Experimental Environments: Drawing a World in Flux
- Life Drawing
- Drawing from Imagination

Course details
Dates
18 September – 20 November 2025
Times
10:00 – 17:00
Duration
10 sessions
Fees
£478.00 Concessions available
Location
Shoreditch studios
Overview
On this course we will pay homage to world cultures and environments through evocative scenes, improvisational poses and experimental drawing. Students will be encouraged to improvise by combining materials such as pigment, charcoal, pastels, inks and water to develop a cache of marks in their practice; some sessions may take students out of the studio to find experimental materials and inspiration.
Central to each session is finding the focus to create, by considering how our immediate environment influences our artistry, and how we might expand our repertoire of techniques, subjects and motifs by imaginatively engaging with worlds beyond our immediate senses. Students will explore the human form through figurative drawing with a life model, while also exploring how ambient sound and light filters through our senses to inform abstract shapes, textures, and narratives in our drawings.
Visual artists like Ingrid Pollard, Greta Bratescu, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Max Ernst may serve as a beginning to our references.
Who is it for
Artists, creatives and image-makers of all levels welcome, including beginners.
What’s provided
For studio courses, easels, drawing boards, charcoal, newsprint and masking tape are provided in the studios for free. There is an added paper fee included at the time of booking which covers the use of cartridge and watercolour paper that is provided in the studios. Any other materials you would like to use please bring with you; we will send out a suggested material list before the start of your course.
What to bring
- Drawing Pencils
- Conté Crayons
- Pastels
- Ink Pens
- Coloured Pencils
- Putty and Hard Erasers
- Pencil Sharpener
- Sketchbook
Concessions
We offer a range of discounts. To apply, email admin@royaldrawingschool.org with the required proof. Please wait for confirmation before booking.
Available discounts
- NHS Staff: 20%
Send a photo of your NHS staff badge. - Full-time Fine Art BA Students: 75%
Students on design or applied arts degrees may also be eligible. Send your student ID and proof of enrolment. - Primary and Secondary Art Teachers: 50%
Send a letter from your headteacher or head of art department. - Jobseekers: 50%
Send a recent DWP or JobCentre Plus letter confirming you receive Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit (if out of work). Appointment booklets are not accepted. - Disability Benefit Recipients: 50%
Send proof that you currently receive this allowance. - Tower Hamlets and Hackney Residents: 25% (Shoreditch courses only)
Send a copy of your most recent council tax bill. - Tower Hamlets and Hackney Businesses: 25% (Shoreditch courses only)
Send a staff ID, business card or a letter from your line manager. - Over 60s: 10%
Send a photo ID as proof of age. - Alumni: Postgraduate Programme or Foundation Year: 50% off short courses
Online Drawing Development Year: 50% off online short courses
Before you apply
- Documents must be dated within the last 6 months (or 12 months for council tax)
- Your name must be clearly visible
- Accepted file formats: PDF, JPG, DOC or DOCX
All our courses are subsidised.
Tutors