Graphic Design & Illustration Courses
At City Lit, our exciting range of graphic design and ilustration courses will give you a creative insight into working with images and text in an emerging and innovative area. Explore a range of concepts and creative processes, within the areas of graphic design, illustration, children’s book illustration and animation, learning how to produce work visually in a diverse and exciting way.
Working with industry professionals and experienced tutors in our fully equipped design studios, students will have access to everything they need to complete their next creative challenge. Our studios offer space for creativity with all the equipment your need, including Apple Mac computers, Adobe CC software, Wacom tablets, a range of printers and scanners including access to our 3D printing and laser cutting digital suite.
We encourage playful experimentation, working with both analogue and digital tools. Our courses range from drafting story boards and cartoon design to film poster graphics, from typography and magazine layout to printed creative packaging and digital illustrations.
We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.
To arrange a conversation with our Visual communication coordinator about your interests, options and courses available, please contact our Visual Arts team at visualarts@citylit.ac.uk
- Introduction to graphic novelsCourse 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 - Design with Adobe Photoshop and IllustratorCourse start date: Fri 18 Oct 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Gita HahnA thorough, step-by-step introduction to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator – programs widely used by designers and illustrators in the creative industries. Learn and experiment with a range of techniques that integrate vector and pixel-based images for design and illustration. - Introduction to illustrationCourse 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 - Introduction to graphic designCourse start date: Wed 23 Oct 2024 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pam WilliamsOur 'Introduction' courses provide a perfect way-in to a creative field.
Graphic Design is everywhere; in our books, magazines, and newspapers. Emblazoning packaging at the corner shop to the mall. On our screens- phones, TVs, computers and tablets. To say it’s important would be an understatement.
Don’t just consume. Learn how to use image and type to communicate your messages, emotions and ideas. Beyond this, learn about the movements and styles which have shaped the field of Graphic Design over the years, and how to find your place there.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Children's book illustration studioCourse start date: Fri 25 Oct 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tim EllisCity Lit Studios provide time each week for you to commit to working on a personal project or portfolio, alongside your peers. A tutor will be on-hand to provide insights and guidance, as and when you need it.
Studios are for experienced learners with a burgeoning creative practice they wish to hone, in a supportive environment. For example, those who have completed a Beginners and Developing course in a relevant subject, or have equivalent industry experience.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 - Adobe Illustrator: stage 1Course start date: Thu 31 Oct 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Gita HahnExplore basic design and illustration techniques using Adobe Illustrator – the key high-end graphics software used to create logos and icons. Discover what you can achieve using paths, pens, colour, and type as you learn about infographics and designing with vectors.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - Adobe Photoshop: stage 1Course start date: Thu 31 Oct 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael HardingLearn about the potential and possibilities available to you when using Adobe Photoshop,and develop some practical skill and knowledge.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - 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 - Design with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesignCourse start date: Sun 10 Nov 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Gita HahnA fun and challenging introduction to these three programs, regularly used together for everything from infographics to packaging and magazine work. Learn how to integrate vector graphics, photographic images and page layout and design.
Duration: 9 sessions (over 12 weeks) Sunday the 10/11/24 -15/12/24 and then it starts again in the new year on the 12/01/25 - 26/01/25.Full fee £649.00 Senior fee £519.00 Concession £422.00 - Adobe Photoshop: a detailed introductionCourse start date: Mon 11 Nov 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrea MarzanoThis course is a solid introduction to Adobe Photoshop and has been designed for students who want to learn the professional and most effective way to use Photoshop from the ground up.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - Logo and branding design workshopCourse start date: Mon 11 Nov 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John SmythTake 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 - Magazine design workshopCourse start date: Wed 13 Nov 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Helen LyonLove magazines? How about creating your own?!
Nowadays, there are plenty of apps that will do the design work for you. But, this course will teach you the design principles underpinning these softwares, empowering you to innovate and create original formats that aren’t yet ubiquitous.
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 - Colour communication workshopCourse start date: Thu 14 Nov 2024 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Maya WildColour influences mood, meaning, even decision-making! In short, colour communicates. Learn how to use colour to hugely enhance your work’s communication with its intended audiences.
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
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