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.
- Introduction to graphic design
Course start date: Wed 17 Sep 2025 (and 5 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pam WilliamsGraphic Design is everywhere; in our books, magazines, and newspapers. Emblazoning packaging at the corner shop to the mall. On our screens- phones, TVs, computers and tablets.
In this introductory course, learn how to use image and type to communicate your messages and ideas through a variety of different ways.
Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Drawing from plants and flowers Course start date: Mon 23 Jun 2025 (and 5 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro Sylvester, Steve WrightExplore the delicacy and beauty of plants and flowers through the medium of drawing. Respond to their structural qualities and colours, using a range of media and taking inspiration from a rich and varied history of the subject. Suitable for all levels of experience.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Cyanotype printmaking in a day Course start date: Thu 26 Jun 2025 (and 8 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Adam HogarthCyanotype is a photographic printing process which produces a beautiful deep blue print from a variety of artwork, including drawings, photographs, physical objects or combinations of all of these. All levels welcome.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00 - Explore your creativity Course start date: Thu 26 Jun 2025 (and 3 other dates)
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 £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00 - 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 15 Jan 2026 (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 £219.00 Senior fee £175.00 Concession £142.00 - 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. - 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: Fri 20 Feb 2026 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louise Seijen Ten HoornIntroduction 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 - 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 - Introduction to sculpture Course start date: Mon 4 Aug 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Belinda Edwards, David Field, Andrew Revell, Ro SylvesterThe ultimate introduction to sculpture at City Lit. In each class of this five-day hands-on course you will be introduced to a different sculptural technique and material, by a tutor who is a specialist in that area. This will provide you with a showcase of our sculpture facilities and teaching talent at City Lit. This course is perfect for beginners who want to try out a range of sculptural processes, perhaps to find your area of interest for further study.Full fee £399.00 Senior fee £319.00 Concession £259.00 - Design your own garden intensive Course start date: Mon 4 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterTransform your garden and explore design and plant selection techniques tailored to your space. Discover how to improve your garden with professional, practical garden design solutions and tips to maximise the potential of your site. - Try it out calligraphy: modern copperplate Course start date: Mon 8 Sep 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Veiko KespersaksThis short workshop will guide you through the basics of Modern Copperplate Calligraphy, as influenced by historical copperplate handwriting. Once the artform of expert craftsman, calligraphy is now a popular artistic outlet, flexible enough to reflect the personality, style, and creativity of every individual – everyone can learn it and have a lot of fun while doing so! Suitable for left-handers and right-handers. - Drawing 1 Course start date: Thu 22 May 2025 (and 10 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brian SayersAn introduction to drawing from observation through a carefully structured approach in a studio environment. Suitable for beginners.Full fee £429.00 Senior fee £343.00 Concession £279.00
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