Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
The course is about developing skills in seeing and understanding three dimensional form by studying the life figure and portrait.
What will we cover?
Focussing on the portrait, the course will concentrate on one model and give you the chance to spend the term advancing your skills and getting to grips with portraiture.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Make a suitable armature for a portrait head - Understand the use of some of the muscles in the face - Use clay effectively to enhance the mood and character of a portrait head - Prepare the head for firing.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
All ability levels are welcome.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. You will be invited to take part in group discussion. You should be able to use numbers and be able to do simple measurements and calculations.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Life modelling will be taught mainly on an individual basis, with group discussion on major topics concerned with life modelling. The emphasis will be on practice with guidance.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Materials and Equipment
All materials required for the course are provided.
Please bring a sketchbook, pencils, and a pen for sketching and note-taking. A camera or smartphone is also useful for documenting your work throughout the course.
What to Wear
For safety reasons, please wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes—no sandals or open-toed footwear. We also recommend wearing old clothes or overalls, as some materials may stain or damage fabric.
Health and Safety
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided and must be worn where required. This includes items such as facemasks when working with materials that may produce dust or fine particles.
Firing and Collection of Work
At the end of the course, your clay sculpture will be fired to transform it into ceramic. As the work must be completely dry before firing, this process can take several weeks.
Near the end of the course, your tutor will let you know the dates and times for collecting your finished sculpture from the studio. Please note that fired sculptures can be quite heavy, and City Lit is unable to post or deliver completed work.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
The City Lit sculpture department offers a wide range of exciting courses that will allow you to progress from beginner to advanced and learn a range of techniques. After this course, you may wish to join a similar course to develop your skills further or try something completely different. We offer courses in prop making, metal, clay, carving in stone and wood, mould making and casting, and much more! Alternatively, you may wish to progress onto the year-long City Lit Sculpture course VU841, which helps you build your individual sculpture practice.
Please ask your tutor for advice, browse the City Lit website for inspiration, or contact our visual arts team by emailing visualarts@citylit.ac.uk or calling 0203 880 2415 Monday - Friday, 11 am - 4 pm.
The in-person information desk (at our Keeley Street campus) is open Monday - Friday from 12 pm - 1:55 pm & 3 pm - 5 pm. In-person enrolment is supported Monday - Friday from 10:30 am -12 pm & 3 pm -5 pm. General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday between 12:00 - 13:55 & 15:00 - 17:00. In-person enrolment is supported Monday - Friday between 10:30 - 12:00 & 15:00 - 17:00
Valerie Merlo is a sculptor, who specialises in bronze casting. She has an MA in sculpture from the Royal College of Art and teaches at City Lit alongside her art practice. She has a strong interest in drawing, which she uses when working towards her sculpture, which she makes from her studio at ASC studios. Valerie is a very experienced tutor whose personal approach to sculpture feeds into her teaching, by encouraging students to explore the creative boundary between drawing and sculpture. Her focus is on supporting students to develop individual projects from direct observation of the figure, their imagination, exploring and experimenting with materials and from research into the work of other artists; both contemporary and historical art. javascript:WebForm_DoPostBackWithOptions(new WebForm_PostBackOptions("ctl00$ctl00$SystemContentPane$ContentPlaceHolderWorkflowActions$LinkButtonFormSubmitted", "", true, "", "", false, true))
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/clay-sculpture-portrait-head145659Clay sculpture: portrait headhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/c/l/clay-port-head-vu792.jpg599599GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Art & design/Courses/Art & design/Ceramics & sculpture/Courses/Art & design/Ceramics & sculpture/Carving & modelling22851132143119891228511321431The head is the focal point of each person; create a portrait that examines both the structure as well as the emotion of the model. <div data-content-type="html" data-appearance="default" data-element="main">The course is about developing skills in seeing and understanding three dimensional form by studying the life figure and portrait.</div>152670129Clay sculpture: portrait head599599https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/c/l/clay-port-head-vu792_10.jpgInStockEveningMonKeeley StreetAvailable courses11 weeks or longerWeekday2026-04-13T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allApr 2026Art & designVU792599599Clay sculpture: portrait head479389599Valerie Merloclay-sculpture-portrait-head/vu792-2526The head is the focal point of each person; create a portrait that examines both the structure as well as the emotion of the model.0000-Available|2026-04-13 00:00:00The course is about developing skills in seeing and understanding three dimensional form by studying the life figure and portrait.The head is the focal point of each person; create a portrait that examines both the structure as well as the emotion of the model.Focussing on the portrait, the course will concentrate on one model and give you the chance to spend the term advancing your skills and getting to grips with portraiture.- Make a suitable armature for a portrait head<br/> - Understand the use of some of the muscles in the face<br/> - Use clay effectively to enhance the mood and character of a portrait head<br/> - Prepare the head for firing.All ability levels are welcome.<br/> <br/> You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. You will be invited to take part in group discussion. You should be able to use numbers and be able to do simple measurements and calculations.Life modelling will be taught mainly on an individual basis, with group discussion on major topics concerned with life modelling. The emphasis will be on practice with guidance.