City Lit Art School — Art Classes in London
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
- Life drawing after work
Course start date: Thu 5 Jun 2025 (and 4 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Joe RichardsonA 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 £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £149.00 - Introduction to children's book illustration Course start date: Thu 5 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dee ShulmanOur Introductory courses provide a perfect way-in to a creative field.
The Children’s Book industry is thriving, largely due to rising literacy levels, and a growing awareness of the importance of early childhood education. As a result, Children’s Book creators are in demand.
Our tutors will teach you the many and various skills you’ll need to illustrate books for children - from drawing and painting (analogue and digital), to sequencing and pacing visual narratives.
You'll learn about the children’s publishing sector; gaining a sense of the different genres and markets for children's books, and where your illustration style might fit.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Friday evening pottery Course start date: Fri 6 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Suitable for students who want to learn basic design, handbuilding, decoration and glazing techniques or for students who want to refresh or develop existing ceramics skills. Everyone will be encouraged to explore and experiment with different skills and techniques in a friendly and supportive environment.Full fee £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00 - Drawing: ink and wash techniques Course start date: Fri 6 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jack DuplockThe immediacy and versatility of ink and wash is perfect for those sketching on location, for designers and for students interested in watercolour techniques. Take the opportunity to explore the basic techniques of this exciting process.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Portrait painting: two session pose Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke JonesDevelop a portrait from life: a structured course to build skills towards making a convincing portrait where the model keeps the same pose over 2 sessions to enable a sustained piece of work.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Printmaking weekend: Collagraph techniques Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosey PrinceMake and print a collagraph exploiting texture and colour using readily available and simple materials with a low environmental impact. The handmade matrix is deceptively simple to construct, the printed results often richer and more detailed than expected when run through the press. All welcome.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Modern calligraphy Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Veiko KespersaksLearn how to write elegant stylish letterforms using a flexible pointed nib with ink. Once you have learnt how to write a basic alphabet, we’ll begin breaking the rules of traditional calligraphy to find a style that is all your own. The course is suitable for beginners as well as improvers.Full fee £359.00 Senior fee £287.00 Concession £233.00 - Introduction to stone setting: raised grain setting Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rae DuncanGrain setting, sometimes referred to as bead setting, is a technique where small faceted stones are held in place by small prongs called beads. These are raised from the metal in the band using an engraving tool. This specialist technique builds on the basic stone setting methods, introducing the use of a new set of tools and skills and is perfect for those wishing to take their stone-setting to a higher level. - Looking at photography: commercial practice Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Kean Street Photography Studio
Tutors: Ed GregoryLooking to work professionally as a photographer? Pick up key skills you will need on this practical course from camera systems, lighting solutions, paperwork and software workflow.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00 - Textiles: constructing pattern, colouring cloth Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dawn DupreeExperiment with a range of heat transfer processes and hand painting methods. Develop initial ideas through mark-making and collage. Create fabrics or art works using a personal colour palette and embellish surface through foil print and simple stitch marks. - Jewellery making: carving, casting and finishing Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise Seijen Ten HoornCarve, model and experiment with jewellers wax; learn about the lost wax casting process, outsourcing, and how components and multiples are made, relevant to jewellery making and production. There will also be an introduction to low-fi casting methods: Delft-Clay (sand casting) and cuttlefish bone. - Jewellery: understanding rubies, sapphires and emeralds Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Judith Crowe, Derek JhinnooJoin this fascinating one day course for a valuable insight into the trade of rubies, sapphires and emeralds, different types of these precious stones on the market, and how to assess them. Learn about how the beautiful stones are mined, cut, graded and priced, as well as exploring common simulants. No previous experience necessary.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to collage and mixed media Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sam HannerCollage is an exciting, accessible and creative medium. Experiment with a rich variety of materials and found images to make vibrant work experimenting with surface, form, colour and pattern, inspired by artists who make effective use of this way of working.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Introduction to quilting Course start date: Mon 9 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Beverley SellLearn how to design and make a contemporary quilt using a range of construction and embellishment techniques. Work with simple shapes from recycled fabrics or bring your own fat quarters to create a personalised quilt. Suitable for beginners.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Experimental filmmaking: stage 1 Course start date: Mon 9 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Monika KitaOn this fast track practical experimental film making course you will be encouraged to push boundaries exploring experimental digital film making. Explore ideas, develop skills and create your own personal project using professional equipment and software. Invaluable for film makers and artists who wish to enhance their moving image practice.explore visual and conceptual ideas,.Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00
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