Art & Design courses in London & online
Explore new and exciting subjects within a range of art and design disciplines, develop your skill set, get the support required to change career or launch yourself as a freelance artist or designer. All this and more delivered through our practical and engaging art and design courses at City Lit.
Our range of part-time, weekend and evening art and design classes are taught by successful artists and practitioners to ensure you get the skills, knowledge and experience you want and deserve. From experimental painting and drawing to contemporary jewellery making, there is sure to be a course for you. Study from 1 day to 2 years, whether you are a complete beginner or a practising artist preparing for an MA. Our courses are designed with you in mind, so you get to spend more time doing what you love.
Set a new goal, start your next creative adventure with City Lit and let us support you to realise your ambitions.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
Any questions? Contact our visual arts team on visual.arts@citylit.ac.uk
- Art and creative thinking with Rod Judkins
Course start date: Sun 5 Jul 2026 (and 3 other dates)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rod JudkinsArt 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 £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Photography: Beauty and fashion retouching Course start date: Thu 9 Jul 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ed GregoryRetouching for fashion and beauty photography.
This course will empower you with the skill set to achieve a retouched image at a commercial editorial level.
In this 3-session practical workshop, you will build your confidence to produce beautiful retouching focussing on skin and hair, colour grading and preparing your image both for print and web using Lightroom and Photoshop.
Add the finish that takes your image to a different level.
Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Explore editing: essential masking tips for better content Course start date: Thu 16 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lily MarkiewiczMasking is a essential skill for all editors. But masking isn’t just about hiding an unwanted object in the image. More often, it is used to creatively draw the viewer’s attention to a particular area. An invaluable skill for any film maker.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Developing illustration techniques Course start date: Thu 24 Sep 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rod JudkinsDevelop your creative voice while exploring the exciting and varied world of contemporary illustration. This practical, project-based course will help you expand your technical skills, experiment with new approaches, and build confidence in responding to a wide range of illustration briefs.
Full fee £459.00 Senior fee £367.00 Concession £298.00 - Photography: text and image Course start date: Wed 30 Sep 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christina Dunhill, Shirley ReadWhether you are a photographer or a writer, this short course will give you ideas for combining words and images to discover new approaches and create new work.
Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Explore: drawing and mindfulnessCourse start date: Fri 9 Oct 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyDiscover how mindfulness can support a sense of creativity and freedom when drawing. Learn how to engage sensory awareness and enliven your perception and presence of mind. A taster workshop, suitable for beginners to drawing, mindfulness, or both!
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - Garden design: plan for SpringCourse start date: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alison WorsterPlan ahead and use the dark Winter months to focus on getting your garden spring ready. Discover how to reconsider the layout and planting opportunities of your outside space and create personalised garden plans ahead of the peak Spring buying and planting season.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Art in theory: What is creativity?Course start date: Thu 5 Nov 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ian TucknottThis critical studies course for developing artists and makers explores the concept of creativity and what it means to be an artist, drawing on a range of cultural theories and work by creative practitioners to help inspire and enhance creative and critical thinking.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £160.00 - Artists eye painting projects: people and place Course start date: Tue 10 Nov 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate HardyLooking at a diverse range of figurative artists, we’ll examine their subject matter along with technical and imaginative skills, and find inspiration for our own paintings. Eye-opening projects to inspire painters at all levels of experience. This is a live on-line practical course.
Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Introduction to art and creative thinking with Rod JudkinsCourse start date: Sun 6 Dec 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rod JudkinsArt 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 - Art and Ideas: Identity and the self Course start date: Thu 7 Jan 2027
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ian TucknottThis course is for students and creative practitioners interested in identity as a creative and conceptual theme. Explore and discuss ideas, theories and work by significant artists and writers to enhance and inspire the development of creative work.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £160.00 - Exploring illustration techniques Course start date: Thu 21 Jan 2027
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rod JudkinsExplore the creative possibilities of contemporary illustration through experimentation, image-making, and visual storytelling. This practical online course introduces a wide range of illustration techniques and processes, helping you build confidence, develop ideas, and discover your own visual language.
Full fee £459.00 Senior fee £367.00 Concession £298.00 - Art and Ideas: What is visual language? Course start date: Thu 18 Feb 2027
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ian TucknottThis course is for students and creative practitioners interested in visual language as a creative and conceptual theme. Explore and discuss ideas, theories and work by significant artists and writers to enhance and inspire the development of creative work and build an understanding of your own visual language.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £160.00 - Artists eye painting projects: the green world Course start date: Tue 23 Feb 2027
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate HardyMake paintings inspired by artists whose subject is nature, be guided by their choices of subject matter, and learn from their methods. Eye-opening projects to inspire painters at all levels of experience. This is a live on-line practical course.
Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Garden design for beginners Course start date: Tue 4 May 2027
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alison WorsterExplore the principles of planting design using form, line and texture to create dynamic planting schemes. In weekly workshops, improve the breadth of your plant knowledge whilst developing the skills and techniques of garden designers.Full fee £319.00 Senior fee £255.00 Concession £207.00
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