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.
Some of our courses are delivered online. For more information about our live online courses, please see our guide to online learning.
Any questions? Contact our visual arts team on visual.arts@citylit.ac.uk or call us on 020 7492 2700, Monday to Friday between 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm.
- Oil painting: focus on light and shadeCourse start date: Tue 7 Mar 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke JonesThis 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.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £115.00 - Developing photography skills: intermediateCourse start date: Tue 5 Jul 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Photography Studio
Tutors: Ed GregoryAlready 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 £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £115.00 - Design thinking: creative problem solvingCourse start date: Tue 12 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew McCartenThe term ‘design thinking’ describes an adaptive and reflective approach to problem-solving that is, in many ways, congruent with the kinds of processes that underpin creative practice generally, and is fundamental to the development of many of the systems on which the world’s current production, logistics, communications and supply depend. Although generally considered largely in relation to system design, information and interaction design, and product design, it is a way of thinking through and deconstructing creative and/or technical challenges that is equally valuable as a lens through which to examine creative processes and problems in any discipline. In this professional practice workshop, we examine the 5 classic stages of Design Thinking, and look at how we can use them to refine our thinking processes, apply our insight and focus our imagination, to solve both creative and practical problems.
For this workshop, you will need a range of coloured marker pens, as well as a notebook.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Watercolour painting studio: nature and colourCourse start date: Tue 12 Jul 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Hilary RosenCelebrate the glorious colours found in nature by working from observation of natural forms. You will be encouraged to respond to the subject expressively using paint and other colour media to create a number of studies and one or more finished pieces.Full fee £309.00 Senior fee £247.00 Concession £188.00 - City Lit Pro: Adobe InDesign intensiveCourse start date: Wed 13 Jul 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrea MarzanoCity Lit Pro courses provide accelerated learning for busy people who need specific skills for the workplace. Whether you work in print or digital media, in our introductory Adobe InDesign course you’ll learn to use the industry-leading page design and layout app that lets you create, pre-flight, and publish beautiful documents. Students should be comfortable with a fast-paced learning environment and have good computer skills.Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £175.00 - Ways into abstract paintingCourse start date: Fri 29 Apr 2022 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mario Lautier VellaEncounter different approaches to making abstract paintings while developing your skills in using a variety of painting materials. With reference to the work of abstract artists explore the visual language common to both representation and abstraction, e.g. colour, composition, tone and paint application.Full fee £309.00 Senior fee £247.00 Concession £188.00 - Introduction to jewellery makingCourse start date: Fri 15 Jul 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise Seijen Ten HoornDiscover metal jewellery making techniques to create a piece of jewellery. You will be introduced to the basic
processes of forging, texturing, soldering and cutting out shapes in metal. You will learn how to create a ring to the
correct finger size.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £152.00 - The design briefCourse start date: Tue 19 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew McCartenThis workshop provides a forum for exploring and discussing the process (and sometimes challenges) of working with clients over a commercial design brief or commission. While some design briefs are relatively straightforward, and perhaps require a simple rendering of the client's vision, at other times the client can be unsure of what they actually want, and it can be a frustrating, uncertain and time-consuming process for the designer to identify and produce a solution to what is, perhaps, a poorly-defined question. Referring to real-life examples and case-studies, this workshop will take learners through the process of making a pitch, deconstructing a brief to be certain of what the client wants and needs (and whether these are same thing), presenting proposals, and working within time, resource and financial constraints. These are invaluable skills for the design professional that are equally applicable, for the student, to project briefs and coursework.
For this workshop, you will need a range of coloured marker pens, as well as a notebook.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Get skills in: lithography printmaking techniquesCourse start date: Tue 19 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Simon BurderLearn how to produce work that mimicks a painterly style using lithography printmaking processes. Lithography printmaking work depends on the delicate balance between grease and water and can provide a broad range of outcomes. Learn how marks and brush strokes drawn and painted on the printing plate can be faithfully reproduced to create bold or subtle prints.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £85.00 - Fine art photography digital printing with Adobe PhotoshopCourse start date: Tue 26 Jul 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Photography Studio
Tutors: Dominic HarrisWant to give your portfolio or exhibition prints the professional edge? This hands-on course will guide you in printing top-quality inkjet (or giclee) prints as used by fine art photographers. Get to grips with Adobe Photoshop and our top-of-the-range Epson photo printers, and experiment with different paper types and inks.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £91.00 - Drawing and painting from the imaginationCourse start date: Mon 1 Aug 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyExplore the role of the imagination in painting and drawing. Develop a toolkit of methods for stimulating, sustaining and enriching your imaginative engagement through a series of guided practical painting and drawing exercises.
The aim of the course is to investigate the role of the imagination in drawing and painting and to explore new ways of seeing and experiencing the world around us.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £97.00 - Drawing 1Course start date: Thu 5 May 2022 (and 7 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brian SayersExplore the creative possibilities of drawing, gain confidence and broaden your expectations and understanding. Learn and develop key drawing concepts: function of line, tone, texture, form, composition and mark making through a carefully structured approach.Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Pottery: evening courseCourse start date: Tue 26 Apr 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brigit ConnollyFor 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 £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - Carving in woodCourse start date: Tue 26 Apr 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alexandra HarleyHave 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 learn how to make models of your designs, upscale and transpose these, and use professional carving tools to produce beautiful pieces in wood.Full fee £469.00 Senior fee £375.00 Concession £305.00 - Try it out: animationCourse start date: Tue 13 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Litza JanszEver fancied producing your own animations for web, devices and video? Come and learn the basics of creating professional-looking drawn animated sequences using the professional software application Animate CC.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £49.00 Concession £49.00
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