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.
Filters
- Drawing: colour pastel techniques
Course start date: Tue 1 Jul 2025 (and 4 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterExplore the versatility and rich colours of this beautiful drawing and painting medium. Through practical exercises, discover its potential to create a variety of surface effects and its suitability for sketching and outdoor colour work.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Life drawing for beginners Course start date: Thu 3 Jul 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Luke JonesThis short course is a great introduction to drawing directly from the nude model, both male and female. Using simple excercises, 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 £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Try it out: calligraphy Course start date: Sat 12 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ivo GrantinsFancy having a go at this beautiful art form? This short weekend course will introduce you to the fundamental principles of lettering and calligraphy. Focussing on broad edged script, you will use different pens and nibs, and leave having completed your own sample.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £179.00 - Create a short film in a weekend Course start date: Sat 12 Jul 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lyndon IvesLearn how to script, storyboard, shoot, edit and export a short film in this fun and fast paced introduction to film making.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £189.00 - Try it out: mosaics Course start date: Wed 16 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa BensonThis course is an opportunity to try doing some mosaics and get a feel for this popular craft. - Printmaking weekend: handmade prints Course start date: Sat 19 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosey PrinceLearn some exciting, low tech printmaking techniques to equip you with skills so you can easily make prints at home without the use of specialist equipment. - Try it out: jewellery making weekend Course start date: Sat 19 Jul 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rae DuncanAimed at beginners or those wanting a refresher. Join this action packed weekend to make a pendant and silver ring. Implementing fundamental jewellery making techniques, you will gain the basic skills you need to make simple jewellery in metal.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Introduction to clothes making Course start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Silvia SacrestanoLearn how to make your own clothes. This beginner's course will teach you how to use the sewing machine, as well as basic sewing techniques and processes. Start by sampling, then construct a simple garment.Full fee £379.00 Senior fee £303.00 Concession £246.00 - Introduction to jewellery making Course start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise Seijen Ten HoornDiscover metal jewellery making techniques to create a piece of jewellery. You will be introduced to the basic processes of forging, texturing, soldering and cutting out shapes in metal. You will learn how to create a ring to the correct finger size.Full fee £379.00 Senior fee £303.00 Concession £246.00 - Sketchup Pro: fast track Course start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Nicholas WilliamsonLearn to visualise and model interior spaces and 3D forms on this fast track course. Skills in this user friendly and affordable software is invaluable for Interior designers, Garden designers and Set designers who wish to improve their presentations. The software works on both PC or Mac.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Explore printmaking Course start date: Wed 30 Jul 2025 (and 5 other dates)
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 £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00 - Drawing for beginners Course start date: Tue 8 Jul 2025 (and 13 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrea VoiseyExplore traditional and less traditional methods of drawing simple objects. Using structured activities, you will be introduced to key concepts such as line, tone, composition and mark making. Ideal if you have little or no drawing experience; a great way to learn the basics or prepare for longer courses.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £139.00 - Appraising jewellery and gemstones Course start date: Sat 26 Jul 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Judith Crowe, Derek JhinnooWish you knew more about the jewellery you were buying, or could value the heirlooms in your drawer? Join this fascinating two-day course to learn how to appraise gem set jewellery and stones. Explore precious metals, hallmarking, common gemstones found in jewellery and how to identify antique pieces, and bring your own jewellery for assessment by the tutor.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Introduction to prop making for film, TV, theatre and display Course start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterLearn a range of sculptural techniques that are used in the ever expanding film, TV and theatre prop making industry. Explore a range of sculpting and casting methods and fabricating techniques, and experiment with materials.Full fee £479.00 Senior fee £383.00 Concession £311.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list