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 ceramicsCourse start date: Mon 13 May 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex SimpsonGain a basic understanding of hand-building, glazing 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 £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - Friday evening potteryCourse start date: Fri 17 May 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Shelley WilsonSuitable for students who want to learn basic design, handbuilding, decoration and glazing techniques or for students who want to refresh or develop existing ceramics skills. Everyone will be encouraged to explore and experiment with different skills and techniques in a friendly and supportive environment. - 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 - Ceramics as a canvas: traditional slip decoration and surface treatments in clayCourse start date: Sat 6 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amy HughesDevelop new skills in traditional ceramic decorating - including how to interpret patterns, text and drawings on a clay surface using slip-techniques, agates and textures. Suitable for beginners and those with previous experience. - Intermediate handbuildingCourse start date: Sun 7 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Josie WarshawExplore your personal creative ideas in clay, increase your making and decorating skills. Use a range of hand building techniques to develop your practical skills and expand your knowledge of ceramic materials. - 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 - Ceramics: throwing and assemblageCourse start date: Mon 15 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Carina CiscatoBuild on your existing skills by exploring form and surface. Create functional or non-functional objects by throwing, cutting and later assembling different components. Intermediate level, requiring basic throwing skills. - Intensive throwing weekCourse start date: Mon 22 Jul 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Matt SherrattDevelop your skills on the wheel. You will have your own wheel and the opportunity to use a variety of types of clay. The course is for experienced throwers and is ideal if you wish to develop your practice further. Intermediate level, throwing skills required.Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - 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 sculptureCourse 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 - Clay sculpture: life and portraitCourse start date: Mon 9 Sep 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alexandra HarleyFollow in the footsteps of Michelangelo and Rodin and learn how to capture the human figure, both physically and emotionally, on this fascinating practical sculpting course. You will work from a life model to develop your own clay sculpture of the human form.
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