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
64 courses available
Portrait drawing: expression in the faceThis short course will develop your existing knowledge and skills in drawing portraits to meet the challenge of creating expression. Bring your portrait drawing to life by exploring character, personality and emotion in the face of your subject, working from the life model.
Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00- Sketching at the V&AExploring the pleasure and challenge of sketchbooks; learn and improve your drawing skills and 'ways of seeing' and understanding, working from a fascinating range of objects and artifacts in The Victoria and Albert Museum.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00
- 50 drawings in a dayA 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 £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £149.00
- Draw, paint, printOn this experimental course, you will draw, paint and print in often unfamiliar ways in order to catch the unexpected. Through experimentation and reflection, you will collate a personal collection of work.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00
- Life drawing after workA fun, relaxed and shorter life drawing class better suited for people coming straight from work. You will be able to work from a variety of life models, in a range of materials and with a variety of poses. You will be working from the unclothed model, both male and female.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £179.00
- Drawing for beginners
Ease into drawing and discover some interesting methods of representing simple object forms. You will explore basic concepts such as line, tone, and mark-making. Ideal if you are new to drawing; a great way to learn some basics, try out different media, and prepare for longer courses.
Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Introduction to art and creative thinking with Rod Judkins
Art is fundamentally about communicating ideas. If the idea is strong, the work of art is memorable.
This exciting, one day workshop, led by Rod Judkins (artist, tutor and author of ‘The art of Creative thinking’ and ‘Ideas are your only currency’) will explore methods to create ideas and concepts and combine them with the process of making.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00 - Contemporary sketchbook: mixed media projectsDevelop a creative and experimental sketchbook. Explore materials and techniques with confidence, including mark making, drawing and mixed media within a contemporary context. Produce a collection of work or ideas for composition. Drawing experience is an advantage but not essential.Full fee £479.00 Senior fee £383.00 Concession £311.00
- Portraits 3
Aimed at more experienced students: take your existing knowledge of portraiture further and build your understanding of the genre. Undertake practical projects which enable you to develop a more personal approach to the character and identity of your subject. This course ideally follows Portrait 2.
Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - Drawing 2
Develop your drawing skills for greater accuracy and complexity, and explore different approaches informed by a range of artists' drawing process. Learn to manipulate composition, surface and mark-making to create dynamic, expressive drawings.
The RFSA Foundation helps widen access to art and design education by supporting learners facing financial, personal or practical barriers. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may be able to apply for funding towards this course if you are looking to do it as part of the longer suite of courses eg 1, 2 and/or 3. You will need to do a minimum of two of the staged courses to be eligible for financial support. Read our step-by-step bursary guidance here to find out more and apply.
If you are eligible and have already enrolled, you can apply for the funding support retrospectively.
Full fee £479.00 Senior fee £383.00 Concession £311.00 - Portraits 2
Develop your knowledge of the technical aspects of portraiture further and explore your understanding of what makes a convincing portrait. Undertake practical projects which enable you to develop a personal approach to the subject as the course progresses.
Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - Drawing and mindfulness: morning meditation
Join us and set up your day in a tranquil, reflective way with our 5-day Drawing and mindfulness: morning meditation course. Whether you want to do something nourishing before work or are setting up for a day of creative activity, the practices of drawing and mindfulness will help you begin each day with fresh eyes and mind. Suitable for all levels.
Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00 - Collage and mixed media: book artsAn exciting short experimental course working with found books and individual book constructions to explore and combine a variety of creative techniques. Including collage, drawing, painting, mono-printing and paper as interventions into the pages of a book to create unexpectedly beautiful or powerful new work.
Keeley Street
Thu 14 Jan 2027Ruth FranklinFull fee £359.00 Senior fee £287.00 Concession £233.00 - City Lit contemporary collage projects 2
City Lit contemporary collage projects presents a set of collage and mixed media projects designed to experiment with and examine the interplay between the two and three dimensions. You will work with a wide range of materials, on and off the wall, extending our pictorial practice into the realm of collage, painting, drawing, assemblage, bricolage, decoupage, photomontage, small scale constructions, printing and text within the context of mixed media.
Note* the course is designed in a way to enable students to either complete all three courses over the year or to come in at any stage in no particular order.
The RFSA Foundation helps widen access to art and design education by supporting learners facing financial, personal or practical barriers. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may be able to apply for funding towards this course if you are looking to do it as part of the longer suite of courses eg 1, 2 and/or 3. You will need to do a minimum of two of the staged courses to be eligible for financial support. Read our step-by-step bursary guidance here to find out more and apply.
If you are eligible and have already enrolled, you can apply for the funding support retrospectively.
Keeley Street
Thu 14 Jan 2027Jera MayFull fee £849.00 Senior fee £679.00 Concession £552.00 - Life drawing for beginners
This short course is a great introduction to drawing directly from the nude model, both male and female. Using simple exercises, you will explore different ways to represent the human form in drawing, with encouraging, helpful guidance from an experienced tutor. Suitable for absolute beginners.
Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00
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