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
- Jewellery making: cold connectionsCourse start date: Tue 3 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Elizabeth BoneWould you like to learn how to combine / integrate materials and objects that are not metal into your jewellery making without the use of heat? This course offers you the opportunity to explore joining several different materials together using a variety of cold connection techniques such as rivets and tabs. Come and experiment with a number of techniques and adapt them to use with your own designs.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Mosaics introductory
Course start date: Wed 4 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa BensonDevelop your creative skills in this classic art form, adhering your materials to a temporary surface before applying the completed section to a flat base or casting it into concrete. Please bring ideas, basic materials provided. All levels welcome.Full fee £499.00 Senior fee £399.00 Concession £324.00 - Picture framing and mounting for beginners Course start date: Sun 11 May 2025 (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 £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00 - Large format camera workshop Course start date: Thu 5 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Kean Street Photography Studio
Tutors: Matthew WardThis 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 £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to children's book illustration Course start date: Thu 5 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dee ShulmanOur Introductory courses provide a perfect way-in to a creative field.
The Children’s Book industry is thriving, largely due to rising literacy levels, and a growing awareness of the importance of early childhood education. As a result, Children’s Book creators are in demand.
Our tutors will teach you the many and various skills you’ll need to illustrate books for children - from drawing and painting (analogue and digital), to sequencing and pacing visual narratives.
You'll learn about the children’s publishing sector; gaining a sense of the different genres and markets for children's books, and where your illustration style might fit.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Illustrating people and places workshop Course start date: Thu 5 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lucia VintiBe inspired by the people of London and the architecture and environments they inhabit. This course all about drawing people and places, providing you with ample opportunity observe London life, situations and scenarios that will inspire your work.
Learn how to document and sketch from life in different locations and then develop artwork into compelling illustrations that are full of life.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Drawing: ink and wash techniques Course start date: Fri 6 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jack DuplockThe immediacy and versatility of ink and wash is perfect for those sketching on location, for designers and for students interested in watercolour techniques. Take the opportunity to explore the basic techniques of this exciting process.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Beginners' bookbinding Course start date: Fri 6 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alessia TumbioloCome and immerse yourself in the art of bookbinding with this 6-week, accessible introduction. Whether you're taking your first steps or picking up the craft again, this course will equip you with essential techniques that will enable you to start creating your own handcrafted books and containers. Beginners will build strong foundational skills, while returners can refresh their skills and explore new creative possibilities. - Learn to laser cut Course start date: Fri 6 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Suk Han LeeA short introductory course in laser cutting, ideal for beginners or anyone wishing to add innovation to his or her own creative projects. You will learn simple software techniques using Adobe Illustrator to convert your design ideas into a variety of laser cut samples and small personal projects.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Portrait painting: two session pose Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke JonesDevelop a portrait from life: a structured course to build skills towards making a convincing portrait where the model keeps the same pose over 2 sessions to enable a sustained piece of work.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Printmaking weekend: Collagraph techniques Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosey PrinceMake and print a collagraph exploiting texture and colour using readily available and simple materials with a low environmental impact. The handmade matrix is deceptively simple to construct, the printed results often richer and more detailed than expected when run through the press. All welcome.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Modern calligraphy Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Veiko KespersaksLearn how to write elegant stylish letterforms using a flexible pointed nib with ink. Once you have learnt how to write a basic alphabet, we’ll begin breaking the rules of traditional calligraphy to find a style that is all your own. The course is suitable for beginners as well as improvers.Full fee £359.00 Senior fee £287.00 Concession £233.00 - Introduction to stone setting: raised grain setting Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rae DuncanGrain setting, sometimes referred to as bead setting, is a technique where small faceted stones are held in place by small prongs called beads. These are raised from the metal in the band using an engraving tool. This specialist technique builds on the basic stone setting methods, introducing the use of a new set of tools and skills and is perfect for those wishing to take their stone-setting to a higher level. - Looking at photography: commercial practice Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Kean Street Photography Studio
Tutors: Ed GregoryLooking to work professionally as a photographer? Pick up key skills you will need on this practical course from camera systems, lighting solutions, paperwork and software workflow.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00 - Painting and Drawing Dialogues: shaping time Course start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony Hull, Monika KitaReflect on how time is embodied in the surface of paintings and drawings to focus on the speed and sequence of your working methods. Discover how animation and film can aid and capture your creative process.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00
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