Visual Arts
Whether you are new to visual arts or have some experience, we have a range of courses for you in which you will enjoy learning.
It may be learning to paint for the first time or you may be renewing your skills, wanting to make your own prints, ceramics, visualise your interior design ideas or develop your creative writing we have a course for you.
We even have a course to help you use social media to promote what you do. You will be taught to use a range of excellent resources by our friendly and highly skilled team.
A taste of some of the courses on offer:
- Creative Digital Skills: Promote and Sell
- Introduction to Interior Design - Beginners
- Creative Writing - Beginners
- Basic Drawing - Beginners
- Art - Mixed Media - All Levels
- Painting and Drawing - All Levels
- Printmaking - Beginners
- Screen Printing on Paper and Fabric - Beginners
- Screen Printing and Batik on Fabric - Beginners
- Screen Printing and Printmaking – Beginners
- Pottery and Ceramics - Beginners
For learners with some existing knowledge and skills there are courses for you too. Progress by joining one of our more all levels* or advanced courses:
- Creative Digital Skills: Promote and Sell
- Interior Design - Intermediate - E-Learning
- Creative Writing - All Levels
- Creative Writing - Advanced - E-Learning
- Oil Painting - All Levels - E-Learning
- Figure Drawing - All Levels
- Painting and Drawing - Intermediate
- Painting and Drawing - Intermediate - E-Learning
- Improve Your Painting and Drawing - Intermediate - E-Learning
- Printmaking - All Levels
- Pottery and Ceramics – All Levels
- Printmaking Workshop - Advanced
- Ceramics Workshop - Advanced
How to enrol
Find out how to how to enrol.
*All Levels courses are a mix of learners of all levels including beginners and advanced learners. Advanced learners may be working on individual projects, developing more advanced skills and techniques.
Whatever your level you will be taught by highly skilled fashion practitioners and supported by a range of excellent resources.
For a more in-depth look at our courses see our Visual Arts courses page.
Our Courses
An in-depth look at the range of courses we offer in visual arts.
Meet the Team
Our tutors in visual arts have a wealth of experience and expertise in their field.
Facilities
We have excellent ceramics and print studios at the Shadwell Centre.
Creative Writing Learner Success Story
Ciara O'Neill explains how the Idea Store Learning Creative Writing course changed her life.
Visual Arts Learn Online Resources
You can have access to many visual arts resources with Idea Store. We have magazines, books and more to take your learning outside the class room.
Intermediate level drawing and painting class
The class is taught by Lead Tutor Hanelle Levine and the theme for the terms work was the Arctic and Antarctic and drew inspiration from the BBC series “Frozen Planet”.
In the first three sessions the students drew and coloured creatures who are resident at the North and South Poles, working with black and white and coloured chalk pastels.
Two sessions focussed on drawing portraits of the explorers from “ Heroic age of Exploration” including Scott and Shackleton from the UK and also Amundsen and Nansen from Norway. The students practised the “trois crayons “ technique.
Other sessions included research about indigenous peoples of the Polar regions ; the Inuit and the Sami ; exploring the artworks of several renown Norwegian artists such as Kittelson, Salhberg and Astrup .The term ended with the students practising work with palette knives and impasto techniques and creating paintings of Mountains.
Inspired by De Morgan
Visual arts learners working in collaboration with the De Morgan Foundation have produced some wonderful art works. View the work of the painting and drawing learners in response to a creative brief given by Hanelle Levine, Lead Tutor Visual Arts and displayed at the invitation of Sarah Hardy, curator of the De Morgan Foundation.
Student Painting and Drawing Work
A short video highlighting some of the Painting and drawing class work.