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 3
    Course start date:  Mon 15 Apr 2024 (and 7 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Explore a range of materials and challenging approaches to develop your creative potential in drawing, informed by artists contexts. Building on your previous experience, develop your observational drawing skills for greater accuracy and complexity as well as learning to manipulate composition, surface and mark-making to create dynamic, expressive drawings.
    Full fee £409.00 Senior fee £327.00 Concession £266.00
  2. Pottery: evening course
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 23 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Trish Spence
    For those with previous experience who want to work towards their own goals, or for beginners who want to learn hand-building and throwing processes. We'll also cover glazing and surface decoration.
    Full fee £549.00 Senior fee £439.00 Concession £357.00
    Rating:
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  3. Carving in wood
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 16 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Alexandra Harley
    Have you ever fancied having a go at sculpting in wood? Or perhaps you are 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 be taught how to make models of your designs, upscale and transpose these, and use professional carving tools to produce beautiful pieces in wood.
    Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00
    Rating:
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  4. SketchUp Pro for beginners
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 12 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Nicholas Williamson
    Learn to visualise and model interior spaces and 3D forms with this easy-to-use and intuitive program. It is a perfect addition and complement to our interior and/or garden design courses. The software is very affordable and available for home use on a PC or Mac.
    Full fee £339.00 Senior fee £271.00 Concession £220.00
  5. City Lit bookbinding
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 26 Sep 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Kate Rochester
    Step into bookbinding with this three-term course. Learn essential techniques and develop skills in using tools and materials to produce your own work. A stimulating, challenging and comprehensive introduction for beginners.



    Term 1 26/09/2023 - 05/12/2023



    Term 2 09/01/2024 - 19/03/2024



    Term 3 09/04/2024 - 18/06/2024



    Not sure this is the right course for you? Come to our free School of Visual Arts Open Day on Saturday 20th May. Search VQ009 on our website.
    Full fee £1,209.00 Senior fee £967.00 Concession £786.00
    Rating:
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  6. City Lit animation
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Stephanie Griffiths, John Horabin, Litza Jansz
    Passionate about animation? Fancy spending a year building skills in traditional and digital animation techniques and producing your own animation project? Taught by professional animators, this exciting fast-track practical course gives you the opportunity to explore both commercial and experimental approaches to animation using professional equipment and software. Whether you’re a complete beginner or have some animation experience you can join our award winning alumni. A fantastic start to a new career or simply a chance to pursue your passion with like-minded people. Want to find out if this is the right course for you? Come along to our free School of Visual Arts open day on 20th May and get expert individual advice and guidance. Search VQ009 on our website to book your free place.
    Full fee £2,269.00 Senior fee £1,815.00 Concession £1,475.00
    Rating:
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  7. City Lit expanded experimental film
    Course start date:  Tue 19 Sep 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Blended (learn both online and in-person)

    Tutors:  Monika Kita
    Curious about contemporary approaches to filmmaking?



    Whether you have previously attended film or art related courses or simply have an interest in exploring a variety of experimental methods, this course will transform your practice.



    With an emphasis on interdisciplinary fields including animation, performance, installation and sound, the course will examine multiple applications within expanded experimental film practice.



    Through discussions, workshops, and personal projects, and by utilising a wide range of techniques, participants will gain the knowledge and practical skills necessary to create innovative and challenging artworks.



    This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £2,179.00 Senior fee £1,743.00 Concession £1,416.00
  8. Contemporary practice: personal project
    Course start date:  Tue 10 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Blended (learn both online and in-person)

    This advanced course in contemporary creative practice will support you in developing a personal project through research, experimentation, development and exhibition in a supportive studio environment. The course is facilitated by practising artists, theorists and curators.







    This course requires an application prior to enrolment. Please contact Visual Arts for more information.



    This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £2,179.00 Senior fee £1,743.00 Concession £1,525.00
    Rating:
    93% of 100
  9. Advanced children's book illustration: professional practice
    Course start date:  Tue 10 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Tim Ellis, Zehra Hicks, Dee Shulman
    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.
    Full fee £2,449.00 Senior fee £1,959.00 Concession £1,714.00
    Rating:
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  10. City Lit fine art: year 2
    Course start date:  Mon 9 Oct 2023 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Blended (learn both online and in-person)

    Tutors:  Kath Castillo, Amanda Knight, Steven Scott
    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.
    Full fee £2,179.00 Senior fee £1,743.00 Concession £1,525.00
  11. Bookbinding: artists' book projects
    Course start date:  Tue 21 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sue Doggett
    Develop your creative and practical book arts skills on this intermediate course. Expand on your ideas about the relationship between the structure and the concept of the book and engage in in-depth research and development of your intended project proposal with one-to-one tutorial support and lively critical group discussion. Not suitable for beginners.
    Full fee £509.00 Senior fee £407.00 Concession £331.00
  12. Pottery
    Course start date:  Tue 12 Sep 2023 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Amy Hughes, Alex Simpson
    Experience and explore all the making techniques in ceramics: coiling, slab-building, press moulds and throwing on the wheel. Also included is an introduction to basic glazing and simple glaze mixing.
    Full fee £1,339.00 Senior fee £1,071.00 Concession £870.00
    Rating:
    93% of 100
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