Who we are

The place to learn to draw.

Drawing is a primary language. It is a crucial route to innovation across the creative disciplines and beyond, from fashion, fine art and animation to filmmaking, product design and engineering.

Open to all / The Royal Drawing School runs over 350 different full and part-time drawing courses each year for adults and children of all ages and abilities. 

An independent charity / All our courses are heavily subsidised, with a wide range of scholarships, bursaries and concessions making them accessible to all, regardless of background or circumstance. 

Scholarship programmes / Alongside our public courses we offer a postgraduate-level programme in drawing, fully-funded international artists' residencies and places on our Young Artists programme for 10-18 year-olds with an aptitude for drawing.

Distinguished drawing faculty / Our courses are taught by a specialist faculty of over 75 practising artists, and we are committed to the continued training of future teachers of drawing.

Studios / We operate from our main campus in Shoreditch, East London and we also collaborate with a number of institutions including The National Gallery, The British Museum and the Royal Academy.

Read more about our programmes


Drawing helps you to put your thoughts in order. It can make you think in different ways. David Hockney