The Drawing Year
One-year postgraduate-level course | No fees | Free studio space - Application deadline: 2 April 2025
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Overview
The Drawing Year is a full scholarship postgraduate-level course offering up to thirty students the opportunity to focus on drawing from observation for one year. There are no tuition fees for The Drawing Year – all students are awarded a full scholarship and receive a free studio space.
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Structure
Courses at the Royal Drawing School are divided into three main areas: Drawing in the Studio, Drawing from Art and Drawing London. The programme is full time and made up of three taught ten-week terms, and a final self-directed studio term culminating in an end of year show and open studios. As well as taught classes every week, students attend a Wednesday Core Programme day, evening forums and lectures, alongside personal studio practice days.
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Facilities
Our Shoreditch campus is located in a converted warehouse at the heart of East London’s art, design and fashion district. There are two spacious, well-lit drawing studios on the top floor, a fully-equipped intaglio print studio, a reference art library, and a ground floor multipurpose studios and large exhibitions space. Individual studios for Drawing Year students are situated at Space Studios in Hackney, a short journey from the Royal Drawing School.
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Applications
Applicants for The Drawing Year will usually have completed a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art or a related subject, but this is not essential. Places are awarded based on portfolio and interview. Applicants are expected to show a strong portfolio of work demonstrating a commitment to drawing and a level of artistic professionalism appropriate for study at postgraduate level. Applications for The Drawing Year 2025-26 are open.
Faculty
Jonathan Farr
"I applied to the Drawing Year because I needed to shake up the way I was drawing. Having been drawing largely on my own for years, I wanted to be with a group of artists who were similarly interested in drawing from observation."
"Using the most limited of means, drawing offers some of the most demanding opportunities for growth to a contemporary artist, both visually and intellectually, allowing a free transition between mediums."
From the blog
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June 20, 2024Drawn Together | Supporting Emerging Artists
Drawn Together: Royal Drawing School Summer Show 2024 is now open! -
March 20, 2024Keziah Philipps: Sir Denis Mahon Award 2024
Keziah Philipps is a multidisciplinary artist who studied on the Royal Drawing School’s postgraduate programme, The Drawing Year, and is the 2023-24 recipient of the Sir Denis Mahon Award. …
March 1, 2024Hear from Drawing Year graduates
The application deadline for The Drawing Year is 3 April 2024. Are you thinking about applying? Hear from some of our past students about their experience of the course...
Dec. 11, 2023Buying an Artwork
The Drawing Year 2023 End of Year Exhibition sees our Shoreditch gallery filled with over 400 drawings and works on paper by our graduating students. All works in the …