All newcomers who sign up for the regular term (10 weeks)*, no matter their level, take the Foundation Course. It covers the fundamentals of drawing and painting and introduces you to the school’s methodology.

You may find some elements of the training familiar, others less so. However, in our experience, everyone benefits from completing the Foundation Course as it ensures that we all share the same terminology and arrive more efficiently at the desired end.

The Foundation Course is very suitable for the complete beginner. It is designed to give students a thorough introduction to the craft of drawing and painting. Newcomers are grouped together and as far as possible stay as a cohort throughout their formal training.

Instruction is given through 1:1 critiques as well as demonstrations. Students are also encouraged to observe their peers and learn from those around them. You can read about one student’s experience in our journal.

Ultimately our aim is to provide the best instruction in an environment that is conducive to your learning.

Our Studios teach courses to adults mainly, we accept students as young as 15 although parental consent is needed.

There is no average age, students come to us from across the professional spectrum or others have recently left school and consider their training with us as the equivalent of a BA. Others, young professionals for example, are juggling their time at the Studios with a regular job. In some cases it marks a change of career and the return to an original love of painting and drawing.

There are also those who see their study as a precious bubble in an otherwise chaotic week. They cannot dedicate more than a morning, afternoon or evening but nonetheless are serious about their commitment and desire to improve. Equally, some are retired and choose to invest their time in fine art training.

The core Foundation Course consists of one class a week. There are a number of times to choose from, however once you have selected the time that best works for you, you should stick to that schedule.

Foundation times as follows:
Mondays – 9.45am -12.45pm, 1.30pm – 4.30pm or 6.30pm – 9.15pm
Tuesdays – 9.45am -12.45pm, 1.30pm – 4.30pm or 6.30pm – 9.15pm
Saturdays – 9.45am -12.45pm and 1.30pm – 4.30pm

If you sign up to one day or more at the Studios then you will be able to follow other classes alongside the Foundation module. This will include Cast Drawing, Still Life and Figure depending on the amount of time you sign up to.

Portraiture will be incorporated in the second or third terms depending on your progress and interests.

For the short courses and workshops we do not require students to have completed the Foundation Course. Instead we ensure that part of the first day is spent reviewing the fundamentals in order for you to effectively move forward.

There is a 5-day Foundation Course in October and a 5-day Foundation Course in July and December.

In July there are four weeks of consecutive courses, either taken individually or as a full month. The beauty of signing up to the month is that you benefit from a very thorough and layered education in the different disciplines of drawing and painting.

The Foundation Course provides a fantastic overview of the fundamentals of drawing and painting, but it also shows you how much more there is to learn! In the words of Aristotle: ‘The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.’

Having completed the 10-week Foundation in the first term, in the second term you will focus on the chiaroscuro and oil painting components of the Foundation Course. By honing your drawing skills and mastering the question of values, the transition to painting will be much smoother and your long term development stronger and more consistent.

If you have been with us for a term but undertaken more than the 10 week Foundation Course you will continue with life and cast work with the option to enrol on Portrait, Figure, Still life, Landscape and/or Sculpture.

We encourage all students to discuss their progress with their tutor so as to determine what are the best next steps in their training.

For those who have completed the 10-week Foundation module there are a number of other classes to choose from as you gain in skill and confidence.

Still Life – this class focuses more intently on composition and colour theories. Students learn the application of paint using alla prima / direct painting techniques before advancing to glazing.

Figure – all students work from the life model. Exercises range from short exercises to sustained poses working both in charcoal and oils.

Gesture & Anatomy – this course breaks down the human anatomy into parts and plains so as to better communicate form, movement and intention through your drawing.

Portraiture – students work in either charcoal or oils and working from the life model, students apply their understanding of the fundamentals to the portrait model.

Landscape – this involves a full day out in the parks each week. You will learn to deal with the swiftly changing conditions and light as you compose and capture the scene using direct painting techniques and glazing.

Sculpture – beginners and advanced levels available. Students will work in clay beginning with studies of plaster casts and progressing to figure and/or portrait from the life model. They will learn to build armature and work with texture.

As a beginner and newcomer to the Studios students will work in charcoal for the best part of the first term. By week 6 or 7 (out of 10) they will start to work in oils.

However there is no obligation to make the transition so soon. Many students choose to carry on with drawing and some of our most accomplished artists spend two years working exclusively in charcoal before moving to oil paints. It is certainly true that the better your drawing skills, the easier it is to learn to paint.

It is also possible to work in pastels and pen and ink. Charcoal, pastels and oil paints are all sold in the Studios’ art store, Lavender Hill Colours. If you are keen to work in other mediums our teachers will happily advise you, even if it is not something that will be developed in the studio itself.

We try to be as accommodating as possible but we cannot offer the option of a taster class. This is because one three-hour session is not illustrative of the course as a whole. We encourage you to visit the school, which will give you a good idea of our ethos and method. 

We understand that our students lead busy lives and for this reason we try to be as accommodating as possible. We do ask that you limit your catch-ups to 2 a term.

Students are asked to email us to organise and confirm the catch-up time. Unfortunately, under no circumstances is it possible to carry classes over from one term to the next.

We receive applications on a rolling basis. This means that you do not have to wait until September to join our courses. You can commit to a course for a term and then modify your timetable from one term to the next.

