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
- Portraits 1
Course start date: Fri 30 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke Jones, Andrea VoiseyThis course aims to introduce you to this fascinating genre in both drawing and painting portraits through practical experience of the basic skills and concepts involved, including structure and proportion of the head and features, tone, colour, pose and expression. Working from direct observation of the live model.Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £292.00 - Textiles: indigo shibori dyeing Course start date: Fri 30 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lara MantellProduce your own indigo hand dyed fabrics using pleating, stitch and wrapping methods. Explore the magical combination of indigo dye and shibori resist techniques. - Embroidered art brooches Course start date: Fri 30 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tanvi KantLearn how to experiment and combine a variety of textiles to create expressive embroidered brooches. - Drawing and mindfulness Course start date: Fri 30 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyExplore how mindfulness can enrich drawing and give you more creative freedom. This course offers a great introduction to mindful drawing or ways to explore it more deeply. A practical drawing course from observation, and the imagination. - Textiles sketchbook course Course start date: Sat 31 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ruth BrisonDevelop a creative and experimental sketchbook. Explore the surface qualities of drawing and mark-making with the layered possibilities of mixed-media and hand stitch. You'll have the chance to generate visual research and ideas towards a personal project.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Japanese woodcut printmaking Course start date: Sun 1 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Carol Justin WilhideAn introduction to the beautiful and delicate printmaking world of Japanese Woodcut. Explore this water based, non-toxic process and build an appreciation for the handmade. You will learn how to design, carve and make a multi-coloured print. Beginners welcome.Full fee £319.00 Senior fee £255.00 Concession £207.00 - Introduction to carving in wood or stone Course start date: Sun 1 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
. - Drawing and the art of mindfulness: tone Course start date: Sun 1 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Clare Barton-HarveyInvestigate a range of ways to make tonal drawings, whilst exploring the benefits of mindfulness practice in relation to drawing. The workshop will focus on supporting you to develop new skills in handling materials, as well as a variety of creative expression.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00 - Drawing: focus on space and depth Course start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda BrackenExplore the potential of perspective, layering, light and shade to create space and depth in a drawing. By experimenting with different drawing mediums play with the picture plane in a drawing to achieve an illusion of depth. Using observational drawing make a still life come alive through the play of contrast and cast shadows.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - Drawing and mindfulness: morning meditation Course start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Helen BurgessJoin 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. - Explore editing: essential masking tips for better content Course start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lily MarkiewiczMasking is a essential skill for all editors. But masking isn’t just about hiding an unwanted object in the image. More often, it is used to creatively draw the viewer’s attention to a particular area. An invaluable skill for any film maker.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Introduction to illustration Course start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Adam Graff, Lucia VintiOur 'Introduction' courses provide a perfect way-in to a creative field.
Illustration is a form of visual communication which often exists alongside text. Illustrations can help to explain or clarify (or sometimes contradict) the words on a page. Most of all, you could say, they bring the message 'alive', by making it more immediate and exciting. For this reason, illustrations are found across books, magazines, newspapers, websites and social media channels.
Learn how to create powerful illustrations on our exciting range of Illustration courses.Full fee £369.00 Senior fee £295.00 Concession £240.00 - Watercolour painting: experimental approaches Course start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Diane MartinBuild your confidence in watercolour how to approach painting. Learn how to apply imaginative of washes and brushwork; enjoy the colour and fluidity of this beautiful medium and discover if you would like to take it to the next level.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Bookbinding: rare book design drop-back box Course start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Nesta DaviesCut, construct and cover a standard Rare Book design drop-back box to protect and conserve books, archival material or precious objects and artefacts. Great for artwork presentation too! - Digital textile design with Adobe Photoshop for beginners Course start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Suk Han LeeCreate motifs and designs for printed textiles which may then be printed onto cloth. This course is ideal for beginners in Photoshop who are textile artists, designers, or for anyone interested in exploring pattern, colour and texture.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00
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