Open Studio

Open Studio Courses

The Glasgow School of Art's Open Studio offers a wide variety of day, weekend and evening courses for adults and young people; whether you’re looking to try your hand at a new creative hobby, hone your existing skills, or put together a portfolio for art school application.

Short courses for adults and young people

Our short courses for adults run over several weeks during semester time, allowing you to carefully develop your work in a highly creative studio environment at an appropriate pace. Like our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, Open Studio spans the visual creative disciplines, with courses in painting, drawing, jewellery, textiles, illustration, sculpture and much, much more. All of our courses are taught by professional artists, designers and practitioners, who encourage students to continue their work between sessions, meaning you will learn how to develop a lifetime creative practice as well as the core specifics of your chosen subject.

During summer, we offer week-long courses, with the chance to immerse yourself in a new creative skill, or to develop your existing practice. There’s something for every skill level, with courses at introductory, intermediate and advanced levels.

Open Studio also offers weekend classes for children and young people, taught with the same care and expertise as our adult courses. Our Young Creatives programme is suitable for ages 7-15, and includes courses in drawing, painting, sculpture and more. We have a range of flexible timings built around public school holidays, and offer a range of bursaries to help make extra-carricular study in the creative arts as accessible as possible for young people in Glasgow.

Find out more and book classes here

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Young Creatives Summer School Bursaries

 Explore a creative subject at The Glasgow School of Art with guidance from specialist artist and designer tutors. Choose from printmaking, photography, drawing and painting, or sketchbooks.

Courses run between 29 June to 17 July 2026. Each lasts five days (Monday to Friday), with a choice of sessions in the morning (10am to 12.30pm) or afternoon (1.30pm to 4pm). Young people can take up to two courses, with the option to attend both a morning and afternoon course on the same day, including a break for lunch, for a full-day experience.

All courses are free and include tuition, materials, equipment, and travel support where needed. Supported by the Leverhulme Young Creatives Summer School Bursaries.

Click here to view all eligibility criteria and further information, Register for the courses using this form.

Visit the Leverhulme website.

Sketchbooks‍

Develop your ideas and grow a collection of mixed-media works in a sketchbook or visual diary. You will draw from observation and imagination, add notes, stories, and inspiration images, and sample colours and new materials. Your sketchbook will be tailored to your interests, whether you are a future fashion designer, illustrator or architect.

Drawing & Painting

Use different techniques in wet and dry media and learn what approaches work best for you. Explore mark-making, collage, colour, abstraction, using reference imagery, observing from life, and using interesting and unexpected surfaces to draw and paint on.

Photography

Capture your world and tell stories using digital cameras, instant cameras, and printers. Play with your photographs through collage, zines and image-transfers onto different surfaces, and learn how to use sunlight or experimental chemistry to make unique photoart. 

Printmaking

Design bold and colourful 2D imagery using stamps, screens, presses, Gelli-plates, lino blocks and found materials like leaves, packaging and Lego. You will apply designs to posters, fabric, paper, or any surface you can experiment with. 

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