<p><strong>Materials and Equipment</strong></p><p>All materials required for the course are provided.</p><p>Please bring a sketchbook, pencils, and a pen for sketching and note-taking. A camera or smartphone is also useful for documenting your work throughout the course.</p><p><strong>What to Wear</strong></p><p>For safety reasons, please wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes—no sandals or open-toed footwear. We also recommend wearing old clothes or overalls, as some materials may stain or damage fabric.</p><p><strong>Health and Safety</strong></p><p>Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided and must be worn where required. This includes items such as facemasks when working with materials that may produce dust or fine particles.</p><p><strong>Firing and Collection of Work</strong></p><p>At the end of the course, your clay sculpture will be fired to transform it into ceramic. As the work must be completely dry before firing, this process can take several weeks.</p><p>Near the end of the course, your tutor will let you know the dates and times for collecting your finished sculpture from the studio. Please note that fired sculptures can be quite heavy, and City Lit is unable to post or deliver completed work.</p><p>The City Lit sculpture department offers a wide range of exciting courses that will allow you to progress from beginner to advanced and learn a range of techniques. After this course, you may wish to join a similar course to develop your skills further or try something completely different. We offer courses in prop making, metal, clay, carving in stone and wood, mould making and casting, and much more! Alternatively, you may wish to progress onto the year-long City Lit Sculpture course VU841, which helps you build your individual sculpture practice.</p><p> </p><p>Please ask your tutor for advice, browse the City Lit website for inspiration, or contact our visual arts team by emailing visualarts@citylit.ac.uk or calling 0203 880 2415 Monday - Friday, 11 am - 4 pm. </p><p><br/>The in-person information desk (at our Keeley Street campus) is open Monday - Friday from 12 pm - 1:55 pm & 3 pm - 5 pm. In-person enrolment is supported Monday - Friday from 10:30 am -12 pm & 3 pm -5 pm. General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday between 12:00 - 13:55 & 15:00 - 17:00. In-person enrolment is supported Monday - Friday between 10:30 - 12:00 & 15:00 - 17:00</p>Ceramics & sculptureCarving & modellingvirtual479599389VU792NONEMon13/04/26 - 13/07/2618:00 - 21:0018:0021:0012 sessions (over 14 weeks)1211 weeks or longerEveningWeekdayKSKeeley StreetValerie MerloBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-04-13T00:00:00+00:00Apr 2026Art & design599599Clay sculpture: portrait headclay-sculpture-portrait-head/vu792-2526The head is the focal point of each person; create a portrait that examines both the structure as well as the emotion of the model.0000-Available|2026-04-13 00:00:00The course is about developing skills in seeing and understanding three dimensional form by studying the life figure and portrait.The head is the focal point of each person; create a portrait that examines both the structure as well as the emotion of the model.Focussing on the portrait, the course will concentrate on one model and give you the chance to spend the term advancing your skills and getting to grips with portraiture.- Make a suitable armature for a portrait head<br/> - Understand the use of some of the muscles in the face<br/> - Use clay effectively to enhance the mood and character of a portrait head<br/> - Prepare the head for firing.All ability levels are welcome.<br/> <br/> You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. You will be invited to take part in group discussion. You should be able to use numbers and be able to do simple measurements and calculations.Life modelling will be taught mainly on an individual basis, with group discussion on major topics concerned with life modelling. The emphasis will be on practice with guidance.<p><strong>Materials and Equipment</strong></p><p>All materials required for the course are provided.</p><p>Please bring a sketchbook, pencils, and a pen for sketching and note-taking. A camera or smartphone is also useful for documenting your work throughout the course.</p><p><strong>What to Wear</strong></p><p>For safety reasons, please wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes—no sandals or open-toed footwear. We also recommend wearing old clothes or overalls, as some materials may stain or damage fabric.</p><p><strong>Health and Safety</strong></p><p>Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided and must be worn where required. This includes items such as facemasks when working with materials that may produce dust or fine particles.</p><p><strong>Firing and Collection of Work</strong></p><p>At the end of the course, your clay sculpture will be fired to transform it into ceramic. As the work must be completely dry before firing, this process can take several weeks.</p><p>Near the end of the course, your tutor will let you know the dates and times for collecting your finished sculpture from the studio. Please note that fired sculptures can be quite heavy, and City Lit is unable to post or deliver completed work.</p><p>The City Lit sculpture department offers a wide range of exciting courses that will allow you to progress from beginner to advanced and learn a range of techniques. After this course, you may wish to join a similar course to develop your skills further or try something completely different. We offer courses in prop making, metal, clay, carving in stone and wood, mould making and casting, and much more! Alternatively, you may wish to progress onto the year-long City Lit Sculpture course VU841, which helps you build your individual sculpture practice.</p><p> </p><p>Please ask your tutor for advice, browse the City Lit website for inspiration, or contact our visual arts team by emailing visualarts@citylit.ac.uk or calling 0203 880 2415 Monday - Friday, 11 am - 4 pm. </p><p><br/>The in-person information desk (at our Keeley Street campus) is open Monday - Friday from 12 pm - 1:55 pm &amp; 3 pm - 5 pm. In-person enrolment is supported Monday - Friday from 10:30 am -12 pm &amp; 3 pm -5 pm. General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday between 12:00 - 13:55 &amp; 15:00 - 17:00. In-person enrolment is supported Monday - Friday between 10:30 - 12:00 &amp; 15:00 - 17:00</p>Ceramics & sculptureCarving & modellingconfigurable
