Art School Live
Livestreamed and on demand practical sessions for schools
Book now
The National Gallery is introducing a series of online practical art sessions for schools led by artist educators.
Sessions are live but can be paused or have a delayed start to accommodate lesson times.
Teachers will have access to a recording of the session following the workshop.
Sessions will be hosted on Vimeo, and a link will be sent in the preceding week.
Missed a session? You can still request a link to catch up.
Prices
UK schools: Free
Overseas schools: Free
What to expect?
- One-hour livestream art class delivered by two Artist Educators
- The use of Padlet to share work with other schools in real time
- Receive supporting resources with suggestions of further exploration
- List of materials also shared once you have booked your ticket
How to book
To sign up or catch up on a session you missed please email [email protected] with 'Art School Live' in the subject line.
Please include the following details in your email:
- School name
- School post code
- Lead teacher name
- Lead teacher email
- Year group(s) attending session
- Number of classes attending
- Approximate number of students
Available sessions are outlined below:
Upcoming sessions
Image: Detail from Joseph Wright ‘of Derby’, 'An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump', 1768
March
Date and time: Tuesday, 3 March 2026, 2-3 pm (and then on demand)
NG Art School Live: Wright of Derby - The shadow laboratory
Age: KS2 & 3 (suggested)
About:
Explore how light can transform a scene, then design and learn how to use a shadow box that brings a miniature world to life.
Image: Detail from George Stubbs, 'Whistlejacket', about 1762
April
Date and time: Friday, 24 April 2026, 10.30 – 11.30 am (and then on demand)
NG Art School Live: Stubbs - The horse in motion
Age: KS4 & 5 (suggested)
About:
Sketch the horse anatomy from our anatomical models, before creating a wire or foil armature to build on.
Image: Canaletto: 'A Regatta on the Grand Canal', about 1740
June
Date and time: Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 10.30 - 11.30 am (and then on demand)
NG Art School Live: Canaletto: Colour and celebration
Age: KS1 & 2 (suggested)
About:
Inspired by the colourful festival in this year’s Take One Picture painting, create decorative patterns reflecting boats, flags and festive details.
July
Date and time: Tuesday, 14 July 2026, 10.30 - 11.30 am (and then on demand)
NG Art School Live: Zurbarán: Reimagining still life
Age: KS2 & 3 (suggested)
About:
Explore how still life compositions are arranged, then reimagine your drawings through collage.
Watch previous sessions
January
Date and time: 20 January, 2-3pm
NG Art School Live: Viewpoints and Gaze
Age: KS4 & 5 (Suggested)
About:
In this exciting session working with two life models, learn how viewpoints and the gaze affect the way we read stories into portraiture. Our interactive workshop will take inspiration from the National Gallery’s collection, as well as contemporary artists. The models will create poses we can draw from to help reveal how artists use different angles, reflections and compositions in portraits to convey complex relationships between the painting’s subject and the viewer.
This session is designed to introduce practical approaches you can take away and develop further in the classroom.
Your tutors: Joanna Conybeare and William Goldsmith
December
Date and time: 2 December, 10.30-11.30am
NG Art School Live: Patterns that take shape
Age: KS1 & 2 (Suggested)
About: In this pattern-inspired session, we explore paintings by the French artist Paul Cezanne, who worked in a meticulous way building up planes of colour and repetitive brushstrokes to construct an image. Together, we look closely at his use of colour, shape and negative space, and consider how these can inform our own creative practice.
We then turn to the vibrant work of Henri Matisse, focusing on his stained-glass windows and ceramic tiles. Taking inspiration from his playful technique of 'drawing with scissors', we experiment with collage, patternmaking and the idea of working in series.
As part of the workshop, each participant will construct a concertina booklet, which will be used to gather drawings and ideas before being reimagined in 3D through cutting, folding and construction.
The session is designed to introduce practical approaches that can be taken away and developed further in the classroom.
Your tutors: Alex Bowie and Bethan Durie
November
Date and time: 4 November 2025 10.30-11.30am
NG Art School Live: Duccio: Sculptural spaces
Age: KS2 & KS3 (Suggested)
About: In this creative session we explore Duccio’s painted spaces and, following British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro’s lead, create our own sculptural spaces. Using everyday materials, we transform flat pieces into imaginative 3D environments, taking shapes, spaces and gestures from Duccio’s compositions.
Your tutors: Bethan Durie and Emily Motto
October
Date and time: 16 October 2025, 10.30-11.30am
NG Art School Live: Mark making and colour, Radical Harmonies
Age: KS3 & KS4 (Suggested)
About: Delve into the mark-making and colour explorations of the Neo-Impressionists. In this interactive workshop, we take inspiration from the graphic works featured in our Radical Harmony exhibition. Together, we uncover some of the drawing techniques that shaped the Neo-Impressionist revolution in painting.
The session begins by creating monochrome studies, focusing on line, tone, and form. From there, students progress into colour, experimenting with different ways to build up a series of expressive works. Along the way, we reference George Seurat’s striking monochrome figurative drawings, as well as the vibrant, dynamic pieces of Henry van de Velde and Johan Thorn Prikker.
This session is designed to introduce practical approaches you can take away and develop further in the classroom.
Your tutors: Joanna Conybeare and Bethan Durie