Painting Courses In London
At City Lit, we offer a variety of painting courses, from complete beginners with a focus on building essential painting skills, to more experimental approaches that include working at a larger scale or with a more abstract focus. Delivered in one of our bright, modern and relaxing painting studios, students will have access to all basic art materials and resources as part of their course.
Our wide range of studio-based courses and workshops offer students a practical, hands-on guide, from setting up your painting workstation, working with watercolour, acrylic or oil to more technical processes including experimental approaches and use of colour and working with painting mediums. We also offer a range of life painting courses and encourage students to work across and between the areas of drawing and painting to continually develop their ideas and work.
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
To arrange a conversation with our painting coordinator about your interests, options and courses available, please contact our Visual Arts team at visualarts@citylit.ac.uk
- Portrait painting: two session pose
Course start date: Sat 9 Dec 2023 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenDevelop 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 £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Life painting for beginnersCourse start date: Mon 8 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony HullThis short course is a great introduction to painting directly from the nude model. Using simple projects, you will
explore different ways to represent the human form in paint, with encouraging, helpful guidance from an experienced tutor. Suitable for absolute beginners.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Painting: colour mixing Course start date: Tue 9 Jan 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chris HoughA concise study of colour usage. Investigate colour perception and how colour interacts. Explore a range of observational and expressive painting projects, relate colour theory to practice and develop confidence using colour. An emphasis on colour mixing using acrylics and oil paint.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Contemporary painting studio Course start date: Thu 11 Jan 2024 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lucinda OestreicherDevelop your own ideas in painting with reference to the work of contemporary artists and experimental processes on this higher level course. Ideal for students who have completed ‘Painting 1’, ‘Painting 2’ or equivalent painting courses. Please note that this course uses water-based oil paint as well as acrylic paint.Full fee £899.00 Senior fee £719.00 Concession £584.00 - Ways into abstract painting Course start date: Fri 12 Jan 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mario Lautier VellaEncounter different approaches to making abstract paintings while developing your skills in using a variety of painting materials. With reference to the work of a variety of abstract artists explore the visual language common to both representation and abstraction, eg. colour, composition, tone and paint application.Full fee £339.00 Senior fee £271.00 Concession £220.00 - Introduction to oil paintingCourse start date: Sun 14 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex HannaExperience the sensuous and vibrant medium of oil paint. Through simple exercises, learn to mix and apply oil colours and explore oil painting techniques and materials. The perfect way for beginners to start oil painting.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Watercolour painting: mixed media techniques Course start date: Mon 15 Jan 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ruth BrisonWatercolour has a rich tradition - this course will explore the more experimental ways of using this pleasurable medium and will present new possibilities for producing exciting new work with mixed media. Make inventive combinations of media to draw from your own found imagery, photographs and sketches.Full fee £189.00 - Painting and drawing dialogues: performance and the body Course start date: Mon 15 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chris Hough, Tony Hull, Monika KitaDrawings and paintings can capture the body’s movement in their surface, alongside registering an image. By focusing on the ‘performance of making’ new perspectives will inform a more individual approach to your work.Full fee £409.00 Senior fee £327.00 Concession £266.00 - Developing watercolour paintingCourse start date: Tue 16 Jan 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jack DuplockExplore the specific qualities of watercolour and the opportunities this adaptable medium offers to create dynamic painting compositions. Develop a fluency with brush work and layering of colour to develop compositional possibilities.Full fee £209.00 - Watercolour painting: experimental approachesCourse start date: Tue 16 Jan 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Hilary RosenAlways wanted to experiment with watercolour painting? Now's your chance to learn how to make more imaginative use of washes and mark-making; enjoy the colour and fluidity of this beautiful medium and discover if you'd like to take it to the next level.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Painting 1 Course start date: Thu 18 Jan 2024 (and 6 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony HullPainting 1 offers an introduction to the basic principles and skills associated with painting. Focus on differing approaches to observational and imaginative work, whilst learning how to organise a palette, mix colours and create different textures.Full fee £409.00 Senior fee £327.00 Concession £266.00 - Picture framing and mounting for beginnersCourse start date: Thu 18 Jan 2024 (and 6 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Esther HeyhoeLearn picture framing and mounting skills for the home or workplace. Using professional framing tools and equipment you'll be taught all the skills you need to work in a busy studio or alternatively how to set up your own small scale practice from home.Full fee £279.00 - Painting 2 Course start date: Fri 19 Jan 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony HullBuilding on techniques and approaches covered in the Painting 1, this course enables you to work with more depth and a stronger emphasis on experimentation. This is suitable if you already have some experience in painting.Full fee £409.00 Senior fee £327.00 Concession £266.00 - Introduction to watercolour paintingCourse start date: Tue 23 Jan 2024 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul DixonGain a grounding in the rich possibilities available when working with watercolour paint. Through a series of practical studies, you will investigate the potential of this versatile medium.Full fee £209.00 - Colour theory for artists and designers
Course start date: Thu 25 Jan 2024 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenCombining theory and practice, experimentation and intuition, this introductory course for Artists and Makers, is designed to improve your sensitivity to colour. Through structured exercises develop confidence and skill in mixing, imagining, organising and applying colour.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00
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