City Lit Art School — Art Classes 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
- Affinity photo: professional image editing
Course start date: Fri 7 Nov 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael HardingLearn about the potential and possibilities available to you when using Affinity Photo and develop practical skill and knowledge.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Oil painting: focus on light and shade Course start date: Fri 2 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lindsay PickettThis 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 £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Beginners' bookbinding ICourse start date: Fri 7 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alessia TumbioloStart your bookbinding journey with this accessible, 6 week introduction to techniques and structures. Learn how to make simple folded books progressing to a more complex stitched binding and explore the world of handmade books.Full fee £409.00 Senior fee £327.00 Concession £266.00 - Textiles for beginners short course Course start date: Fri 7 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Renata MinoldoGet started with the basics of textiles by painting, printing and stitching fabric. Combine simple practical techniques with design work in colour, texture, pattern and composition.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Product and still life photographyCourse start date: Fri 5 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Neil WhiteThis hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.
Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Fine art photography: focus on dramatic lightingCourse start date: Fri 16 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ed GregoryThis is a creative workshop course that pays homage to the grandmasters of fine art portraiture and still life both in photography and art. With the use of props, lighting and visual analysis you will reconstruct the atmosphere of fine art paintings and photography. Taking images from the Dutch master painters from the 17th and 18th centuries, and master photographers from the 1930s and 40s, such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Berenice Abbott, we will create contemporary versions using light and props.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Drawing and mindfulness: modern and contemporary natureCourse start date: Fri 6 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyExplore how mindfulness can enrich the process of drawing, as we discover a range of modern and contemporary approached to drawing from nature. This course offers a great introduction to mindful drawing, or a way to explore it more deeply in the context of this theme.
Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Large-scale sketchbook Course start date: Fri 2 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony HullExplore the sequential and adaptive nature of large format sketchbook drawing as a site for generating personal material, inviting connections, and extracting patterns of meaning. Includes artist research, set-project as stimulus, and practical exploration of contemporary drawing techniques.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00
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