Beginners courses in art & design
City Lit is the perfect place to try your hand at art & design in a fun and welcoming environment with courses taught by practicing artists.
Whether you want to explore fine art, contemporary crafts or digital art, we have the course for you. Our range of introductory art courses are open to everyone.
Located in the heart of central London, our dedicated studios for jewellery, ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, digital arts and photography will provide all the facilities you need to start your next creative adventure.
- Life drawing for beginners
Course start date: Thu 22 Jan 2026 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Henry Gibbons GuyThis short course is a great introduction to drawing directly from the nude model, both male and female. Using simple exercises, you will explore different ways to represent the human form in drawing, with encouraging, helpful guidance from an experienced tutor. Suitable for absolute beginners.
Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - Photography for beginners Course start date: Mon 26 Jan 2026 (and 8 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Holly FalconerAlways wondered what half the buttons on your camera actually do? Discover how to use them properly and produce impressive photographs, even as a complete beginner. Gain useful technical knowledge and get expert creative guidance in easy-to-understand language. An ideal first step before enrolling on our intermediate courses.Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Introduction to illustration Course start date: Wed 28 Jan 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Adam Graff, Maya WildThis course is an introduction to the practical and conceptual skills integral to the discipline of Illustration. Learn about the movements and styles which have shaped the field of Illustration over the years, and how to find your place there.
Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Introduction to photography Course start date: Wed 28 Jan 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Dominic HarrisDiscover the basics of photography to improve your photographs and impress your friends. Learn about shutter speed, aperture, photo composition, light and taking pictures in different environments. This course is perfect for complete beginners or for learning new skills. Please take this course before enrolling on our intermediate courses.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - Art and creative thinking with Rod Judkins Course start date: Sun 1 Feb 2026 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rod JudkinsArt is fundamentally about communicating ideas. If the idea is strong, the work of art is memorable.
This exciting, one day workshop, led by Rod Judkins (artist, tutor and author of ‘The art of Creative thinking’ and ‘Ideas are your only currency’) will explore methods to create ideas and concepts and combine them with the process of making. You will receive a signed copy of Art and Creative Thinking when you attend this course.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Textiles: experimental hand stitch Course start date: Tue 3 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Amarjeet NandhraA contemporary approach to hand stitching and embroidery exploring a variety of traditional stitches and techniques. Create experimental and expressive samples using traditional and non-traditional materials.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Draw, paint, print Course start date: Thu 12 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Mary WintourThis lively, hands-on course celebrates experimentation and encourages you to discover your own creative voice. Explore a wide range of art techniques and working methods to collate a personal collection of work.
Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Introduction to children's book illustration Course start date: Thu 12 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tim Ellis, Ciara FloodThis course is an introduction to the practical, as well as conceptual skills integral to the discipline of Children’s Book Illustration.
Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Try it out: garden design Course start date: Sat 14 Feb 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterGet a taste of how you can improve your outside spaces. In this online workshop you will learn how to assess an outside space and complete a short exercise in garden design planning. A great preparation for our range of beginners garden design courses.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - Explore printmaking Course start date: Sun 15 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Esther HeyhoeCome 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 £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £89.00 - Japanese woodcut printmaking Course start date: Thu 19 Feb 2026 (and 3 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 £339.00 Senior fee £271.00 Concession £220.00 - Introduction to jewellery making Course start date: Fri 20 Feb 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rebecca IlettIntroduction to metal jewellery making techniques such as forging, texturing and soldering, cutting out shapes in sheet metal and twisting wire. You will explore how to create a ring to the correct finger size and how to add decoration like a stone or a kinetic element. You will create at least one wearable piece of jewellery on this course.Full fee £289.00 Senior fee £231.00 Concession £188.00 - Create a short film in a weekend Course start date: Sat 21 Feb 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David KlineLearn how to script, storyboard, shoot, edit and export a short film in this fun and fast paced introduction to film making.Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £209.00 Concession £209.00 - Painting from plants and flowers Course start date: Mon 23 Feb 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sisetta ZapponeExplore a variety of creative approaches for painting flowers from observation. Discover the rich history of this genre while taking inspiration from artists who use flowers as their subject matter.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Explore your creativity Course start date: Tue 24 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterTap into your artistic talents through a series of fun practical exercises that will help you start drawing, painting, looking at art, responding to the world around you and working with your imagination and ideas.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00
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