Honor Bathurst, Drawing Year 2023

"On The Drawing Year I learned some patience, and to trust in the process of repeatedly responding to observation and materials. There were moments of confusion, frustration, and exhaustion, but this was balanced by constant discovery, and I left the year with a lot more confidence in my creative ability.

I was surprised by how much I learned from my peers on the course. I was continuously moved and inspired by their work, and the variety of everyone’s approaches to drawing encouraged me to work in many different ways.

Thanks to an exchange program between the Drawing school and the Rhode Island School of Design, I was able to take part in the ‘Drawing Marathon’ 5 week residency at RISD, in the US. It was an amazing opportunity to have an intensive learning experience in a different art school context and push my drawing practice even further on the back of the Drawing Year. "

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Oliver Hoffmeister, Drawing Year 2023

“During the Drawing Year I learned to accept failure and to trust in my own intuition […] It’s part of the process of making good art and until you accept it, the work you make isn’t going to develop. The fact the course isn’t graded really allowed me to experiment and fail, and that’s something I really needed.

I have never lived somewhere with such an amazing and busy art scene, there are so many shows on all the time, its impossible to see them all though I did try. There is just so much to do and you get a great sense of the city whilst on the course as you’re bouncing around the city to go from one out of house class to another.

With so many Masters courses being inaccessibly expensive, I doubt that I would’ve been able to develop my practice in the meaningful way that I have, if not for The Drawing Year remaining free whilst also providing a studio space. It is truly making art education accessible to everyone that it can.”

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Jesse Ajilore, Drawing Year 2023

"The community has probably been my biggest takeaway from the year. It was an amazing and educational experience to be surrounded by so many artists, and especially ones that loved drawing.

I was surprised by how different each tutor is. I think all of us this year had wildly different experiences based on the courses that we picked each term. Some tutors might completely disagree on the same topic and it's up to you to decide how to feel about it. I wasn't really expecting it!

I was lucky enough to win the Jack Goldhill Drawing Prize at the End of Year Exhibition, and that has allowed me to take some extra courses and specialise in what it is I want to do."

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Dani Trew, Drawing Year 2023

“My life has been completely transformed by doing The Drawing Year! I’m currently working toward group shows and a solo show later on this year, which makes me feel like I might actually be able develop my practice professionally.

I started the year doing highly detailed, small, monochrome drawings, which weren’t connected to anything that deep, and I’ve left making large-scale colourful images, that narrate internal tensions, and which feel far more like ‘me’ than anything else I was doing before.

“You leave the course with a readymade community that will endure – I’m now sharing a studio with two classmates and go for regular gallery days and openings with others."

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Application for The Drawing Year close of 3 April 2024

Find out more and apply