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
- Contemporary watercolour painting projects
Course start date: Sat 12 Jul 2025 (and 6 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anne-Marie FosterThrough a set of short projects inspired by contemporary practitioners and their contribution to the uniqueness of the medium, the course will help you expand your understanding of watercolour and enable you to make informed choices in making personal work. It will also feature some approaches to painting, beyond the immediate western tradition to provide broader technical and critical insights.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Mosaics introductory Course start date: Sat 20 Sep 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 to complete your own Mosaic. Please bring ideas. Basic materials provided. All levels are welcome.Full fee £509.00 Senior fee £407.00 Concession £331.00 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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. - Jewellery making: carving, casting and finishing Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise Seijen Ten HoornCarve, model and experiment with jewellers wax; learn about the lost wax casting process, outsourcing, and how components and multiples are made, relevant to jewellery making and production. There will also be an introduction to low-fi casting methods: Delft-Clay (sand casting) and cuttlefish bone. - Textiles: constructing pattern, colouring cloth Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dawn DupreeExperiment with a range of heat transfer processes and hand painting methods. Develop initial ideas through mark-making and collage. Create fabrics or art works using a personal colour palette and embellish surface through foil print and simple stitch marks. - Introduction to collage and mixed media Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sam HannerCollage is an exciting, accessible and creative medium. Experiment with a rich variety of materials and found images to make vibrant work experimenting with surface, form, colour and pattern, inspired by artists who make effective use of this way of working.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Jewellery: understanding rubies, sapphires and emeralds Course start date: Sun 8 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Judith Crowe, Derek JhinnooJoin this fascinating one day course for a valuable insight into the trade of rubies, sapphires and emeralds, different types of these precious stones on the market, and how to assess them. Learn about how the beautiful stones are mined, cut, graded and priced, as well as exploring common simulants. No previous experience necessary.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Experimental filmmaking: stage 1 Course start date: Sun 15 Jun 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Monika KitaLearn about the differences between experimental film and conventional narrative. Begin to create digital films that challenge rather than cater to conventional expectations. Explore how to create original material in both form and content.Full fee £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £227.00 - London street photography Course start date: Sun 7 Jun 2026 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Michael HardingWish you could capture those spontaneous moments of urban life like a pro? Learn the tricks of the skilful trade of street photography and build your confidence in snapping candid, unobtrusive photographs on the street, shooting in some of the most dynamic and vibrant areas of London to tell powerful stories in single images.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00
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