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
- Exploring classical music 1Course start date: Mon 15 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edward BreenDo you want to know more about Western classical music? Explore selected topics and key works in Medieval to (early) Baroque music on this informative 10-week course. Ideal for people with no specialist knowledge. NB: Break week: 27 Oct 2025.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £153.00 - Music theory: grades 1 and 2Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Selena KayLearn the basic principles of musical language and notation: rhythmic values, time signatures, pitch on treble and bass clefs, simple major scales, intervals and key signatures, and the most common musical terms and signs. break week: 29 May 2025.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £160.00 - Piano/keyboards 1ACourse start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 8 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jonathan WilsonThis is the beginning of our piano programme, designed for absolute beginners to both piano and music-reading. This classic course is the perfect way to start your piano playing.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £139.00 - Ways into poetryCourse start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 7 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Cecilia KnappRelatively new to writing poetry? This inspiring course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices alongside fellow emerging poets. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Tolkien on ScreenCourse start date: Mon 15 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
In his literary essay On Fairy Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien famously wrote that “in human art, fantasy is a thing best left to words”. Despite this claim, The Lord of the Rings is arguably one of the most profitable media franchises of the 21st century. It has inspired academy-award winning films and record-breaking TV series, and continues to generate material that resonates with new generations of fans to explore. This course will explore the history of adapting Tolkien to the cinema, considering not only what was altered or left behind in attempts to turn Tolkien’s vast mythology into the stuff of popular cinema, but what might also have been enhanced as a result.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £116.00 - Ways into creative writingCourse start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 16 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire CollisonWant to have a go at creative writing in a supportive environment? Join one of these introductory courses. Guided exercises will give you the tools to explore language creatively and find your own writing voice.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Writing creative non-fictionCourse start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 9 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Paul LaffanExplore practical and imaginative approaches to creative non fiction, including travel writing, life writing and the essay. Analyse published work, produce your own pieces, and benefit from detailed feedback.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £125.00 - Swedish beginners tasterCourse start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Yohanna JacobssonCome and discover Swedish on this lively online taster.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Understanding AbstractionCourse start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayLearn the common reasons for abstraction in art, across time and culture. From the Byzantine icon to the Igbo figurine, from Young Sook Park to Mark Rothko, we’ll think about how abstraction is more common in the history of art than is typically thought. Explore ways into thinking about and experiencing abstract art.Full fee £14.00 Senior fee £11.00 Concession £9.00 - Irish beginners tasterCourse start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah O'DonnellCome and discover the Irish language in this lively taster session.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Beyond the headlines: Left populism and socialism todayCourse start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Salome IetterThis course will provide an overview of the politics of ‘Left populism’ in their historical perspective and contemporary manifestations as well as in their relation to socialist politics.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Russian beginners tasterCourse start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Altannavch MurrayCome and discover Russian in this lively taster.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Lipreading and managing hearing loss: beginners module 2Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025 (and 6 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
This class is suitable for if you have completed module 1 or an introduction to lipreading class at City Lit. You will develop your lipreading and fingerspelling skills and build your confidence.
This course will be taught in spoken English and not in sign language.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera. (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook). The classes work best using a desktop device. Please avoid accessing the class using a tablet or phone as the screen size will limit your ability to lipread or join in with the class.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £115.00 - Lieder: music and poetryCourse start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Katy HamiltonFrom the late-eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, the German Lied developed and blossomed as a musical genre for amateurs, professionals, homes and concert halls. We trace its history through some of its most important composers.
This course has a scheduled break week on 29 Oct 2025.
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