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
- Artists sketchbook walk
Course start date: Sat 5 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Heidi WigmoreTake a sketchbook walk in Central London to observe, record and engage with the urban environment, both historic architecture, modern skylines, the river and parks. Quick sketching, supported by discussion and reflection along the way, will open up new ways of seeing and responding to your surroundings. Meet at City Lit main entrance.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00 - Woodblock and lino printmaking: large-scale workshopCourse start date: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Large scale printmaking enables expressive mark making. Use woodcut and linocut carving techniques to produce big, bold and multi-coloured, multi-layered prints for you to take home.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Life drawing: focus on hands and feetCourse start date: Wed 15 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This short course is aimed at those with some previous life drawing experience who would like to meet the unique challenge of drawing hands and feet. Explore how to make sense of their complex structure and form and to draw these parts of the anatomy convincingly. You'll never leave hands and feet out of your life drawings again!Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Sketching at the National GalleryCourse start date: Thu 23 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Diane MartinExplore the pleasure and challenge of sketchbooks: learn and improve your drawing skills and ‘ways of seeing’ and understanding by working from some of the iconic paintings in the National Gallery.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Life painting for beginners: summer school intensiveCourse start date: Mon 27 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This 4 day intensive course is a great introduction to painting directly from the life model, where you will make great progress in understanding how to paint from life. Using simple structured projects, you will explore different approaches to represent the human form in paint, with encouraging, helpful guidance from an experienced tutor and taking inspiration from the work of other painters. Suitable for beginners in painting who have done some life drawing previously.
Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - Introduction to prop making for film, TV, theatre and display Course start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterLearn a range of sculptural techniques that are used in the ever expanding film, TV and theatre prop making industry. Explore a range of sculpting and casting methods and fabricating techniques, and experiment with materials.Full fee £479.00 Senior fee £383.00 Concession £311.00 - Printmaking project: summer school intensiveCourse start date: Tue 28 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Explore and develop personal work in intaglio and relief printmaking. Techniques covered include drypoint, etching, linocut, collagraphy and photo etching. All levels of experience welcome.Full fee £339.00 Senior fee £271.00 Concession £220.00 - Intensive throwing week: improversCourse start date: Mon 3 Aug 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Matt SherrattLearn how to throw mugs, bowls and lidded jars. Intermediate students can use this course to refresh their skills on the wheel.Full fee £549.00 Senior fee £439.00 Concession £357.00 - Clay sculpture: portrait head Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Valerie MerloThe head is the focal point of each person; create a portrait that examines both the structure as well as the emotion of the model. - Intensive throwing week: beginners and refreshers Course start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Matt SherrattLearn how to throw mugs, bowls and lidded jars. Intermediate students can use this course to refresh their skills on the wheel. Tutor:. - Textiles: monoprinting and hand stitch Course start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amarjeet NandhraExperiment with a range of mono printing techniques; painted, wiped and drawn, onto fabric. You will use these techniques with appliqué, manipulation and hand stitch to layer and build exciting dimensional surfaces, exploring pattern and texture. - Bookbinding: learn to bind artists' books Course start date: Tue 23 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sue DoggettExplore the world of artists’ books and learn to make your own books that bring your creative interests to life. Whether you are a beginner or returner, this course will help you to find ways of combining book structures with visual and textual material to create your own artist's book.Full fee £689.00 Senior fee £551.00 Concession £448.00
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