This engaging course invites students to delve into the vibrant world of abstract art with particular focus on the expressive potential of form, colour and texture. Each week will build on the last, developing your skills and inspiring you to expand your creative repertoire. Through a combination of practical exercises, artist studies, and personal experimentation, you will explore different abstract drawing and painting techniques, and develop your own visual language. Abstract Art at City Academy offers both structured guidance and the space for creative play and discovery.
What You’ll Learn
In this Abstract Art course you will:
- Core principles of abstract art, including composition, colour theory, and form
- Techniques for layering, mark-making, and building texture
- How to use mixed media in abstract drawing and painting
- Approaches to developing your own visual language and personal style
- How to analyse and draw inspiration from key abstract artists
- Methods for translating emotions and personal experiences into abstract work
- Ways to confidently move beyond realism and embrace expressive experimentation
- Practical skills for creating a cohesive series of abstract artworks
CLASSES STARTING SOON
| DATE | DAY | TIME (BST) | DURATION | TUTOR | VENUE | PRICE | BOOKING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Sep 2025 | Sat | 10:30-16:30 | 1 day | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £110.00 | Book Now Click the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
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| 6 Oct 2025 - 3 Nov 2025 | Mon | 18:15-20:45 | 5 weeks | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £225.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
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| 11 Jan 2026 | Sun | 10:30-16:30 | 1 day | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £110.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
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Benefits of Taking This Course
This course is designed to support both beginners and those looking to refine their abstract art practice. You'll build a strong foundation in key techniques while gaining the confidence to make bold creative choices and trust your artistic intuition. With hands-on guidance and structured sessions, you'll expand your creative repertoire, experiment with new materials, and develop a personal portfolio that reflects your growth and unique style.
The course fosters a supportive environment that encourages risk-taking, discovery, and creative play. You’ll also receive individual feedback from an experienced tutor and have the opportunity to connect with like-minded creatives, making it an inspiring and rewarding journey into the world of abstract art.
Course Content Breakdown: Techniques and Focus Areas
- Learn how to move beyond realism and explore abstraction as a creative language
- Understand how abstract art communicates through shape, gesture, and mark-making
- Engage in practical exercises that help deconstruct familiar imagery and reimagine it in abstract terms
- Discover the emotional power of colour and how to use it effectively in your work
- Explore colour relationships such as complementary, analogous, and triadic schemes
- Experiment with limited palettes to create mood, harmony, and contrast
- Use thick and thin layers of media to build up rich, varied surfaces
- Experiment with mark-making using brushes, palette knives, rags, sponges, and found tools
- Create tactile and visual texture with materials like gesso, collage, and impasto techniques
- Understand the building blocks of composition: space, rhythm, balance, and contrast
- Explore how to use scale, orientation, and cropping to shape your visual narrative
- Learn to simplify or complicate a piece for greater impact
- Combine various materials to generate unexpected and dynamic results
- Incorporate collage elements, stencils, and resist techniques into your work
- Learn the art of layering and reworking to build depth and complexity
- Use intuition and spontaneity as creative tools
- Engage in timed exercises and gestural drawing to loosen up and stay present
- Learn to let go of control and trust your instincts to guide the process
- Gain inspiration from key figures in abstraction such as Kandinsky, Rothko, de Kooning, and Frankenthaler
- Understand the development of abstract art through movements like Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, and Minimalism
- Explore the work of contemporary abstract artists and discover new sources of influence
- Identify recurring themes, marks, and colours in your work to develop a personal style
- Take part in reflective exercises and peer discussions to deepen your understanding of your practice
- Receive support in building confidence and continuing your creative journey beyond the course
City Academy's art studio has everything you need to get creative.
All materials, including paper, brushes and other art supplies, will be provided.
| DATE | DAY | TIME (BST) | DURATION | TUTOR | VENUE | PRICE | BOOKING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Sep 2025 | Sat | 10:30-16:30 | 1 day | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £110.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
|
| 6 Oct 2025 - 3 Nov 2025 | Mon | 18:15-20:45 | 5 weeks | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £225.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
|
| 11 Jan 2026 | Sun | 10:30-16:30 | 1 day | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £110.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
|
Select your Entry Level:
| DATE | DAY | TIME (BST) | DURATION | TUTOR | VENUE | PRICE | BOOKING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Sep 2025 | Sat | 10:30-16:30 | 1 day | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £110.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
|
| 6 Oct 2025 - 3 Nov 2025 | Mon | 18:15-20:45 | 5 weeks | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £225.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
|
| 11 Jan 2026 | Sun | 10:30-16:30 | 1 day | City Academy Art Tutors | City Academy, Farringdon | £110.00 | Book NowClick the gift icon to gift this course | Book Now Gift this courseClick the gift icon to gift this course |
|
Select your Entry Level:
All City Academy tutors are experienced professionals from theatre, film/TV and performance industries. So whilst they're training you they may also be rehearsing for a West End show or working on a movie. We like that and we do believe it makes a difference in class.
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