Online Drawing Development Year FAQs
Q. What is an online drawing class like?
Our online courses are taught live over Zoom and replicate a studio environment as far as possible. Tutors interact with groups of students and one-to-one with maximum class sizes of 20. We also use Padlet, a platform on which students can access resources and share their work. Daytime courses run from 10am–5pm GMT/UTC and evening courses run from 6pm–9pm GMT/UTC. These classes are available to book on to individually if you would like to try online learning before committing to a full year.
Q. I don’t have a BA in Fine Art. Can I still apply?
Yes, the course is designed for arts graduates, people in the creative industries, or anyone who has a developing studio practice and feels they would benefit from a year of intensive drawing tuition and mentoring. This is not a course for anyone new to drawing.
Q. I don’t have a UK passport or live in the UK, Can I still apply?
Yes, the benefit of the course being delivered online is that anyone from across the UK and around the world can now access courses at the School without needing a visa to study, and from anywhere with an internet connection. Please note that courses are taught live and are not available as video recordings post-class, so students will need to take into consideration the difference in time-zone from the UK (GMT/UTC) and their own location. Courses are also taught in English and so an intermediate level of English is recommended.
Q. How do I apply to the course?
We require you to complete an online application form, including a 500 word statement about your current practice and submit a digital portfolio by the application deadline.
Your digital portfolio must consist of
- 10 drawings
- 10 artworks
Images should be saved as jpegs, no larger than 200dpi and maximum 4MB per image. Please ensure images are of good quality.
Animators may submit short video files or a combination of video and 2D images of work within their Additional Works. Please limit each video file to 2 minutes/8MB.
Every image must be labelled in the following way
Title of Work_Dimensions_Medium.jpeg
i.e. Untitled_25x25_CharcoalOnPaper.jpeg
(dimensions should be calculated in centimetres)
Q. How are applications assessed?
After the application deadline, every application and portfolio is reviewed by a panel of practising artists. There is no interview element to the application process, the decision is based solely on your application statement and digital portfolio.
Q. When can I expect to hear about my application?
After the application deadline, you can expect to hear from us within one month.
Q. Do you give feedback on applications?
We are unable to offer feedback on individual applications. This is common practice across most of the UK’s major art schools.
Q. I wasn’t accepted onto Online Drawing Development Year. Can I still take classes at the school?
Yes. All online classes (with the exception of the core programme classes) are open to the public, who pay to attend courses by term, with a large number of concessions available. The current class schedule is always available to view on the Public Courses page of our website. If you need help deciding which classes would benefit you, we would be happy to advise you.
Q. What qualification will I receive after finishing the year?
This is a highly structured course with tuition at postgraduate level but it is not accredited. This allows us flexibility in how the course is programmed and with the course content.
Q.Is this a fee paying course?
Yes, the fee for the year is £3980 and is paid in three instalments. A limited number of bursaries are available, to qualify applicants must be a recipient of either disability support, jobseekers allowance or an equivalent Universal Credit claimant and some extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis. These can be applied for once a place has been offered.
If you have further questions relating to the course or application process please don't hesitate to contact us at onlinedrawingdevelopment@royaldrawingschool.org