Beginners Painting Courses
Let your brush reveal the voice within you. Explore your artistic potential with Painting courses for beginners at the City Lit Art School. Whether you're new to painting or want to build on your skills, our expert-led courses provide a comprehensive introduction to various painting techniques and materials.
Learn the fundamentals of painting, including how to work with different mediums such as watercolours, acrylics, and oils. Our courses will teach you essential techniques like colour mixing, brushwork, texture creation, and composition. You'll also gain insight into the creative process and develop your unique artistic style.
With practical lessons, group discussions, and feedback from experienced tutors, you’ll have the opportunity to experiment with new methods and refine your skills. Whether you're interested in still life, landscapes, or abstract painting, our courses will help you find your artistic voice and build confidence in your work.
Explore our Beginners Painting courses today, available online and in London, and take your first step towards becoming a skilled and confident painter.
- Portrait painting: two session pose
Course start date: Sat 13 Dec 2025 (and 3 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 £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - Introduction to watercolour painting Course start date: Tue 6 Jan 2026 (and 6 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 £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Painting for beginners Course start date: Thu 8 Jan 2026 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Begona Morea RoyThrough simple exercises you will explore basic methods of painting in acrylic from still-life, mixing and matching the colours and textures observed. Learn how to set up your workspace and begin to enjoy painting in a studio environment, using a variety of brushes and tools.
Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Painting 2 Course start date: Mon 12 Jan 2026 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenBuilding 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 £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - Painting: colour mixing for artists Course start date: Tue 13 Jan 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mario Lautier VellaA 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 £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Drawing and painting portraits: traditional techniques Course start date: Thu 15 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda Bracken, Kim ScoullerThis structured course introduces traditional approaches to drawing then painting portraits from observation of the life model. Suitable for all levels but some previous drawing experience an advantage.Full fee £319.00 Senior fee £255.00 Concession £207.00 - Ways into abstract painting Course start date: Fri 16 Jan 2026 (and 3 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 range 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 £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Watercolour painting studio: still life Course start date: Thu 29 Jan 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Hilary RosenA stimulating opportunity to explore the essential elements of still life painting using watercolour. Suitable for beginners as well as a refresher course for those with previous experience of the medium.Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Abstract painting weekend Course start date: Sat 7 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda KnightLearn how to develop original abstract ideas from simple starting points and build confidence using a variety of painting approaches in acrylics. Explore the power of line, colour and texture in a lively weekend of structured project work.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Ways into abstract painting 2 Course start date: Fri 1 May 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rebecca AllenA follow-on course from Ways Into Abstract Painting. Explore colour, scale and mark-making in more depth to get the best out of your compositional ideas. Build skills in paint-handling, personal methods of developing abstract imagery, and confidence in discussing your work and themes.
Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Painting from plants and flowers Course start date: Mon 23 Feb 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sisetta ZapponeExplore a variety of creative approaches for painting flowers from observation. Discover the rich history of this genre while taking inspiration from artists who use flowers as their subject matter.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Picture framing and mounting for beginners Course start date: Sun 11 Jan 2026 (and 4 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 £359.00 Senior fee £287.00 Concession £233.00 - Painting: mixing for skintones Course start date: Thu 12 Mar 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This course will teach you the skills you need to paint naturalistic skin tones when working from life which will make your figure and portrait paintings more convincing.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Painting 1 Course start date: Tue 13 Jan 2026 (and 4 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 £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - Introduction to oil painting Course start date: Sun 18 Jan 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Desmond HaughtonOil paint is a luminous and lustrous medium, capable of delicate transparency and rich impasto effects. It holds many challenges for the beginner, but this course offers a structured way into the essentials; you will develop a feel for the possibilities in oil and build essential skills in paint handling.
Full fee £339.00 Senior fee £271.00 Concession £220.00
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