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
- Watercolour painting: mixed media techniques
Course start date: Tue 9 Apr 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 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Painting: colour mixing Course start date: Tue 7 May 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
A 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 - Picture framing and mounting for beginnersCourse start date: Tue 9 Apr 2024 (and 11 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 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Artists eye: painting impressionism, surrealism, fauvism and pointillismCourse start date: Mon 13 May 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate HardyModule three - Artist’s Eye: Painting Art movements. Post Impressionism, Surrealism, Fauvism, and Pointillism.
Develop your painting skillswith reference to contemporary and historical artists in this four week course.
We will make paintings inspired by artists who were key members of art movements, be guided by their choices of subject matter, and learn their methods of paint application, colour mixing and composition.
Acrylic paint can be used for all projects. This short course can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other modules.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Painting: acrylic techniques and mediums Course start date: Tue 17 Sep 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenThe fundamentals of painting are as important for the beginner as they are for the more experienced artist. This course will be an in depth focus on brushwork, brush techniques and how to improve your mark making to develop fluency in the mediums of acrylic paint.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Developing watercolour paintingCourse start date: Wed 24 Apr 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 - Watercolour painting: experimental approachesCourse start date: Mon 10 Jun 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Diane MartinAlways 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 - Artists eye: painting interiors and architecture
Course start date: Mon 1 Jul 2024 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate HardyModule one - Artist’s Eye: Painting Interiors and Architecture
Learn painting inspired by artists including Gwen John, Richard Diebenkorn, Henri Matisse, Alexandra Exter, Helen Lundeberg, and Lee Krasner, in this four week course.
Be guided by their choices of interior and architectural subject matter, and learn from their methods of paint application, colour mixing, and composition.
Acrylic paint can be used for all projects. This short course can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other modules.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to watercolour paintingCourse start date: Mon 15 Apr 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 £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Painting for beginnersCourse start date: Mon 15 Apr 2024 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenExperience the joy of painting. Through simple exercises you'll explore colour, painting techniques and the expressive qualities of painting. The perfect way to start painting.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £119.00 - Painting: oil techniques and mediumsCourse start date: Fri 20 Sep 2024 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Oil paint is a medium with a long historical tradition, capable of heavy impasto effects and delicate transparent colour films. Working practically, in the studio, this course will expand your understanding of approaches to building a variety of surfaces in your paint working with mediums and expanding your use of texture and glazing This course is for all levels – both beginners and more experienced painters.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - 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 - Artists eye: painting landscapesCourse start date: Mon 23 Sep 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate HardyPaint a series of landscapes inspired by the work of contemporary and historical artists. Learn from their individual ideas and techniques to introduce new ways of painting to your practice. The course can be used to progress from beginner level, or for experienced painters interested in landscape.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Artists eye: painting natureCourse start date: Mon 3 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate HardyArtist’s Eye: Painting Nature.
Learn painting while learning about contemporary and historical artists, including Eileen Agar, Giorgio Morandi, Georgia O’Keefe, Fernand Leger, and Kara Walker in this four week course. We will make paintings inspired by artists whose subject is nature, be guided by their choices of subject matter, and learn from their methods of paint application, colour mixing, and composition. Acrylic paint can be used for all projects and in one project we will work from collage. This short course can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other modules.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Artists eye: painting portraitsCourse start date: Mon 3 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate HardyPaint a series of portraits inspired by the work of contemporary and historical artists. Learn from their individual ideas and techniques to introduce new ways of painting to your practice. The course can be used to progress from beginner level, or for experienced painters interested in portraiture. This is a live online course.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
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