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
- Life painting: experimental approachesCourse start date: Thu 2 May 2024 (and 2 other dates)
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.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Developing watercolour paintingCourse start date: Mon 3 Jun 2024 (and 9 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anne-Marie FosterExplore 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 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Painting from plants and flowersCourse start date: Mon 3 Jun 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterExplore 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 £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Drawing into watercolour paintingCourse start date: Wed 5 Jun 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Paul DixonExplore the relationship between the two disciplines of drawing and watercolour painting and the opportunities when their distinct qualities are combined.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Painting studio: three-day summer painting projectCourse start date: Tue 16 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lucinda OestreicherExplore a personal painting project over three full days in a well equipped studio, taking inspiration from contemporary artists with tutor advice and support. Please note that this course uses water-based oil paints as well as acrylic paints.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Introduction to watercolour paintingCourse start date: Mon 9 Sep 2024 (and 11 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anne-Marie FosterGain 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 £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Life painting for beginnersCourse start date: Mon 16 Sep 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This short course is a great introduction to painting directly from the unclothed life 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 £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Life painting: focus on light and shadeCourse start date: Tue 17 Sep 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
A great introduction to tonal painting working directly from the unclothed life model model. Using simple projects, you will explore different ways to represent the human form through light and shade in paint with encouraging helpful guidance from an experienced tutor.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Oil painting: focus on light and shadeCourse start date: Fri 19 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lindsay PickettThis oil painting course takes inspiration from the moody and luminous imagery of classic Film Noir such as ‘The Third Man’. Students will explore composition, tonal transition and contrast to enhance their pleasure in oil painting and create strong and powerful paintings.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00
- Life painting: a contemporary approachCourse start date: Thu 6 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Steve WrightThis course introduces contemporary contexts for life painting using acrylic paints to explore different creative approaches using the imagination alongside observation of the model. Suitable for all levels but some previous life drawing experience an advantage. - Oil painting: focus on portraitureCourse start date: Sun 2 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brian SayersLearn 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. - Painting: mixing for skintonesCourse start date: Thu 13 Mar 2025 (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
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