Once you are on the course you are given first refusal for the following term, this is to say that your space is reserved for you until we hear otherwise. However, given the demand for our courses, we ask that you let us know your plans sooner rather than later.

Places that are not confirmed by the end of term will be given up to those on the waiting list.

If you are unable to return for the consecutive term but intend to come back in the future you will be able to resume where you left off without having to complete the Foundation Course – unless you choose to do so.

We encourage all those wishing to enrol on one of our courses to organise a time to visit, particularly those wanting to join full time. Visits are by appointment only, Monday to Friday, 10.30am or 2.30pm. To set-up a time please email: info@londonfineartstudios.com

By taking the time to look around the school you will gain an insight into the atmosphere, the community and most importantly the method. It also allows us to understand your motivation and goals as well as to address any outstanding questions you may have.

We do not believe in an arduous selection process, it is more important to us that you have the discipline to attend your classes and arrive on time, putting in the hard work where it is most needed, which is the best way to progress.

The Studios offer a range of courses and expert tuition at very affordable rates. All fees need to be settled, in their entirety, before the start of the course.

Written notification is required to cancel a course. If you cancel more than one calendar month before the start of the course, you will be entitled to a full refund of the amount you have paid in relation to the cancelled course, less an administration charge of £80. If you cancel more than 14 days before the start of the course, you will be entitled to a refund of 50% of the amount you have paid so far, less an administration charge of £80. If you cancel 14 days or less before the start of the course or after the start of the course, you will not be entitled to any refund.

Fees, as with classes, cannot be carried over from one term to the next.

The duration and intensity of study will depend entirely on your personal objectives: is it a hobby or a career path, full time or part time? With this in mind you will be able to decide what the benchmarks for your time with us are.

There is no absolute point at which you finish training and become professional. Instead you will find that the balance between school and personal studio time gradually shifts as you take on commissions and projects. Suddenly you will find that you have too much demand and not enough time!

Either way you will always find a supportive peer group and staff around you to help resolve some of the questions and uncertainties you may encounter.

London Fine Art Studios is an independent organisation not accredited by a national scheme or affiliated to a university. For this reason we do not offer an official certification or qualification.

Our focus is on providing the best possible training and support to our students, clear practical instruction and exposure to professional networks. The fact that we are endorsed by the de Laszlo Foundation amongst other galleries and museums is testament to the quality of work we do.

The atelier technique is an age-old tradition, artists like Sargent spent some of their most formative years in an atelier, learning alongside masters and developing their expertise through hard work and constant practice. You can read more about the atelier method and philosophy here.

In an atelier the tutor will work alongside the students so that they can learn through observation and critiques. It also means that the tutor will apply practical skills to the particular challenges of the exercise rather than relying solely on theory.

Tuition also comprises 1:1 critiques, which are regularly offered over the course of a three-hour class. The small group size (maximum 12) allows for plenty of valuable teacher-student time; it also ensures that everyone can benefit from the demonstrations. These demonstrations are another important and distinguishing feature of our style at LFAS.

London Fine Art Studios is committed to teaching the concrete skills that are the bedrock of drawing and painting.

Art materials are not included in the cost of the course.

All the supplies are sold in our art shop, Lavender Hill Colours, as well as online. Founder, Scott Pohlschmidt sources the finest products from around the world, which we offer to students at subsidised prices. We advise buying from the Studio shop so that we know you have the best products at the most affordable prices.

We regularly hold materials workshops and encourage students to attend as it gives them valuable and necessary knowledge on materials such as what to use, when and to what effect. Please check our website for the latest updates on courses and workshops.

To begin with you will need charcoal, knead eraser and a chamois. We provide the brown paper at the start. Then you will use more textured paper and by the end of the first term you will be using a limited colour palette of oils. Starter painting kits are on sale in our shop and online, here.

If you already have materials you are welcome to bring them with you and our teachers will advise where and if you need to supplement them.

London Fine Art Studios is situated in the Battersea Business Centre on Lavender Hill. Buses (No. 87, 77, 156, 345) stop just outside the blue entrance gates and we are walking distance from Clapham Junction Railway Station (15 mins) or Clapham Common Tube Station (20 mins).

For those who are spending the day at the Studios, lunch is from 12:45-1:30pm.You are welcome to bring food with you and eat in the common room where you will also find lockers, fridge, kettle and microwave.

There are also many nearby convenience stores and cafés where you can buy lunch, including a myriad of coffee shops eat-in or take away.

There is always a break at some stage in the class and you can buy your finest coffee or tea from us at the shop. Filter water is also available.

The Studios will warm up over the course of three hours, however you may find it slightly chilly first thing in the morning.The best solution is to layer up. Do bear in mind that drawing and painting is a messy business so wear comfortable clothes that you aren’t worried about getting dirty, the same for your shoes. Standing up all day is no fun if your feet are hurting or cold.

If you are landscape painting then you will need even more layers, you would be surprised how cool a sunny spring day can feel when you are standing still for long stretches of time.

There are lockers in the common room where you are welcome to keep your materials. Students tend to claim one at the beginning of term and bring a padlock to keep their belongings safe. There is also a space for portfolios.

Students are asked to take all their work and belongings away with them at the end of term as the space is invariably used for short courses and other events throughout the year. Anything left behind at the end of term is either donated to charity, thrown in the bin or gessoed!