Art & Design Courses - Online & in London  

Interested in a career in Children’s Book Illustration, or advancing your practice to the next level? With the guidance and support of your tutors, you will have the opportunity to engage with experienced industry professionals, and develop your practice and personal visual vocabulary to a professional standard.







Confirmed visitors/speakers include:



- Rachel Petty, author/illustrator agent at the Blair Partnership, former editorial director Macmillan Children's Books,



- Margaret Hope, art director, Welbeck Publishing Group



- Arabella Stein, Managing Director, Bright Agency.

This year-long advanced course is aimed at artist-printmakers who wish to develop a sustainable personal practice through the medium of print. With the support of expert tutors, you will be guided through experimental, practice-based research and developmental tasks that challenge your preconceptions of print media including etching, screen-printing, lithography and relief. You will eventually focus on a longer projects that encourage both a personal enquiry and the development of an individual methodology. The course involves theoretical, contextual and practical components. Student testimony:



“This course has been absolutely brilliant! It’s not only taught me printmaking methods but also about the artistic process. I’ve learnt so much, it’s really been very transformative!” El Morrison (2023)



“The course has pushed my boundaries. It has encouraged me to try new things within print and to think about the context and concepts I am trying to deliver” Declan Hoare (2023)



“I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I met many wonderful talented artists. It has made me think about my own practice; how can I change it, modify it, make it more exciting. The tutors are absolutely amazing! They are full of knowledge, encouragement, and support. It was a great, great experience.” Areej Abdi (2023).



This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

This year-long advanced course is aimed at artists who wish to expand their print-based practice through exploring the integration of printmaking with a range of other media and processes. It includes: individual and collaborative practice; the creation of a body of work in a range of print- and print-related media; the production of a print publication, and a public exhibition of work. As you acquire advanced skills you will be encouraged to explore your own ideas and themes developing a sustainable art practice that is both meaningful to you and relevant to the contemporary art world.



This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Learn how to create multicolour or monochrome relief prints. You'll be encouraged to work from your own source imagery (sketches, magazine cuttings, photos etc) as an inspirational lead-in to producing relief prints to take home.

The human form offers inexhaustible potential for communication and expression of ideas; this is an exciting advanced course for those with experience of working with the figure and/or portrait who would like the challenge of exploring new perspectives on the figurative tradition in drawing, painting and mixed media.

Year 2 of the City Lit Fine Art course enables you to consolidate and focus the various experiences and ideas you will have gained in year 1. (Direct entry to year 2 is also possible, via interview, if you have an appropriate level of prior experience.) You will adopt simple research methods to reflect upon, identify and develop a personal creative project on a more individual, self-motivated route. This will result in the development of a cohesive body of new work that reflects your own interests. You will have group critiques, one-to-one tutorials and all day studio production sessions that allow you to explore and refine your creative skills, and seminars and presentations in which you will engage with new ideas and contexts; all delivered by experienced, practicing artists. Some basic materials are included.



You will have the opportunity to help organise and present some of your recent work in a group exhibition, via negotiation and with the support of your tutors. 2 – 4pm online Zoom sessions on alternate Mondays (15 in total)



10am – 5pm in City Lit studios. On alternate Tuesdays (16 in total)



6pm – 9pm in City Lit digital media suite. On 4 or 5 alternate Tuesday evenings per term (12 in total.



This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Sculpting in relief and 3D is a lovely way to express your ideas and expand on your creative skills. This course is ideal for beginners to sculpting, giving a taster of several techniques. However, if you have experience in one material and would like to find out more, this course could also be for you. We will cover a range of materials and you will find out how different techniques have developed through time. This short taster course will be good preparation for any of our specialised sculpting courses.

This oil painting course takes inspiration from the moody and luminous imagery of classic Film Noir such as ‘The Third Man’. Students will explore composition, tonal transition and contrast to enhance their pleasure in oil painting and create strong and powerful paintings.

Learn the essentials of Still Life painting from paint handling and colour theory to composition.



Dedicate some time to developing your painting in a series of controlled steps. Learn to select and prepare surfaces and materials, build a composition around still life objects and make supplementary studies to guide your colour application. For absolute beginners.

A fantastic introduction to creative processes using a variety of different media to develop an exciting sketchbook. A sketchbook is a great place to try things out, make mistakes and take risks - all in the nature of experimentation. Suitable for beginners as well as those with some previous drawing experience.

Develop your screen-printing in this weekly taught workshop where you will be shown new techniques, from using halftones and photo processes, layering colour, stenciling and experimental techniques to printing on textiles and professional practice.

Break the mould - try your hand at the techniques of mould making and casting as practised by sculptors, prop-makers and designers. Under the guidance of highly experienced industry professional in our fully equipped sculpture studio, explore making plaster and rubber moulds. Then learn how to cast from them in plaster of Paris and cement.