We currently run our classes and workshops in Bromley, Purley, South Croydon, Wallington, Caterham and Oxted. Plus we have branches in Birmingham, Oxford, Leicester and Reigate. If none of those is near you, drop us a line! We're working on ways to spread the Art For Life joy further afield.

Our All Abilities course is 10 sessions long (3 hours once a week with a half term break). Our Intro to Art course is 5 sessions long (2.5 hours once a week for 5 weeks). If you can’t commit to a regular class though, we do offer workshops and art evenings which are one - off sessions for anybody to attend, and suitable for complete beginners.

Our All Abilities course is for total beginners who haven't picked up a paintbrush since school, through to intermediate and more experienced artists who want to get some extra tuition from a professional artist or just enjoy making art in the company of others.

The 5-week course covers the theory (with a series of exercises to help you learn the elements and principles of art) and the 10-week course is more practical (learning new skills and creating a piece of art each week under the guidance of our tutors). The 'All Abilities' students cover a new curriculum each term to ensure they're always learning something new as well as improving on skills they already know. Both courses are suitable for total beginners so it's up to you which one you choose... however we only run the 5-week course occasionally, so its location and start date is often the deciding factor!

Each week is a stand-alone lesson so you won't be behind if you miss one, and your tutor will give you the paperwork you missed when you're back. However, if you're on our 10-week course we do have a range of days, times and locations available. So you're welcome to attend a different class if you can't make your regular one on any given week. If you're going to miss several classes (eg for a longer holiday or operation) please contact Alison or Michael.

Each class starts with a warm-up to help you learn or practice a particular skill. One of our tutors will then demonstrate how to go about making an artwork using the skills you've just learnt. We come round the class throughout the rest of the lesson to give everyone 1-to-1 support and suggestions to improve their work. We don't do 'painting by numbers' - we think it's better to give you the skills and confidence you need to make your own artistic choices and develop your own style.

Each term our team of tutors creates a new curriculum that will enable you to learn a wide range of artistic skills, and build on what you know from term to term. You'll create a new project in each lesson, covering subjects such as architecture, still life, landscapes, portraiture and animals. Once you've mastered the skills and techniques required, you'll be able to tackle any subject matter in any medium!

You'll not just learn how to use a variety of mediums, but how to get the best out of each one. The main ones we cover are graphite, pens, charcoal, pastels, watercolour, gouache and acrylics. We also encourage you to create mixed media pieces, perhaps incorporating some collage into an acrylic painting for example, or using oil pastels with watercolour. (Please note, it's not possible to cover oil painting in our courses due to the fumes and the long drying times, but we do run oil painting workshops.)

Unfortunately we don't offer taster sessions, but you're welcome to watch our student feedback video to gain an understanding of what we do. You could also attend one of our workshops to get to know us and experience a bit of arty fun! But we can assure you, nobody has ever given up on one of our courses. Our tutors are knowledgeable, friendly, and brilliant at putting people at ease.

The cost of the 'Intro' and 'All Abilities' courses are £195 and £375 respectively which includes all materials and paper, tuition, insurance, refreshments, some really useful course notes and a folder to keep them in, plus free entry for you and your guests at our Annual Charity Exhibition. You will also be given access to the exclusive Student Hub on our website, where you will find lots of useful and interesting information.

At the moment, our courses run during the daytime, Monday to Friday. However, we run Art Evenings on Fridays, plus Saturday workshops and brunches. They all come under the category of 'workshops'.

We run a range of different workshops throughout the year, giving you a chance to have a go at something you might not cover in our main courses because it requires specialist equipment or a smaller group. These include linocut printing, oil painting, acrylic pouring, clay shaping and life drawing. We'd love to hear from you if you have a particular skill or medium you'd like to learn. If there's enough demand, we'll run a workshop on it!

Yes! We have our fabulous Art For Life Academy, which runs courses during the school holidays. Please check out our 'Kids' page for more details.

We're not a franchise, but we do sell our course materials to other art classes and tutors around the country. They find it a great help not to have to start their lesson planning from scratch, and they love being part of our friendly and supportive collective. If you'd like to know more, please get in touch with Alison.

Of course! You can give Alison a call to talk through any questions or worries you have. She's often in the classes during term time, so please leave her a message and she'll call you back. Alternatively you can email Alison or Michael on hello@artforlife.uk.