Ceramic & Sculpture Courses
Get inspired by our wide range of Ceramics and Sculpture courses which take place in our purpose-built, well-equipped studios in the heart of London.
Ceramics and Sculpture courses at City Lit allow you to explore and develop practical creative skills and understanding, working with a variety of materials and processes to make your ideas ‘come to life’. Our Ceramics or Pottery courses include throwing on the potter's wheel, hand building, surface application techniques, and much more. In Sculpture, we have courses in carving in stone and wood, shaping metal, sculpting with wax, clay and plaster, mould making and casting and much more.
Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced practitioner who wants to refresh or develop their skills and knowledge, our courses give you the opportunity to take your work to the next level. Our hands-on courses are taught by specialist tutors whose teaching is enriched by their own artistic practice. You will be fully supported through practical demonstrations to the group and one-to-one guidance, in a friendly and highly creative environment.
We offer courses throughout the year in an array of materials and techniques, from one-day tasters to our year-long courses. Whether you are free evenings or daytimes, weekdays or weekends we have a variety of dates and times for you to choose from.
For more information please contact Visual Arts: VisualArts@citylit.ac.uk.
- Introduction to papier mâchéCourse start date: Fri 19 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterWhether working on a stage set, a window display, or just making gifts for friends and family, Paper Mache remains one of the most cost effective and durable modelling materials around. From Venetian masks to decorative Japanese bowls, this medium has stood the test of time. The hardened consistency of Paper Mache makes it an ideal base for a number of exciting finishes and patinas. Replicate the finish of wood, metal, stone and more, to create a lighter and more portable version of sculptures, picture frames and jewellery.Full fee £419.00 Senior fee £335.00 Concession £272.00 - Five day taster course in ceramicsCourse start date: Sun 21 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex SimpsonIdeal if you are a beginner and would like to experience and explore the major ways of making pottery - throwing and hand building. Pots will be decorated, glazed and fired during the course.Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - Introduction to ceramics
Course start date: Mon 5 Aug 2024 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex SimpsonGain a basic understanding of hand-building,coiling, slabbing and decoration techniques. Explore your creative ideas whilst learning the exciting possibilities of working with clay. Enjoy a taster experience of throwing on the wheel in the final session.Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - Sculpture: inspired by GiacomettiCourse start date: Sun 19 May 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Martin HansonA bronze by Swiss sculptor Giacometti recently sold at auction for £65,000,000. Create your own by researching materials, building an armature, sculpting directly in plaster and colour your sculpture to a realistic bronze finish. All abilities welcome.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Introduction to carving in woodCourse start date: Sun 2 Jun 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alexandra HarleyHave you ever wanted to try sculpting in wood? Or perhaps you're experienced at it but would like expert guidance to develop your ideas? This comprehensive course encourages wood carvers of all levels to bring along their ideas and see how they can be developed. You will make models of your designs, upscale and transpose these, and use professional carving tools to produce beautiful pieces in wood.Full fee £419.00 Senior fee £335.00 Concession £272.00 - Experimental sculpture in plaster and clayCourse start date: Sat 22 Jun 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Valerie MerloExplore the possibilities of modelling in clay and plaster. Taking inspiration from contemporary sculpture, work from found objects to develop your imagination, explore techniques of modelling, casting and transform forms according to your imagination. All levels of experience welcome.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Introduction to body castingCourse start date: Sat 13 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Valerie MerloAn introduction to casting parts of the body from hands and limbs to faces and entire heads. We will also look at how to assemble moulds to eliminate bad registration lines and mould distortions in the finished plaster casts.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Life figurative sculpture intensiveCourse start date: Mon 15 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Shelley WilsonCreate a figurative clay sculpture from observing a life model. Learn basic anatomy as well as gaining clay modelling techniques. Beginners are welcome on this intensive course.Full fee £419.00 Senior fee £335.00 Concession £272.00 - Wax carving for the foundry: cast your sculpture in bronzeCourse start date: Sat 27 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Valerie MerloCarve, melt and form wax to create a small figurative or abstract bronze sculpture. The wax will be cast in bronze at the Castle Arts Foundry and returned finished.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £175.00 - Intensive throwing week: beginners and refreshersCourse start date: Mon 29 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Matt SherrattLearn how to throw mugs, bowls and lidded jars. Intermediate students can use this course to refresh their skills on the wheel. Tutor:. - Introduction to sculpture Course start date: Mon 5 Aug 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alexandra Harley, Andrew Revell, Ro Sylvester, Shelley WilsonThe ultimate introduction to sculpture at City Lit. In each class of this five-day hands-on course you will be introduced to a different sculptural technique and material, by a tutor who is a specialist in that area. This will provide you with a showcase of our sculpture facilities and teaching talent at City Lit. This course is perfect for beginners who want to try out a range of sculptural processes, perhaps to find your area of interest for further study.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Metal sculpture: all levels Course start date: Mon 8 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew RevellLearn the techniques required in making sculptural/functional objects in steel: cutting, bending, welding and joining small scale metal. Please bring ideas, inspiration and scrap metal. This course is for beginners and those at intermediate level.Full fee £419.00 Senior fee £335.00 Concession £272.00 - Pottery: beginners' throwing course Course start date: Sat 14 Sep 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Carina CiscatoLearn basic methods for making simple bowls and vases, and discover how to throw and produce interesting forms. Ideal for beginners. - City Lit ceramics Course start date: Mon 16 Sep 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex SimpsonLearn a wide variety of techniques including throwing, handbuilding, decoration and glazing. Ideal for beginners to pottery or for those with some experience.
NOTE: Applications will be reviewed in May 2024.Full fee £2,499.00 Senior fee £1,999.00 Concession £1,624.00 - Ceramics on Sunday
Course start date: Sun 22 Sep 2024Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Josie WarshawDo you want to get your hands on clay and make finished ceramics work? Familiarise yourself with the properties and processes of clay by shaping your ideas and working with techniques such as coiling, pinching and slab building on this introductory course.
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