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. Develop a collage sketchbook for textiles
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 19 Oct 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ruth Brison
    Explore the creative possibilities of collage, developed into a sketchbook for textiles. Produce surfaces using mark making and mixed media including the use of fabric and simple print. Collect visual research and develop ideas towards your own personal projects.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00
  2. Bookbinding: notebooks and folders
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 2 Nov 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ina Baumeister
    Learn to make single sheet folded books, a simple multi-section sewn book and a folded slipcase. This weekend course is an opportunity to make an exciting range of notebooks and folders and learn some useful bookbinding techniques. Suitable for beginners.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  3. Create a short film on your smartphone
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 23 Nov 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  David Kline
    The film making potential of smart phones and tablets have developed greatly over the last few years. Enjoy learning techniques for using them effectively to create short professional looking films for publishing online or for film festival submissions.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £199.00
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  4. Monoprinting: contemporary monotype techniques
    Course start date:  Mon 2 Dec 2024 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rosey Prince
    The monoprint describes a ‘one off’ print, rather than a multiple, similar to a painting however the marks, and



    textures achieved from printing layers of ink can produce rich visual effects as they layer and blend. Starting off with the basic monoprinting techniques you will develop these to produce an exciting series of prints to take home.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00
  5. Festive screenprinting workshop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 14 Dec 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Adam Hogarth
    In this fun and festive two day workshop you will be taught how to print onto cards, paper, t-shirts, tote bags and other fabrics. Students will learn basic screenprinting techniques, including how to put your own designs onto screens, correct inks and printing methods and how to clean and prepare screens.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  6. Creative collage: weekend workshop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 14 Dec 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    From the early 20th century onwards, the advent of ‘mass’ media – newspapers, magazines, leaflets, packaging - led to some of the most innovative artistic movements in Western culture: Dada, Surrealism, Bauhaus, Punk.







    Arguably, these movements (all of which centralised ‘collage’), have had more of a bearing on contemporary graphic design than anything else. Think of the countless adverts, websites, and social media posts which owe a debt to Jamie Reid’s ‘Sex Pistols’ album designs (which, in turn, owe their existence to the Dadaists).







    The methodology of collage should therefore play a role in any good design practice.







    Our Workshops enable you to take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool.



    They throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.







    Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no theory or context, although this varies by course.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  7. Film poster design: weekend workshop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 1 Feb 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rebecca Thomas
    Despite declining cinema audiences (as many of us now ‘stream’ films into our living rooms at home), film posters are still an essential aspect of film advertising. Physical posters still plaster the urban landscape, and digital ‘posters’ plaster our screens.







    Using iconic film posters from the 20th century as inspiration (think Saul Bass, and anything from Poland), learn how to design and create a compelling poster for your favourite film!







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    Take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool, with our Visual Communication Workshops.







    Workshops throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.







    Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no conceptual or contextual elements, although this varies by course.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  8. Artists eye: painting nature
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 3 Feb 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Kate Hardy
    Artist’s Eye: Painting Nature.







    Learn painting while learning about contemporary and historical artists, including Eileen Agar, Giorgio Morandi, Georgia O’Keefe, Fernand Leger, and Kara Walker in this four week course. We will make paintings inspired by artists whose subject is nature, be guided by their choices of subject matter, and learn from their methods of paint application, colour mixing, and composition. Acrylic paint can be used for all projects and in one project we will work from collage. This short course can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other modules.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  9. Artists eye: painting portraits
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 3 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Kate Hardy
    Paint a series of portraits inspired by the work of contemporary and historical artists. Learn from their individual ideas and techniques to introduce new ways of painting to your practice. The course can be used to progress from beginner level, or for experienced painters interested in portraiture. This is a live online course.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  10. Painting: colour mixing for artists
    Course start date:  Mon 24 Mar 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Amanda Bracken
    A concise study of colour usage. Investigate colour perception and how colour interacts. Explore a range of observational and expressive painting projects, relate colour theory to practice and develop confidence using colour.  An emphasis on colour mixing using acrylics and oil paint.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00
  11. Book cover design: weekend workshop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 5 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Alison Barratt
    DO judge a book by its cover! That’s what buyers do, which publishers know only too well of course. That’s why ‘cover designer’ is a whole job in itself – often distinct from book designers (who deal with the rest of the book).







    If you’re an author/illustrator submitting picturebooks to agents and publishers – a compelling cover design is essential. And the same goes if you’re self-publishing, of course.







    Learn from a seasoned designer/illustrator all the ingredients of brilliant cover design, and, most importantly, how to create one for your book – be that something you’ve created yourself, or a favourite tome you want to pay homage to.







    You’ll journey from traditional media to Photoshop, applying the keystone principles of layout design as you go. You’ll also learn about effective typography, and how to apply type to your designs.











    -



    Take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool, with our Visual Communication Workshops.







    Workshops throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.







    Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no conceptual or contextual elements, although this varies by course.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  12. Abstract painting weekend
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 22 Jun 2024 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Amanda Knight
    Learn how to develop original abstract ideas from simple starting points and build confidence using a variety of painting approaches in acrylics. Explore the power of line, colour and texture in a lively weekend of structured project work.
    Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
  13. Pet Illustration: weekend workshop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 12 Apr 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Learn techniques to create a winning illustration of your furry/feathery/scaly little darlings! Over a fast and furious 2 days explore a dazzling range of image-making techniques: drawing and painting, photo-manipulation, collage, table-top printmaking... for starters. Take home an evocative illustration (or several) for your pet’s approval.







    -



    Take a deep dive into a specific process, media or tool, with our Visual Communication Workshops.







    Workshops throw the spotlight onto niche areas of the visual communication field, enabling you to hone higher-level skills and gain deeper insights.







    Workshops tend to have a practical focus, with little or no conceptual or contextual elements, although this varies by course.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00
  14. Large format camera workshop
    Course start date:  Thu 11 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Matthew Ward
    This hands-on practical photography workshop will enable you to discover the beauty of testing, experimenting and shooting with large-format photography. This is a skilled art form with often spectacular results and offers great potential in how we capture and showcase photographic images. Explore large format camera techniques and equipment from focus control to film loading, with expert guidance, demonstrations, and practical exercises.
    Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
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