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.
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.
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 or call us on 020 7492 2700, Monday to Friday between 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm.
- Picture framing and mounting for beginnersCourse start date: Mon 25 Jul 2022 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Esther HeyhoeLearn picture framing and mounting skills for the home or workplace. Using professional framing tools and equipment you'll be taught all the skills you need to work in a busy studio or alternatively how to set up your own small scale practice from home.Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £215.00 Concession £175.00 - Contemporary printmaking studio: focus on developing techniquesCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Simon BurderExplore and develop personal work using traditional printmaking methods with a contemporary approach. Techniques covered include drypoint, etching, linocut, collagraphy, lithography and photo etching. All levels of experience welcome.Full fee £749.00 Senior fee £599.00 Concession £487.00 - Japanese woodcut printmaking techniquesCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Carol Justin WilhideAn introduction to the beautiful and delicate printmaking world of Japanese Woodcut. Explore this water based, non-toxic process and build an appreciation for the handmade. You will learn how to design, carve and make a multi-coloured print. Beginners welcome.Full fee £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00 - City Lit textiles: mixed media
Course start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise BaldwinInvestigate mixed-media textiles through this project-based course which introduces a variety of materials, techniques and design processes. You will develop a creative portfolio of textile samples using sketchbook research and finally work towards a finished piece.Full fee £469.00 Senior fee £375.00 Concession £305.00 - City Lit fine bindingCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kathy AbbottA unique, higher level course enabling you to make a full leather binding with a strong creative element. Learn specialist techniques such as: leather-jointed endpapers, guarding, edge gilding/decoration, tool sharpening, hand paring, covering, inlays/onlays and doublures. Not suitable for beginners.Full fee £1,379.00 Senior fee £1,103.00 Concession £896.00 - Watercolour painting: mixed media techniquesCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Hilary RosenWatercolour has a rich tradition - this course will explore the more experimental ways of using this pleasurable medium and will present new possibilities for producing exciting new work with mixed media. Make inventive combinations of media to draw from your own found imagery, photographs and sketches.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Calligraphy and illuminationCourse start date: Tue 27 Sep 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emiko HashiguchiLearn how to write beautifully with a dip pen and design and produce a piece of work with illuminated letters using colour and gold leaf. All levels.Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Contemporary practice: personal projectCourse start date: Tue 11 Oct 2022
Location on this date: Mixed Mode (Online and In Person)
Tutors: Ian TucknottOn this course you will develop your creativity, your personal artistic understanding, and a body of contemporary art work at an advanced level through the experimental exploration of a personal project. The course is facilitated by practising artists and theorists, who will support you through guided critical and creative research, experimental workshops, critical studies, studio practice and tutorials.
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 £2,099.00 Senior fee £1,679.00 Concession £1,469.00 - Advanced children's book illustration: professional practiceCourse start date: Tue 11 Oct 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tim Ellis, Zehra Hicks, Dee ShulmanInterested 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:
- Annie Eaton, former editorial director, Random House Penguin
- Margaret Hope, art director, Welbeck Publishing Group
- Arabella Stein, Managing Director, Bright Agency.Full fee £2,399.00 Senior fee £1,919.00 Concession £1,679.00 - 50 drawings in a dayCourse start date: Tue 25 Oct 2022 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Joe RichardsonA high energy programme of directed and self-directed drawing projects, with rapid shifts in materials, scale, subject and focus. Strictly no discards - come ready to play, risk, invent and discuss! For those with some drawing experience.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Sketchbooks: creating visual journeysCourse start date: Thu 27 Oct 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ruth BrisonCreate a 'visual journey' of discovery through an experimental sketchbook. Explore materials and techniques with confidence, including mark making, drawing and mixed media to produce a collection of work or personal ideas for further development. Suitable for all, including those with basic drawing experience.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - 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 £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Botanical illustrationCourse start date: Thu 10 Nov 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison BarrattBotanical illustration is both an art form and a means of scientific engagement. On this short illustration course, you will work with a range of plant species images and live studies, working both in the studio and on location.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - City Lit textiles: surface, structure, stitchCourse start date: Wed 11 Jan 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise BaldwinInvestigate textile structures and surfaces through this project based course. Develop an experimental portfolio of 2D and 3D stitched samples, sketchbook research and aim towards a finished piece.Full fee £719.00 Senior fee £575.00 Concession £467.00
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