Royal Drawing School

Drawing from life. For life.

Welcome to the Royal Drawing School. We are an artist-led, not-for-profit, home of observational drawing. The place to learn to draw, discover emerging artists, and advance the practice of drawing.
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The Drawing Year

Applications open

The Drawing Year is a full-scholarship, postgraduate-level course offering artists and creatives a transformative year dedicated to developing their drawing practice. Find out more on one of our open days.

Sign up to an open day
Drawing Year in the studio

…my drawings pre-empt all of my other works; I don’t really know how or why but they do and there’s a process of trust and intuition which is part of the process of drawing... I’m learning how to go with that, to take a line for a walk, take myself on a journey with the materials—to even be free of myself."

Bharti Kher

25 leading artists and creatives on drawing
Body Incantatory by Bharti Kerr

Body Incantatory 16

Bharti Kher

Inspire

Our Drawing Year students create hundreds of drawings each year. Explore our archive and be inspired...

Explore over 2500 artworks
Dad

Dad

Leggy Gordon

Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival, St Paul's Church Covent Garden

Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival, St Paul's Church Covent Garden

Sophie Charalambous

Willow Tree in Spring

Willow Tree in Spring

Viola Wang

Nervous Speaker

Nervous Speaker

Jack Shearing

Series 2

Series 2

Anna Hawley Jarman

Sitting eating crying

Sitting eating crying

Sara Anstis

Boy in Blue Bedroom

Boy in Blue Bedroom

Beth Rodway

Baked Beans

Baked Beans

Katie Whitford

About us

We are the independent, artist-led and not-for-profit home of observational drawing. We exist to ensure artists and creatives everywhere can access world-leading skills-based drawing tuition regardless of background, age or circumstances; to bring new audiences to drawing; to champion our practice for this generation and the next.

Learn more
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Support our next 25 years

As a charity, we believe everyone, whatever their financial circumstance, should be able to access our teaching. That’s why all our courses come with a wide range of bursaries and scholarships. Help us sustain and grow these programmes over the next 25 years.

Donate
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