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
- Painting: mixing for skintones
Course start date: Thu 12 Mar 2026 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex HannaThis 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 - Portrait painting: two session pose Course start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026 (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 £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - Portraits 3 Course start date: Mon 20 Apr 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex Hanna, Desmond Haughton, Kim ScoullerAimed at more experienced students: take your existing knowledge of portraiture further and build your understanding of the genre. Undertake practical projects which enable you to develop a more personal approach to the character and identity of your subject. This course ideally follows Portrait 2.
Full fee £479.00 Senior fee £383.00 Concession £311.00 - Life painting: experimental approaches Course start date: Thu 4 Jun 2026
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 £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00 - Life painting weekend: expressionist approaches Course start date: Sat 18 Jul 2026
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 £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - 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 - Oil painting: focus on portraiture Course start date: Sun 1 Mar 2026
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 £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00
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