Brighton is infamous for being a bohemian hotspot of the creativity, with a fittingly vast array of courses on offer in the city for those interested in nurturing their artistic side. These local workshops and courses are a great way to learn new skills and techniques, meet likeminded creative people and gain some artistic inspiration, whichever craft interests you. From ceramics, printing and life drawing through to painting, sewing or sculpture there is class available in the city to suit everyone. This list runs through our picks for the top 6 creative courses Brighton has to offer.
Pottery Gagliano
Established and run by passionate Italian ceramicist Roberto Galgliano, the Gagliano Pottery Studio offers wheel-based and hand-built ceramics classes for all abilities; from complete beginners all the way through to advanced level students. Based in the Rhodus on Hollingdean road, the workshop runs both structured classes and a pay-as-you-go open studio facility. The 9 week courses are great for first-timers and run through all the fundamentals of making, decorating and finishing ceramics, while the open studio is perfect for those with busy schedules and a bit of experience, but need to come and go whenever is convenient.
Location: 16-30 Hollingdean Road, Brighton, BN2 4AA
Price Range: £130-£320 Open Studio- £12 p/h
Sew in Brighton
Whether you want to make cushion covers, alter clothes or practice appliqué and embroidery, Sew in Brighton is a cute, kitsch and friendly workshop to learn and improve your sewing skills. Courses on offer include making Dungarees in a day, crochet for beginners, a ‘replicate your clothes’ workshop and even Hen party activities! You can also bring along your own projects if you have something in particular you want to make. Open to any level of ability, Sew in Brighton is perfect for those who have never touched a sewing machine before, equally catering for competent sewers who want to expand their skills under the guidance of a helpful tutor. Why not try their 1 to 1 classes to really get to know your stuff?
Location: The Sewing Lounge, 18 Kingsway House, 134-140 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2DL
Price Range: Various, see website
Evolution Arts
Evolution Arts has been a hub for creativity and learning for over 15 years. A non-profit educational organisation, Evolution are dedicated to building a vibrant community of people passionate about wellbeing and creativity. Most of their courses take place in their own premises on Western road but they also organise admission to other courses around Brighton and Hove. The variety of classes on offer is vast; covering everything from arts and crafts through to yoga, mindfulness and live performance.
Location: 2 Sillwood Terrace, Brighton & Hove, East Sussex BN1 2LR
Price Range: Various, see website
Phoenix Arts
Phoenix arts is the largest artist-led arts organisation in the south-east of England and houses over one hundred artist studios. It hosts galleries, art events and educational programmes. Their art courses are all taught by professional artists, ranging from drawing painting and mixed media, through to jewellery making, sculpture and the digital arts. Depending on how much time you have to spare, courses range from one-day weekend courses to ten-week intensive courses.
Location: 10–14 Waterloo Place, Brighton BN2 9NB
Price Range: £40 – £200
bip-Art
Bip art is a printmaking workshop offering an extensive range of traditional printmaking courses. The classes on offer cover a variety of different mediums and techniques, including zinc plate lithography, etching, fabric printing and wood engraving. The featured woodcut, lino and vinyl printing course is a fun and immediate way to create prints using the studios’ impressive 19th century traditional, hand pulled Colombian & Albion presses (a workout for the arms as well as the mind!).
Location: 1A Arundel Mews, Arundel Place, Kemptown, Brighton, BN2 1GG
Price Range: Various, see website
Sussex County Arts Club
Tucked away within Brighton’s historic lanes, the Sussex county arts club is a hidden Brighton Gem. It was formed in 1944 by a group of disaffected artists from The Brighton Arts Club who were unhappy about their policy of not allowing female members and is still housed in the same premises today. It is also, bizarrely, home to the oldest working toilet in Brighton and Hove! Running regular classes in life drawing, painting, costume and sculpture the club is open to both amateur and professional artists.
Location: 3 Bond Street Cottages, Bond Street, Brighton, BN1 1RP
Price Range: £8 – £10
