Key Information
- • Dedicated studio space within our historic central London Art School
- • Teaching from practising artists and designers, supported by specialist technicians
- • Small-group teaching and individual tutorial support
- • Access to specialist workshops, facilities and technical expertise
- • Opportunities to explore processes including drawing, painting, printmaking, darkroom photography, digital practice, ceramics, casting, metalwork and glass
- • Contextual Studies programme including gallery and museum visits, selected screenings and visiting artist lectures
- • Support with UCAS applications, portfolio development and preparation for progression.
- • Opportunities to engage with the wider Art School community through social events and student-led skill-sharing sessions
- • Regular life drawing sessions in our dedicated drawing studio
- • UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
You will explore a broad range of art and design disciplines, materials and processes through directed practical projects and workshops. You will develop your visual language alongside skills in research, contextual awareness and reflection and evaluation, helping you identify your interests and strengths.
Building on your experience in Unit 1, you will begin to define your creative direction and develop a more focused specialist practice. Through projects, research and practical experimentation, you will develop your ideas, technical skills and understanding of your chosen area.
The final unit gives you greater independence and culminates in a self-directed final project. You will initiate, research, develop, realise and evaluate your own project within your chosen area of practice, with final work presented as part of the end-of-year exhibition.
The Foundation Show at the end of the course is a high point of the Art School’s year and is a time to celebrate your achievements during the course. Students and staff collaborate on the preparation, curation and hanging of the show and this experience is an important part of the course. The Foundation Show is advertised and open to the general public with a lively private view and prize-giving for your friends and family.
Studio tutorials enable you to review your progress and offer you advice on all matters relating to your plans for the future including: choice of subject and further courses, applications and interviews, preparation of portfolios and writing of personal statements.
In addition to more formal recorded tutorial sessions informal tutorials take place on a regular basis and you will be encouraged to make use of the full range of tutors available in your specialist area.
We provide a supportive and nurturing environment where students are encouraged to take creative risks, build confidence and become increasingly independent. Teaching is led by experienced tutors who are also practising artists and designers, bringing professional perspectives to the course.
Learning takes place through practical projects and workshops, demonstrations, seminars, lectures, group discussions and critiques, alongside visiting artist talks and off-site visits.
As the year progresses, students take greater ownership of their work, developing the independence to shape and sustain their own creative practice.
Each student has a dedicated personal tutor and regular individual tutorials, providing guidance on their creative development, progress and future direction.
The Foundation Diploma prepares students for progression to degree-level study across a wide range of art and design disciplines, as well as other pathways within the creative industries. Students receive guidance throughout the year to help identify courses and opportunities that reflect their individual interests and ambitions.
Support includes advice on course choices and UCAS applications, portfolio preparation and interview practice, helping students present their work confidently and prepare for the next stage of their creative development.