Things to do · Arts and crafts
Go to a life drawing class
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Drawing a person from life, in poses that last from a few seconds to twenty minutes, trains your eye faster than almost anything else. Evening classes and drop-in sessions run in cities and towns on both sides of the Atlantic, and most supply the paper and charcoal.
GentleUnder £100 / $130A few weeksIndoorsWith othersUK and US
Someone who has done it
These are real people who did this, as reported by the outlets named. We opened each one before linking it. None of them is connected with this site.
What it's really like
A class usually begins with very short poses, often called gesture poses, before the model holds longer ones. One studio's guide tells students to expect poses from several seconds up to 20 minutes, with a break of 10 to 15 minutes about halfway through. Most classes draw with pencil, chunky graphite or charcoal.
The honest hard part is the first evening. A London school's guide says that at first you may be drawing stick figures and struggling to see any likeness, and that drawing from life can feel daunting if you have never done it. It also says life models are professionals, and a Seattle studio's etiquette sheet says almost all studio etiquette rests on respect for the model.
Ways in, side by side
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| City Lit, London | Beginners' courses, evening and weekend | Life drawing for beginners £249, or £199 senior; after-work courses from £179 |
| Royal Drawing School, London | Tuesday evening course, 2½ hours a week, a different model each week; charcoal, easels, boards and paper provided | See the school's page |
| Lauderdale House, London | Five Monday evenings, two hours each, for new and experienced students | £135 (£27 a session) |
| Art Students League, New York | Uninstructed open sessions with a model; supplies not provided | $15 for the weekday early-evening sketch, $18 on Friday evenings, $22 at weekends; up to three visits before the $100 yearly registration |
Many towns have their own drop-in sessions at arts centres and colleges. Ask whether materials are provided before you go: some classes supply paper and charcoal, others expect you to bring everything.
How to start
- Find a beginners' class or a drop-in session near you, such as City Lit in London or the Art Students League in New York.
- Check whether paper, charcoal and boards are provided, and buy what is not.
- Arrive early for your first session and expect quick warm-up poses before longer ones.
Where to go
- City Lit: beginners' life drawing and portraiture courses (London) UK
- Royal Drawing School: evening life drawing (London) UK
- Art Students League of New York: open sessions US
We opened these links on 7 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need to be able to draw to go to life drawing?
No. City Lit runs courses at beginners' level, and Lauderdale House's course is open to new and experienced students alike.
What should I bring to a life drawing class?
It depends on the class. The Royal Drawing School provides charcoal, paper, easels and boards; Lauderdale House asks you to bring charcoal, soft pencils and a putty rubber, and sells paper in class.
How long is a life drawing session?
Usually two to three hours: two at Lauderdale House, two and a half at the Royal Drawing School, and up to three and three-quarter hours at the Art Students League at weekends.
Is it awkward drawing a nude model?
A London school's guide says life models are professionals and a good teacher puts nerves at rest quickly; a Seattle studio says etiquette rests on respect for the model.
Where this comes from: City Lit, Beginners life drawing and portraiture courses; Royal Drawing School, Fact sheet: Tuesday evening life drawing, autumn 2026; Lauderdale House, Life drawing five-week evening course; Art Students League of New York, Open sessions; City Academy, What to expect in a beginners life drawing class (2021); Gage Academy of Art, Life room etiquette. Opened 7 November 2026.
Read next
“Education has no expiration”: Virginia Ordaz and her mother finished their degrees in the same class
How a retired fire dispatcher from Stockton, California, finished the degree she started in 1989, and how her mother finished hers more than 40 years after her last class. How to find out what your own old credits are worth, in the US and the UK.
Sixty paper hats on a table in Bridlington: David Smith and the shape mathematicians had sought for decades
David Smith of Bridlington, a hobbyist with no training in mathematics, found 'the hat': the first single shape known to cover a flat surface only in patterns that never repeat. How he found it, why he could not prove it alone, and the free tools that let you put the same tiles on your own table.