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
- Try it out calligraphy: formal and modern
Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sharon ShawWould you like to find out about the difference between formal calligraphy and modern calligraphy? Come along to this session and have a go at writing both styles. Beginners and improvers welcome.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - Harmonica: Blues, pop and countryCourse start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jake RodriguesLearn essential harmonica riffs and techniques on this lively course. Build musical skills and confidence in playing and improvising on popular music. This course is for players who have begun to learn the instrument, not for absolute beginners.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £153.00 - Processing black and white photographic film Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Catriona GrayShoot a roll of black and white film and develop it in traditional chemicals, learning 2 ways to view the images on your film (analogue and digital)
Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - The emergence of Europe 300-1000Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingExplore reasons for the fall of Rome and the emergence of the ‘barbarian’ kingdoms of western Europe. Was it really ‘the Dark Ages’? Were the Vikings simply long-haired tourists who occasionally beat up the natives?Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Try it out: garden design Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterGet a taste of how you can improve your outside spaces. In this online workshop you will learn how to assess an outside space and complete a short exercise in garden design planning. A great preparation for our range of beginners garden design courses. - Ukulele 1 Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jake RodriguesLearn the essentials of playing the ukulele on this introductory course. You’ll learn complete songs from the first week. Strumming patterns will be taught and applied to various songs. By the end of term you should be able to accompany your own singing or play along to recordings.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £153.00 - Drawing cartoons Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Stephen MarchantTake a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool, with our Visual Communication Workshops.
Workshops throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.
Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no conceptual or contextual elements, although this varies by course.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Art in Britain 1950-2000 - 'This is Tomorrow' (Part 1) Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chantal CondronDiscover the work of selected British artists whose innovative practice shaped the development of modern art in Britain from the 1950s to the 1970s. Explore how and why the ideas and themes behind their work continue to be relevant to today’s audiences. - Fine art photography: focus on black and whiteCourse start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sara Leigh LewisShape, form, pattern and texture take on added significance in black-and-white photography. Without colour to guide the eye, contrast, lighting, and composition take on even more importance. Discover these elements and the basic rules of black and white photography.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Philosophy and literature: Identity, Truth and the Poetic WordCourse start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Barrie SelwynLiterature provides a very effective springboard into the understanding of the developing notions of selfhood and human nature in the history of ideas and philosophy sharpens our understanding of literature within the broader context of this history.Full fee £309.00 Senior fee £247.00 Concession £201.00 - Contemporary art in London Course start date: Fri 2 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore and discuss contemporary art on show in London. Each week we’ll visit 1-2 commercial galleries or a public gallery and examine specific exhibitions of contemporary art across a range of media including painting, works on paper, photography, new media and sculpture.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Chess for pre-intermediates: develop your game Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David RowsonThis course is for people who are familiar with the basics of chess and are beginning to develop their understanding of the game, but who need help and practice navigating its rich complexity. It is suitable for those who already have the skills listed in section 4 below, but who may not have done a chess course before. It is also an ideal follow-on course for those who have completed City Lit’s Chess for Improvers courses, but who feel they need more practice before moving on to our intermediate level courses. - City Lit reading group 1Course start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kate WilkinsonShare thoughts and ideas about what you are reading, with books chosen by the group. Please come to the first session on Friday 29 September with suggestions (contemporary fiction in paperback) and having read 'Story of the Forest' by Linda Grant. Meetings take place on 19/9, 24/10, 28/11, 30/1, 27/2, 27/3, 1/5, 29/5, 26/6.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Jewellery making: all levels Course start date: Sat 20 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kevin StevensonEver wanted to make your own jewellery? Try out jewellery-making, getting to grips with the basic processes and techniques for using metal to create simple yet beautiful earrings, rings, pendants and bracelets to your own
designs.Full fee £419.00 Senior fee £335.00 Concession £272.00 - French beginners: module 1 Course start date: Fri 26 Sep 2025 (and 11 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Valerie JézéquelLearn French on this lively interactive course for beginners. The course will be taught in French, with an emphasis on developing your speaking and listening skills.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
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