in a variety of different contexts. You will also look at elements of French pronunciation to give you a better idea of how French is spoken.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £49.00 Concession £49.00 - An introduction to Japanese anime: history, genres and authorsCourse start date: Sat 22 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Cristina MassaccesiWhat is anime? What are the artistic and narrative features that make these films so instantly recognizable? This one-day film course will provide an overview of the history of Japanese animation cinema, its inextricable links with manga and its multi-faceted and varied productions that range from children’s films to genres such as cyberpunk and yaoi. During the course, we will watch and discuss clips from a variety of production companies and directors, such as Miyazaki Hayao, Mushi Pro and Kon Satoshi.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - French 4: Cinéma politiqueCourse start date: Sat 22 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Masa UzelacThis course offers an exploration of French and Francophone political cinema. We will analyse the works of influential directors such as Godard and Varda to gain insights into pivotal historical moments of the development of politically engaged cinema. Join us on an investigative journey where film serves as a lens for understanding the complex dynamics of social and political movements.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00 - Realism and Genre: British Cinema in the 1960sCourse start date: Sat 22 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Jon WisbeyDuring the 1960s British cinema re-established itself as a leading producer of films, including realist dramas such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), and action and adventure fantasies with the highly popular James Bond films. This course explores these developments through a range of critical approaches and considers the way in which they contributed to a revitalised British cinema.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Explore: Gel plate printing Course start date: Sun 23 Nov 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This one-day course is an introduction to Gel Plate Printing and will explore various techniques to mark-making and image creation. You will learn how this print technique can be used within your own Illustration and Graphic Design projects.
Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Masters of cinema: Wes AndersonCourse start date: Sat 29 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Graham Rinaldi“I have a way of filming things and staging them and designing sets. There were times when I thought I should change my approach but in fact, this is what I like to do. It’s sort of like my handwriting as a movie director.” Explore the signature style and adventurous cinema of Wes Anderson from coming of age films through stop motion animation to comedy dramas.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Study day: Rothko, Pollock and Abstract Expressionism Course start date: Sat 29 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersExplore the Abstract Expressionist movement, focusing on Pollock and Rothko as its key examples, considering
issues such as the movement’s social and political context, artistic influences, and stylistic progress.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Japanese through OrigamiCourse start date: Sat 29 Nov 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rie Tsuruta-BarrattCome and learn origami, the Japanese art of folding paper into a sculpture without using glue or scissors.
Origami allows you to create your own piece of art anytime, anywhere even in a busy schedule. Ideal if you want to create personalised cards for Christmas.
This is a relaxing Saturday morning course, so time to be hands on! The instructions will be given in Japanese and English.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £19.00 - Borderlines of Madness in 20th century FictionCourse start date: Sat 29 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah WiseWe will explore various themes related to ‘insanity’ and altered states of consciousness by examining a number of 19th-century works of fiction. Novelists and poets often had the greatest insights into the workings of the mind, and many Victorian psychiatrists cited works of fiction in their case studies. Among the authors we will cover are Charlotte Bronte, Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins, Gogol, Herman Melville and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Non-elite women in Ancient EgyptCourse start date: Sat 29 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosalind JanssenFamed Victorian novelist and travel writer, skilled artist, intrepid and renowned Egyptologist. No wonder that London born Amelia Blanford Edwards (1831-1892) was dubbed the ‘Queen of Egyptology’ by her American fans. Our concentration is on her legacy to London, and we end our day by visiting one of her enduring foundations in the capital: UCL’s Petrie Museum.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Introduction to diamondsCourse start date: Sat 29 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Judith Crowe, Derek JhinnooGypsy setting, often called flush setting is a technique to set a small round and brilliant cut faceted stone on a metal surface. On this course you will be introduced to the principles and applications of this versatile technique, including making your own bespoke setting tools.
Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00
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