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
- Painting: colour mixing
Course start date: Mon 13 Jan 2025 (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 £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Ways into abstract painting Course start date: Fri 10 Jan 2025 (and 9 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rebecca AllenEncounter 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 £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Developing watercolour paintingCourse start date: Tue 7 Jan 2025 (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 £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Painting 2 Course start date: Fri 10 Jan 2025 (and 8 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony HullBuilding 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 £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00 - Drawing into watercolour paintingCourse start date: Wed 22 Jan 2025 (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 £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Watercolour painting: experimental approachesCourse start date: Tue 14 Jan 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Diane MartinBuild your confidence in watercolour how to approach painting. Learn how to apply imaginative of washes and brushwork; enjoy the colour and fluidity of this beautiful medium and discover if you would like to take it to the next level.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to watercolour paintingCourse start date: Sat 18 Jan 2025 (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 £319.00 Senior fee £255.00 Concession £207.00 - Painting for beginnersCourse start date: Thu 9 Jan 2025 (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 using acrylic paints. The perfect way to start painting.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £139.00 - Introduction to oil paintingCourse start date: Sun 12 Jan 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Desmond HaughtonOil paint is a medium, capable of delicate transparency and rich impasto effects. It holds many challenges for the beginner, but this course will offer a clear, structured way into the essentials and beauty of oil painting. will develop a feel for paint handling which will build skills and feed progress in oil painting.Full fee £319.00 Senior fee £255.00 Concession £207.00 - Life painting for beginnersCourse start date: Mon 6 Jan 2025 (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 £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Contemporary painting studio Course start date: Thu 9 Jan 2025 (and 7 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ruth Brison, Amanda KnightDevelop your own ideas in painting with reference to the work of contemporary artists and experimental processes on this higher level course. Ideal for students who have completed ‘Painting 1’, ‘Painting 2’ or equivalent painting courses. Please note that this course uses water-based oil paint as well as acrylic paint.Full fee £959.00 Senior fee £767.00 Concession £623.00 - Watercolour painting studio: still-life Course start date: Thu 23 Jan 2025 (and 3 other dates)
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 £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Painting and drawing dialogues: working with secondary sources Course start date: Sat 25 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chris Hough, Tony Hull, Monika KitaDiscover how the ‘once-removed’ quality of found images like film stills can change your response to the world around you, as well as expanding the interpretive potential of painting and drawing.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00 - Painting and drawing dialogues: performance and the body
Course start date: Mon 13 Jan 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chris Hough, Tony Hull, Monika KitaDrawings and paintings can capture the body’s movement in their surface, alongside registering an image. By focusing on the ‘performance of making’ new perspectives will inform a more individual approach to your work.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00 - Drawing and painting portraits: traditional techniquesCourse start date: Thu 16 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Steve WrightThis 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 £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00
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