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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These drawings are hard to talk about. I made them after I’d been ill and was still recovering—they document what happened and were made in a frenzy. Making these works made the unbearable bearable to me—I could put it outside myself. By drawing what happened, I could live with it.

Chantal Joffe

Book now for 25th anniversary free talks – including Chantal Joffe, Grayson Perry & Es Devlin
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Pictures of What I Did Not See 12, 2019. Pastel, oil stick and pencil on paper, 42 x 59.4cm. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro

Chantal Joffe

Digital Studio

Connect with our tutors through the Digital Studio - our live-streamed 1- and 2-hour drawing sessions filmed directly from our studios. Using dynamic lighting, multiple camera angles, professional models and creative set-ups, these sessions offer a unique approach to observational drawing that’s only possible online. The 1-hour lunchtime life drawing sessions or more in-depth themed 2-hour evening classes run every Monday until 10 November. Single sessions and multi-passes available.

Find out more
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Marking 25 years

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

View all artworks and insights
Bharti Kerr_Body Incantatory 16-min

Body Incantatory 16

Bharti Kher

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Cut Trees - Timber

David Hockney

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Norbert Lynton

Frank Bowling

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Bullet Drawing

Cornelia Parker

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

Because you left - I held on

Tracey Emin

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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.

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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