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. Commercial photography: masterclass workshop
    Course start date:  Wed 5 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Ed Gregory
    Looking 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 £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00
  2. The archive: resource and practice
    Course start date:  Fri 7 Jun 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rolina Elsje Blok
    The archive is an invaluable resource for artists and designers, without some version of which it is virtually impossible to engage in practice in any systematic way. Whether it takes the form of sketchbooks, photographs, found items and clippings, internet bookmarks, or any combination of these and other items, the archive is a tool for organising, examining and reflecting. In this professional practice module, we will look at how to create and access physical and online archives, and how to use them in both research and practice, creating and organising personal archives. Many artists use the archive as a form of art practice: we will examine this, and how it differs from other forms of archiving. We will look at multiple approaches to storing information, organising it for accessibility, and working with the tools and perspectives of the archivist or curator, as appropriate to one’s individual practice.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00
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  3. Looking at photography: critical and analytic theories
    Course start date:  Fri 14 Jun 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Michael Harding
    An introduction to some of the main ways of thinking about photography, based on cultural theory, politics, philosophy and semiotics.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £119.00
  4. Drawing and mindfulness: morning meditation
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Mon 17 Jun 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Helen Burgess
    Join us and set up your day in a tranquil, reflective way with our 5 day Drawing and mindfulness: morning meditation course. As daily life is full of uncertainty and with our attention getting pulled in many directions why not take some personal time to reset and focus combining meditation with some simple drawing exercises. You will be guiding your mind to settle and to look with care at the world around us and our inner experience. Whether you want to do something nourishing before you go to work or are setting up for a day of creative activity, the practices of drawing and mindfulness will bring a positive start to each morning, helping you begin the days with fresh eyes and mind. Suitable for all levels.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00
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  5. Compression techniques for making and outputting videos
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 18 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Lily Markiewicz
    All video uses compression, starting in camera and ending when you send your video out into the world. Gain an essential understanding of how this works, and find the best solution for your own needs.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00
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  6. The creative industries
    Course start date:  Tue 18 Jun 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Andrew McCarten
    Creativity is one of the areas in which the UK retains a leading position, globally, and much is made of the importance of the ‘creative economy’, and its value to the country. But what exactly are the co-called ‘creative industries’ we hear so much about? What is the value of ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ to the national and global economy, and does this extend beyond the overtly ‘creative’ pursuits of art, design and entertainment? How is so-called ‘creative thinking’ central to business, industries and services? In many countries around the world, the benefits of approaches to learning that are central pillars of ‘creative education’ are increasingly recognised in terms of their value in developing fully-rounded learners, and citizens. This workshop examines these questions, and considers the value of creative education in the context of a series of disciplines predicated on thinking related to solving problems, and its relevance for all aspects of contemporary life.



    For this workshop, you will need to have access to A3 or A4 plain paper, and a range of coloured marker pens, as well as a notebook. Basic materials will be provided, but you are also welcome to bring and use your own.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00
  7. Collaborative creative projects
    Course start date:  Fri 28 Jun 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rolina Elsje Blok
    Recent advances in technology and communications provide creative practitioners and communities with opportunities that, in historical terms, are unique. We have never before had the capacity to react to events and engage with issues that, in some cases for the very same reasons, can no longer be confined, in terms of their impact, to the location in which they occur. Consider, for instance, climate change, Coronavirus, the BLM movement and the global reaction to inequality and injustice. Artists and designers have at their disposal, through these same resources, and the full range of traditional media, the capacity to respond to these developments, and to effect change. With this, inevitably, comes the imperative of social responsibility. This workshop looks at how creative individuals engage with notions of collaborative practice (both via online/distributed models and through physical media/interactions) in the production or propagation of ideas, movements, memes or artefacts, including with those one has possibly never met, and perhaps does not even know. Besides collaboration in making, we consider the potential of social/viral media as a disruptor or organisational tool, (for example in events, happenings, flash-mobs, and organised protests or movements such as Anonymous, Occupy, XR, BLM and others).
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00
  8. Flash photography with speedlight
    Course start date:  Wed 3 Jul 2024 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Kean Street Photography Studio

    Tutors:  Ed Gregory
    Lighten things up: join this practical course to learn the basics of using portable flash (speedlights) to enhance your images. Experiment creatively indoors and outdoors with different flash techniques, with a professional photographer on hand to guide you throughout.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00
  9. Drawing for jewellers
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 8 Jul 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Are you a jewellery maker who wants to become more confident in drawing? Join us on this two-session long evening class and learn how to sketch jewellery. Draw designs from different angles and add colour, shading and highlights. Learn to make a simple plan drawing (technical drawing), showing your design from the top, front and side view.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £99.00
  10. Sketching at the museum: Tate Britain
    Course start date:  Wed 10 Jul 2024 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Mario Lautier Vella
    Explore the pleasure and challenge of sketchbooks: learn and improve your drawing skills and ‘ways of seeing’ and understanding by working from some of the iconic artworks at Tate Britain.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00
  11. Printmaking: summer school taster
    Course start date:  Fri 9 Aug 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Esther Heyhoe
    This summer why not come and get inky with this fun one day workshop exploring printmaking. This course will give you a basic understanding of monoprinting, relief printing and screen printing and is aimed at those who would like to explore different printmaking techniques before going on to other courses.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00
  12. Try it out calligraphy: modern copperplate
    Course start date:  Mon 9 Sep 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Veiko Kespersaks
    This short workshop will guide you through the basics of Modern Copperplate Calligraphy, as influenced by historical copperplate handwriting. Once the artform of expert craftsman, calligraphy is now a popular artistic outlet, flexible enough to reflect the personality, style, and creativity of every individual – everyone can learn it and have a lot of fun while doing so! Suitable for left-handers and right-handers.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00
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