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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I made this work as an expression of a sensation I began to feel at the edges of my hand as I made observational drawings of 243 of London’s most endangered birds, bats, fish, fungi, plants, amphibians, and mammals. While drawing I began to feel the resonance between the distribution of cells and arteries in my hand with that of the fish scales, leaf veins, and bird feathers of my more-than-human neighbours. I felt a new porosity between my form and theirs, an extension of the idea of self, beyond the perimeter of my skin and through the greater network of the biosphere that sustains all human and other-than-human life.

Es Devlin

Drawing Dialogues: 25th anniversary series of talks with artists and creatives
Es Devlin_Redraw the Edges of Yourself

Redraw the Edges of Yourself, 2022. Mixed media, 60.9 x 15.4 x 85.4cm.⁠

Es Devlin

The course is great if you feel like you want to challenge your current way of working, find your way of working, or do lots of experimentation. During the year, you’ll encounter lots of different references, artists, and perspectives. If you embrace that, you will lose some perfectionism and find a more honest voice about what it is you want to make.

Maria Fraaije

Online Drawing Development Year' 25

Learn more about Online Drawing Development Year
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Marking 25 years

From Antony Gormley to Tracey Emin – 25 leading artists and creatives share how drawing informs their practice.

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Bharti Kerr_Body Incantatory 16-min

Body Incantatory 16

Bharti Kher

David Hockney_Cut Trees - TImber copy-1

Cut Trees - Timber

David Hockney

Frank Bowling_NORBERT LYNTON_963_acrylic on paper_50.2 x 34.2 cm_Courtesy the artist_Photographed by Anna Arca_Front-min

Norbert Lynton

Frank Bowling

Cornelia Parker_Bullet Drawing (Crosshairs)-1

Bullet Drawing

Cornelia Parker

Tracey Emin - Because you left - I held on-2

Because you left - I held on

Tracey Emin

Rufus Wainwright_Untitled 2

Kate number one

Rufus Wainwright

Catherine Goodman_Untitled

Primordial Landscape

Catherine Goodman

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.

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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.

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