Life Painting & Portraiture courses in London
If you’ve tried life drawing then developing a figure or portrait painting from life is the next exciting step. On these painting courses, students will be looking at artists, both historic and modern, who have mastered the genre to inspire and develop confidence in handling paint. Beginners will follow a structured course to build skills in life painting including structure and volume of the head and body and how to mix naturalistic skin tones.
Taught in our bright, open and modern Life and Portraiture studios, you’ll work from a variety of life models and poses to develop confidence whilst exploring the relationship between the artist and subject.
Courses available both in-person and online
At City Lit, you can choose to study in-person or online. Our fantastic in-person courses are taught in our attractive campus, located in the heart of Covent Garden, central London. Here, our students can benefit from a variety of services and resources, including our café and state-of-the art equipment.
Our online courses are tailored to give you a social and interactive online learning experience, allowing you freedom to study from anywhere and with like-minded fellow classmates from all over the country without the need to travel. Use the Location filters on this page to choose your preferred learning method. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.
To arrange a conversation with our life and portraiture coordinator about your interests, options and courses available, please contact our Visual Arts team at visualarts@citylit.ac.uk
- Life painting for beginners: summer school intensiveCourse start date: Mon 27 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Desmond Haughton, Luke JonesThis 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 some previous life drawing experience.
Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - Introduction to painting portraits
Course start date: Sun 20 Sep 2026Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke JonesAn opportunity to paint and draw from the life model focusing on portraiture. Basic observational skills will be explored as well as advice on how we can convey mood, character and tell a story through a portrait, inspired examples of artists portrait drawings and paintings.Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - Life painting: expressionist approaches Course start date: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke JonesExplore imaginative, dynamic approaches to painting the figure using a variety of approaches: be inspired by new ways of seeing and access innovative ways of approaching your life painting.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Portrait painting: two session pose Course start date: Sat 12 Dec 2026 (and 4 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 £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Drawing and painting portraits: traditional techniques Course start date: Thu 14 Jan 2027
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 £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - Life painting from the clothed model Course start date: Fri 29 Jan 2027
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lindsay PickettLife painting from the clothed life model offers fantastic opportunities to create character and narrative through different clothing and props. Explore how texture, pattern, colour and the folds of cloth can enhance your painting from life and how dramatic poses can inspire personal expression.
Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - Oil painting: focus on portraiture Course start date: Sun 28 Feb 2027
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Desmond HaughtonLearn to draw and paint portraits using traditional methods of observation, composition and mark making. Working from a variety of professional portrait models you will start with pencil and charcoal and progress on to oil painting.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Life painting: experimental approaches Course start date: Thu 3 Jun 2027
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ruth BrisonExplore imaginative, dynamic approaches to painting the figure using a variety of approaches: be inspired by new ways of seeing and access innovative ways of approaching your life painting. Suitable for those with some previous life drawing experience.
Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Life painting weekend: expressionist approaches Course start date: Sat 17 Jul 2027 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Desmond HaughtonOver the course of a weekend, explore and develop a personal expressive response to life drawing and painting using a variety of techniques working from the life model. Explore mark-making, rich colour and dramatic contrast to explore and experiment with expressive and dynamic drawing and painting techniques, in response to examples of Expressionist artists styles and approaches.
Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Introduction to life painting: summer school intensive Course start date: Mon 26 Jul 2027
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Desmond HaughtonThis 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 some previous life drawing experience.
Full fee £379.00 Senior fee £303.00 Concession £246.00
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