Art & design courses to boost your career
Turn your passion for art into a career with our range of 1-2 year courses in fine art, contemporary crafts and visual communication.
- City Lit pre-foundation courseCourse start date: Fri 17 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Simon English, Ute Kreyman, Marcus RichardsThis exciting and intensive course is a chance to develop key creative skills, methods and thinking in art and design, across 2D, 3D, life drawing and critical studies, to prepare you for entry to our UAL-validated, Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art & Design.Full fee £899.00 Senior fee £719.00 Concession £629.00 - City Lit fine art studioCourse start date: Sat 18 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
An opportunity for students on years 1 and 2 of the City Lit fine art course for increased access to studio time, for further development of their work in progress, and to work alongside students from all 3 years of the course, on alternate Saturdays throughout the term.Full fee £539.00 Senior fee £431.00 Concession £377.00 - Advance your life drawingCourse start date: Wed 29 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrea VoiseyA weekly, concentrated life-drawing session for learners studying on any of City Lit's advanced visual arts courses.Full fee £449.00 Senior fee £359.00 Concession £314.00 - Pre-Foundation: summer intensiveCourse start date: Tue 15 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Simon English, Ute Kreyman, Marcus RichardsThis exciting and intensive course is a chance to develop key creative skills, methods and thinking in art and design, across 2D and 3D materials and techniques, and critical studies, to prepare you for application and entry to our UAL-validated, Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art & Design.Full fee £599.00 Senior fee £479.00 Concession £419.00 - City Lit ceramicsCourse start date: Mon 15 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex SimpsonLearn a wide variety of techniques including throwing, handbuilding, decoration and glazing. Ideal for beginners to pottery or for those with some experience.
NOTE: Applications will be reviewed in May 2024.Full fee £3,999.00 Senior fee £3,199.00 Concession £2,599.00 - City Lit beginners' jewelleryCourse start date: Mon 15 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Noon MitchelhillEver wanted to try making your own jewellery but not sure where to start? Delve into this intricate and rewarding craft with our year long structured beginner's course. Pick up the basics in everything from research and design to technical skills including soldering, annealing, etching and stone setting. - City Lit ceramics workshopCourse start date: Mon 15 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alex SimpsonWorkshop in ceramics alongside students on VR710 City Lit ceramics.Full fee £3,099.00 Senior fee £2,479.00 Concession £2,014.00 - City Lit bookbindingCourse start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Kate RochesterStep into bookbinding with this three-term course. Learn essential techniques and develop skills in using tools and materials to produce your own work. A stimulating, challenging and comprehensive introduction for beginners.
Term 1 16/09/2025 – 21/10/2025 (half-term week 28/10) 04/11/2025 - 09/12/2025
Term 2 06/01/2026 – 10/02/2026 (half-term week 17/02) 24/02/2026 - 31/03/2026
Term 3 21/04/2026 – 19/05/2026 (half-term week 26/05) 02/06/2026 - 14/07/2026. - City Lit basketry course: advancedCourse start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John PageFor learners experienced in a wide range of basketry techniques, this is a new course to build develop your skills. You will be introduced to some new techniques and emphasis will be placed on self directed study and developing a personal portfolio of work. This course is suitable for those experienced in a wide range of basketry techniques and who have completed the City Lit basketry course or have equivalent skills.Full fee £1,749.00 Senior fee £1,399.00 Concession £1,224.00 - City Lit advanced jewelleryCourse start date: Tue 30 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rebecca IlettThis advanced course will refine your existing jewellery making and design skills, through sessions in the workshop and guided independent study tasks. With an ethos of ‘idea to product', developing your personal research, design and making approach, there will be structured modules and projects encouraging you to build on your technical skills, presentation, and professional practice. We will explore material, finish and construction, alongside professional practice methodologies such as drawing, prototyping, outsourcing, pricing, and selling. The course culminates with working towards the production of a final body of work. - Developing art practiceCourse start date: Sat 4 Oct 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Heidi WigmoreThis advanced course for developing and practicing artists consists of work-based seminars facilitated by peers and artist-tutors, giving you the opportunity to develop and present your work for critical discourse. The course includes individual tutorials and mentoring, critical investigation via group crits, visits to galleries and artist-run organisations, collaborative work and discussion and debate. This course is one of the eligible programmes for application to Bloomberg New Contemporaries.
The course will be delivered onsite.
This course requires an application prior to enrolment. Please click 'start assessment' to begin your application.Full fee £1,249.00 Senior fee £999.00 Concession £874.00 - City Lit fine art: year 1Course start date: Mon 6 Oct 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Steven ScottYear 1 of the City Lit Fine Art (CLFA) course will enable you to develop and refine your previous experience in Fine Art in workshops exploring different approaches to drawing, painting, sculpture, print, digital media, and contextual studies, in weekly studio sessions. You will be part of a small cohort of dedicated students and will be taught by experienced and professional tutors who are all practising artists.
The Year 1 course will give you experience in combining different studio processes relevant to current art practice. It will introduce new ideas and contexts, and help you identify your own personal creative responses. Group discussions and tutorials will support the development of your thinking and help you adopt an independent and open-minded approach to making artwork. This course can be taken for personal creative development and progression on to Year 2 of the CLFA course, or to help you prepare for application to Fine Art study at HE.level.
Some basic studio materials are provided, and you will need to supplement these with specific items.Full fee £2,399.00 Senior fee £1,919.00 Concession £1,679.00 - Advanced children's book illustration: professional practiceCourse start date: Tue 7 Oct 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dee ShulmanInterested in a career in Children’s Book Illustration, or advancing your practice to the next level? With the guidance and support of your tutors, you will have the opportunity to engage with experienced industry professionals, and develop your practice and personal visual vocabulary to a professional standard.
Visitors on previous years have included:
- Davinia Andrew-Lynch, Curtis Browne Agency
- Helen Chapman, Art director Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, Little Tiger Press, DK & Penguin
- Rebecca Garrill Art Director Andersen Press
- Margaret Hope, art director MacMillan Books
- Anne McNeill, Editorial director Random House and Penguin books
- Rachel Petty, former editorial director Macmillan Children's Books, currently author/illustrator agent at the Blair Partnership
- Arabella Stein, Managing Director, Bright Agency
- Millie Van Grutten RCW Literary Agency.Full fee £2,849.00 Senior fee £2,279.00 Concession £1,994.00 - Extended drawing for artists and makersCourse start date: Wed 8 Oct 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Claire HyndsA multi-disciplinary course that will help broaden your skills and experience. Record, imagine, visualise, transform,
narrate and develop through a series of practical projects. This exciting course is designed to help you place drawing at the centre of your chosen artistic discipline.
This course requires a pre-enrolment application. Please click 'Start Assessment' on the right-hand side of this page to start your application.Full fee £1,649.00 Senior fee £1,319.00 Concession £1,154.00
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