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. Photography for beginners
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Apr 2024 (and 18 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Sara Leigh Lewis
    Always wondered what half the buttons on your camera actually do? Discover how to use them properly and produce impressive photographs, even as a complete beginner. Gain useful technical knowledge and get expert creative guidance in easy-to-understand language. An ideal first step before enrolling on our intermediate courses.
    Full fee £339.00 Senior fee £271.00 Concession £220.00
  2. Developing watercolour painting
    Course start date:  Mon 28 Oct 2024 (and 9 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Anne-Marie Foster
    Explore the specific qualities of watercolour and the opportunities this adaptable medium offers to create dynamic painting compositions. Develop a fluency with brush work and layering of colour to develop compositional possibilities.
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
  3. Contemporary art photography
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 3 Jun 2024 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Holly Falconer
    Become an expert in the fine art world of contemporary photography. Learn about the history, concepts and theories behind the art form, and the technology and techniques now influencing it. Develop practical skills to realise your own creative ideas, discuss your photography portfolio with others, and learn about platforms to showcase your work on the commercial fine art market.
    Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00
  4. City Lit fine art: year 1
    Course start date:  Mon 7 Oct 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Year 1 of the City Lit Fine Art (CLFA) course will enable you to develop and refine your previous experience in Fine Art in workshops exploring different approaches to drawing, painting, sculpture, print, digital media, and contextual studies, in weekly studio sessions. You will be part of a small cohort of dedicated students and will be taught by experienced and professional tutors who are all practising artists.



    The Year 1 course will give you experience in combining different studio processes relevant to current art practice. It will introduce new ideas and contexts, and help you identify your own personal creative responses. Group discussions and tutorials will support the development of your thinking and help you adopt an independent and open-minded approach to making artwork. This course can be taken for personal creative development and progression on to Year 2 of the CLFA course, or to help you prepare for application to Fine Art study at HE.level.



    Some basic studio materials are provided, and you will need to supplement these with specific items.
    Full fee £2,249.00 Senior fee £1,799.00 Concession £1,574.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  5. City Lit year of the figure and portrait
    Course start date:  Mon 9 Oct 2023 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rebecca Allen, Desmond Haughton, Joe Richardson, Kim Scouller
    This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.
    Full fee £2,499.00 Senior fee £1,999.00 Concession £1,624.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
  6. Advanced graphic design
    Course start date:  Mon 7 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    This course will help you improve your skills in graphic design and visual communications in their broadest sense, for delivery or publication in print and online, working with text, image, layout, medium and message across a range of physical and digital media and formats.



    It is ideal for anyone who has already completed our City Lit graphics course, and for anyone wishing to build a more extensive and professional portfolio of graphics work, whilst developing a deeper understanding of the connection between text, image, message and media.



    Confirmed industry specialist guests: Lydia Thornley, Designer, Creative Director and Reportage Illustrator and award winning film producer/director Mark Craig, maker of the film “The Last Man On The Moon”.
    Full fee £2,399.00 Senior fee £1,919.00 Concession £1,679.00
  7. Documentary filmmaking
    Course start date:  Mon 7 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Lily Markiewicz
    Documentary-style films are the most popular genre on Social Media, on TV, and in Film festivals. Come and learn the essential techniques that make a gripping documentary.
    Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00
  8. Portraits 2
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 11 Oct 2024 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Develop your knowledge of the technical aspects of portraiture further and expore your understanding of what makes a convincing portrait. Undertake practical projects which enable you to develop a personal approach to the subject as the course progresses.
    Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00
  9. Fashion and editorial photography
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 25 Apr 2024 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Ed Gregory
    This course will help you to develop your skills in editorial fashion photography.



    The course is project driven and will take you from the creation of a basic story board through to a photo shoot. By the end of the course you will understand the workflow, the tools and thinking / planning required to run a successful shoot for yourself. The course also provides advice on getting material published.
    Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00
  10. Exploring sculpture
    Course start date:  Mon 21 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ro Sylvester
    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.
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
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