Illustration Courses in London
Bring your creative ideas to life and explore various approaches to mark making, illustrated letterforms, visual narratives and cartooning, using both traditional and digital processes. Gain confidence in the fundamentals of illustration practice and learn how to respond to a creative brief, generating a range of ideas and exciting work that can be book based, digital or framed.
Work with award winning and industry experts in our fully equipped design studios. Start with our illustration for beginner’s course, or for students looking to develop a wide-ranging portfolio of illustration work, check out our illustration projects course.
Courses available both in-person and online
At City Lit, you can choose to study in-person or online. Our fantastic in-person courses are taught in our attractive campus, located in the heart of Covent Garden, central London. Here, our students can benefit from a variety of services and resources, including our café and state-of-the art equipment.
Our online courses are tailored to give you a social and interactive online learning experience, allowing you freedom to study from anywhere and with like-minded fellow classmates from all over the country without the need to travel. Use the Location filters on this page to choose your preferred learning method. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.
For more information about courses available, please contact our Visual Arts team at visualarts@citylit.ac.uk
- Introduction to graphic novels
Course start date: Tue 15 Oct 2024 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael-Aubtin Madadi, Sophie WolfsonOur 'Introduction' courses provide a perfect way-in to a creative field.
Comics – once considered lowbrow, or seen as exclusively for children, now occupy a higher cultural domain. Partly thanks to a re-brand, (as ‘Graphic Novels’), no weighty subject is off-limits. A graphic novel has even been nominated for The Booker Prize!
Alongside official publishing channels, exists a lively ‘zine’ culture, where comic and graphic-novel artists can legitimately self-publish and sell their work through a network of independent shops and fairs.
Learn how to create Comics and Graphic-novels with City Lit, and – once you have developed your practice – how to navigate this thriving sector.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Introduction to illustration Course start date: Mon 21 Oct 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Adam GraffOur 'Introduction' courses provide a perfect way-in to a creative field.
Illustration is a form of visual communication which often exists alongside text. Illustrations can help to explain or clarify (or sometimes contradict) the words on a page. Most of all, you could say, they bring the message 'alive', by making it more immediate and exciting. For this reason, illustrations are found across books, magazines, newspapers, websites and social media channels.
Learn how to create powerful illustrations on our exciting range of Illustration courses.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - From traditional to digital illustration workshopCourse start date: Wed 30 Oct 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rob ElfordAdobe Creative Suite is the principal software used by Illustrators and Designers all over the world. On this course, learn how to take scribbly sketches and inky splotches into Adobe Photoshop and transform them into illustrations, collages, pattern designs… the possibilities are almost endless; thankfully, you will also be taught a crucial skill of digital illustration - knowing when to stop!
Our Workshops enable you to take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool.
They throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.
Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no theory or context, although this varies by course.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Illustrating people and places workshopCourse start date: Mon 4 Nov 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lucia VintiBe inspired by the people of London and the architecture and environments they inhabit. This course all about drawing people and places, providing you with ample opportunity observe London life, situations and scenarios that will inspire your work.
Learn how to document and sketch from life in different locations and then develop artwork into compelling illustrations that are full of life.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Procreate for illustrationCourse start date: Thu 7 Nov 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lucia VintiProcreate is an innovative digital drawing software taking the illustration world by storm! In this workshop you will explore a number of different techniques to create striking illustrations on Procreate.
Please note* you will need your own iPad with Procreate installed, and a stylus such as an Apple Pencil.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Botanical illustration workshop Course start date: Thu 14 Nov 2024 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lucia VintiLearn how Botanical Illustrators accurately depict flowers, leaves, stems and seeds - for the purpose of genus and species identification by Botanists and Biologists.
Work from both primary and secondary source material to create an array of illustrative work, including anatomical and/or decorative.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Exploring illustrationCourse start date: Thu 23 Jan 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rod JudkinsIf you are interested in illustration and would like to explore the subject further, this course will show you a range of new and exciting approaches. You will learn many new techniques, whether you are a complete beginner or someone who would like to refresh their approach. On this practical course you’ll learn the practicalities of what it is to be an illustrator. This is not a computer-based course but there is help and advice with software for those who wish to use it.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00 - Developing illustration Course start date: Mon 27 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Adam GraffOur ‘Developing' courses help you take your next step in a chosen creative field.
This course will help progress your illustration practice by further exploring the practical skills (using a variety of analogue and digital media) and conceptual skills (researching and developing your ideas) integral to the discipline. You will also begin to consider which of the many ‘applications’ of illustration your developing personal style might lend itself to; for example, editorial, fashion, book, or product illustration, to name a few.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Developing graphic novelsCourse start date: Tue 4 Feb 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael-Aubtin Madadi, Sophie WolfsonOur 'Developing' courses help you take your next step in your chosen creative field.
Comics – once considered lowbrow, or seen as exclusively for children, now occupy a higher cultural domain. Partly thanks to a re-brand, (as ‘Graphic Novels’), no weighty subject is off-limits. A graphic novel has even been nominated for The Booker Prize!
Alongside official publishing channels, exists a lively ‘zine’ culture, where comic and graphic-novel artists can legitimately self-publish and sell their work through a network of independent shops and fairs.
Learn how to create Comics and Graphic-novels with City Lit, and – once you have developed your practice – how to navigate this thriving sector.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Storyboards and narrative illustrationCourse start date: Thu 6 Mar 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ciara FloodThe art of telling a story through a sequence of images is thousands of years old. In modern times we call it storyboarding. Being able to take a narrative and translate it into imagery is essential for children’s book illustrators, graphic novelists, animators and film makers. Learning this skill will allow you to successfully convey your ideas to art directors and editors at the early stages of any creative project.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Drawing cartoons workshopCourse start date: Wed 12 Mar 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool, with our Visual Communication Workshops.
Workshops throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.
Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no conceptual or contextual elements, although this varies by course.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Pet Illustration: weekend workshopCourse start date: Sat 12 Apr 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Learn techniques to create a winning illustration of your furry/feathery/scaly little darlings! Over a fast and furious 2 days explore a dazzling range of image-making techniques: drawing and painting, photo-manipulation, collage, table-top printmaking... for starters. Take home an evocative illustration (or several) for your pet’s approval.
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Take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool, with our Visual Communication Workshops.
Workshops throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.
Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no conceptual or contextual elements, although this varies by course.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Illustration techniquesCourse start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rod JudkinsDeveloping illustration techniques builds on from the introduction to illustration course and enables you to expand your illustration skills. You will experiment with a variety of different projects and work towards finding your own unique voice and style within illustration. There will be an exploration into a wide range of different media, materials, processes and techniques.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00 - Illustrating animals workshopCourse start date: Fri 2 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Robyn Wilson-OwenAnimals are all around us – even in London! From Trafalgar Square’s flocks of pigeons, to rodents on the Underground, to the dog-filled squares and parks. Despite their ubiquity, animals are notoriously hard to draw – as, anatomically speaking, they’re so different to humans – as well as to each other! And, they don’t like to pose!
Learn how to overcome these challenges in our ‘Illustrating Animals’ workshop.
Our Workshops enable you to take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool.
They throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.
Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no theory or context, although this varies by course.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Character design workshopCourse start date: Wed 25 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ciara FloodTake a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool, with our Visual Communication Workshops.
In this workshop, learn how to create compelling characters for illustration projects, and beyond.
Workshops throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.
Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no conceptual or contextual elements, although this varies by course.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
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