Our pick of London’s best creative courses and workshops this autumn from ceramics to cookery:
Evening Life Drawing with The Royal Drawing School
What: 10-week life drawing courses for everyone from beginners to professional artists. Study a different model each week in both long and short poses, using different mediums and paper sizes under the guidance of a tutor.
Where: The Royal Drawing School, Shoreditch Studios, 19-22 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3SG
When: 24 September – 30 November 2018, Monday to Friday evenings from 6.30-9pm,
Book: £195 for 10 weeks, royaldrawingschool.org
Pleasures of Illustration at The House of Illustration
What: 4-week illustration courses for all levels. These sell out quickly so book now for November’s Pleasures of Illustration, a gentle introduction to illustration where you’ll learn about drawing, typography, printmaking and pop-up from award-winning illustrator, Merlin Strangeway.
Where: The House of Illustration, 2 Granary Square, King’s Cross, N1C 4BH
When: Thursday evenings from 9 – 29 November 2018, 7-9.30pm
Book: £175 for 4 weeks, houseofillustration.org.uk
Pasta Masterclass at Petersham Nurseries Deli, Covent Garden
What? Petersham Nurseries’ new space in Covent Garden offers a program of incredibly popular workshops – the series of Christmas wreath classes in December has already sold out! Sign up now for an evening pasta class at the delicatessen and learn to make fresh pasta from scratch, as well as a number of Italian sauces and take it home for supper afterwards.
Where: Petersham Nurseries Delicatessen, 27 King Street, WC2E 8JD
When: Selected evenings September – December, 6.30-8pm
Book: £60, petershamnurseries.com
Ceramics Course with The Kiln Rooms
What: 12-week courses for beginners and intermediates curious about ceramics. Learn the basic techniques of moulding, throwing, decorating and glazing and then develop your own project or idea with the help of an expert teacher.
Where: Bellenden Road Studio and Peckham Levels
When: Morning courses 10am-1pm, evening courses 6pm-9pm or 6.30-9.30pm. Evening courses are currently sold out but sign up to the waiting list by emailing courses@thekilnrooms.com.
Book: £280 for 12 weeks (excluding materials, £5 per 1kg of fired pot), thekilnrooms.com
Write and Shine Creative Writing Workshops
What: 90-minute creative writing classes first thing in the morning, led by writer Gemma Seltzer. We’ve long been fans of Write and Shine, having attended one of her first workshops back in 2015. This autumn why not sign up as a member and commit to one morning session per week; the idea is that you harness the creative energy of the morning and create new writing in many forms.
Where: Selected central London locations including The Cafe at Waterstones, Piccadilly, Westminster Quaker Meeting House, Leicester Square, Syrup of Soot, Bloomsbury and Rooftop Kitchen, Marylebone.
When: 1 September – 30 November 2018, 7.15 – 9am or 9 – 10.45am.
Book: £129 for access to each week’s morning writing workshop as well as five self-guided online courses. write-and-shine.com
Autumn School at The School of Life
What: The best of the School of Life in a 5-day intensive course. Delve deeper into your existence considering the bigger questions like how to make relationships last, how to identify professional talent and succeed in the workplace and how to manage anxiety, regret and shame. Curious? Drop in to the School of Life’s Open Day on Saturday 15 September – a free day-long celebration in honour of its 10-year anniversary where you can meet the faculty and get a taster with free talks and drop-in workshops all day.
Where: 70 Marchmont Street, WC1N 1AB
When: 10 – 14 October 2018, 9.40am – 5pm
Book: £950 theschooloflife.com
Create a WordPress Website at The Fashion and Textile Museum
What: 2-week Saturday course to teach you how to build your own website – whether for a business, blog or personal portfolio. Specially for beginners learn to configure your site, create pages and posts, upload images and videos and apply themes. Illustrator and Photoshop courses also on offer.
Where: Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF
When: Saturday 20 and 27 October 2018, 10.30am – 4pm
Book: £180 (or £144 when booked before 23 September 2018), ftmlondon
Paper Marbling
What: Half-day workshops that teach you the art of paper marbling. Artist and bookbinder Lucy McGrath, founder of Marmor Paperie will lead you through the process and you’ll leave the class with 16-20 papers – homemade Christmas wrapping anyone?
Where: Marmor Paperie, Studio 105, Cockpit Arts, 18-22 Creekside, SE8 3DZ
When: Saturday mornings 10am-1.30pm on 29 September, 20 October, 10 November 2018
Book: £50, marmorpaperie.co.uk
