Art & design

Art & Design Courses - Online & in London  

Explore new and exciting subjects within a range of art and design disciplines, develop your skill set, get the support required to change career or launch yourself as a freelance artist or designer. All this and more delivered through our practical and engaging art and design courses at City Lit.

Our range of part-time, weekend and evening art and design classes are taught by successful artists and practitioners to ensure you get the skills, knowledge and experience you want and deserve. From experimental painting and drawing to contemporary jewellery making, there is sure to be a course for you. Study from 1 day to 2 years, whether you are a complete beginner or a practising artist preparing for an MA. Our courses are designed with you in mind, so you get to spend more time doing what you love. 

Set a new goal, start your next creative adventure with City Lit and let us support you to realise your ambitions.

We host exhibitions throughout the year at City Lit Gallery where our students showcase their amazing work.

Any questions? Contact our visual arts team on visual.arts@citylit.ac.uk

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between in-person and online learning.

Learn in the centre of London with our in-person courses. Our purpose-built facilities in Covent Garden mean we are ideally located and easy to get to. 

See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you.

 

Join us for the City Lit Visual Arts open day on Saturday 18 May. Throughout the day, at our campus in Covent Garden, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the full range and variety of our art and design subjects on offer.  Find out more >

 

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  1. Drawing: ink and wash techniques
    Course start date:  Mon 24 Mar 2025 (and 6 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Jack Duplock
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00
  2. Developing photography skills
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Apr 2024 (and 13 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Rachel Wegh
    Already know the basics of photography but want to take things further? Refresh your knowledge, learn more advanced skills and develop your creative ideas, with an established professional photographer on hand for technical guidance and creative inspiration.
    Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00
  3. Developing watercolour painting
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 24 Apr 2024 (and 9 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Anne-Marie Foster
    Explore 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 £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00
  4. Drawing: colour pastel techniques
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 22 Apr 2024 (and 6 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ro Sylvester
    Explore the versatility and rich colours of this beautiful drawing and painting medium. Through practical exercises, discover its potential to create a variety of surface effects and its suitability for sketching and outdoor colour work.
    Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
  5. Introduction to watercolour painting
    Course start date:  Mon 15 Apr 2024 (and 11 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Anne-Marie Foster
    Gain 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 £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00
  6. Painting for beginners
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 15 Apr 2024 (and 5 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Amanda Bracken
    Experience the joy of painting. Through simple exercises you'll explore colour, painting techniques and the expressive qualities of painting. The perfect way to start painting.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £119.00
  7. Drawing for beginners
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 23 Apr 2024 (and 14 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Andrea Voisey
    Explore traditional and less traditional methods of drawing simple objects. Using structured activities, we will introduce key concepts such as line, tone, composition and mark making. Ideal if you have little or no drawing experience; a great way to learn the basics or prepare for longer courses.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £119.00
  8. Painting: oil techniques and mediums
    Course start date:  Mon 22 Apr 2024 (and 5 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Oil paint is a luscious medium with a long historical tradition. It is capable of heavy impasto effects and delicate transparent colour films. Working practically, in the studio, this course will expand your understanding of approaches to building a variety of surfaces in your paint working with mediums and expanding your use of texture and glazing.
    Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
  9. Illustrating people and places workshop
    Course start date:  Mon 17 Mar 2025 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Lucia Vinti
    ‘People’ and/or ‘place’ are present in most illustrations – and yet you’d be amazed how many illustrators try to avoid them!







    If you’re one of these ‘avoiders’, or someone who wants to improve their existing style of tackling these subject-matters, this course is for you!







    Through a combination of drawing on location, and from films and photographs back in the studio, you’ll get your ‘people and places’ practice mastered.







    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
  10. Portrait drawing: expression in the face
    Course start date:  Thu 21 Nov 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    This short course will develop your existing knowledge and skills in drawing portraits to meet the challenge of creating expression. Bring your portrat drawing to life by exploring character, personality and emotion in the face of your subject.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £149.00
  11. Monoprinting: contemporary monotype techniques
    Course start date:  Mon 24 Mar 2025 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rosey Prince
    The monoprint describes a ‘one off’ print, rather than a multiple, similar to a painting however the marks, and



    textures achieved from printing layers of ink can produce rich visual effects as they layer and blend. Starting off with the basic monoprinting techniques you will develop these to produce an exciting series of prints to take home.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00
  12. Painting: colour mixing for artists
    Course start date:  Mon 24 Mar 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Amanda Bracken
    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
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