Join individual modules on our Diploma in Visual Communication Design!

visual language

1 October to 5 November 2026

£691

The Visual language module takes you back to the basic principles and practices of visual communication design. You will explore how colour, composition, signs and symbols, form and scale are used to communicate meaning and emotion. These workshops are hands-on, non-digital, interactive and fun. You’ll be introduced to and explore working with visual semiotics and the Gestalt principles of visual perception. 

typography

12 November to 17 December 2026

£691

Explore the classifications and character of typography alongside the history of typographic design and printing. You’ll experiment with found type and develop an understanding of typographic hierarchy and layout. Throughout the module you will design your own typeface and digitise it. Practical workshops in this module will include screen-printing and letterpress / wood-block printing.

image

7 January to 11 February 2027

£691

Explore visual communication through a variety of image making techniques, including analogue photography, collage, mono-printing and you’ll take on a live industry design brief in a collaboration with local businesses and organisations. The module will culminate in an interim exhibition / show, which students are invited to design and curate at the School.

design society nature

18 February to 25 March 2027

£691

This dedicated Design Society Nature module focusses on socially and environmentally engaged design. Students will bring together elements of previous practice modules and engage with contemporary debates and pressing issues.

with Roy Eastland

Drawing is the art of making meaningful traces. In this course, students will progress through drawing exercises, demonstrations and individual feedback, developing new skills in observation, imagination and drawing.

This course is structured around short drawing exercises, demonstrations of technique and individual and group tuition. Over eight weeks, students will be exposed to new techniques, develop new skills, and come to understand their own ways of drawing and how these drawings can become art. 

By the end, students will have created a body of drawings, gained greater understanding of observational and drawing techniques, and deepened their own artistic voice.

who is it for?

This course is for anyone with an interest in beginners who find this subject difficult but want more than just a how-to guide; artists using other mediums who want to explore drawing more deeply.

what should I bring?

Charcoal, paper, drawing boards and easels will be provided.

when is it?

6 October - 24 November 2027, Tuesdays 10pm to 1pm.

where is it?

This course takes place on the second floor of our building. We unfortunately do not currently have lift access to these floors, and students will need to take 2 flights of stairs to attend the course.

Roy Eastland is an artist and drawing teacher whose work explores themes of human presence, memory and trace. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art (1996), he is the winner of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Portrait Prize and the SGFA Small Works Award. He has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows, including the BP Portrait Award, Jerwood Drawing Prize, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize and Turner Contemporary. His professional practice includes teaching engagements at the V&A and UCA Rochester, with work held in public collections such as The Young Gallery Salisbury and Edinburgh College of Art.

with Lisa Hawkins

Join Lisa for an opportunity for exploratory, informal nature painting in the amazing Windmill Community Garden. Bring sketchbook, paint, pencils, charcoal, collage materials and whatever else you want to use and find a space in the gardens. Lisa will offer feedback, advice and suggest exercises to push your creative practice and encourage you to look closely at the world around you.

who is it for?

Beginner, more experienced, advanced: this workshop is for anyone interested in looking closely at the natural world, trying new techniques and getting useful, informal feedback.

what should I bring?

Sketchbooks, paper, drawing materials, paint, scraps — whatever you want.

when is it?

Friday 28 August 2026, 10am to 1pm

where is it?

This course takes place in Windmill Community Gardens. Please enter and follow the path, and Lisa or another School staff member will meet you at their office.

with Lisa Hawkins

Many artists are apprehensive approaching oil painting, believing there are secret skills that need to be mastered. Join us on this four-day, intensive course at The Margate School of Art to grow your confidence and master the art of oil painting.

Whether you’ve never used oils before, or want to deepen your understanding of the medium, over two weekends this course will help you to understand how you can develop your own creative language through oils.

who is it for?

This course is for anyone with an interest in oil painting, whether you are a complete beginner or want to develop your practice further.

what should I bring?

Bring your oil paints, non-toxic solvent for cleaning and thinning paint, and a ground of your choosing: canvas, primed board or primed paper. A list of suggested items will be sent prior to the start of the course.

when is it?

Saturday 5 & Sunday 6; Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 September 2026, 10am to 1pm.

where is it?

This course takes place in our gallery space. This is an accessible space, but please make us aware of any mobility needs as staff may need to assist with the doors to our old building.

Lisa Hawkins is a painter whose work explores place, memory and colour. She holds a BA (Hons) and MA in Fine Art from Canterbury Christ Church University, where she won the Sidney Cooper Painting Prize, as well as an MA in Mysticism, Cosmology and the Sacred. She has exhibited at the Sydney Cooper Gallery, Pie Factory, Lilford Gallery and TMS. As well as teaching at TMS, she has taught at Kent Adult Education and The Garden Gate Project in Broadstairs.

with Roy Eastland

This 4-day, intensive course gives students the opportunity to focus on one of the most challenging and expressive subjects in art: the human head. Moving away from step-by-step tuition like that found on the internet, artist and tutor Roy Eastland will guide students through exercises aimed at exploring the ways that emotion, ideas and drama can be expressed through mark-making. By the end of this course, students will have gained skills in representing the human head and face, and pushed themselves to develop more self-expression through their own personal drawing style.

who is it for?

This course is for anyone with an interest in representing the human figure; artists using other mediums who want to explore drawing more deeply; beginners who find this subject difficult but want more than just a how-to guide.

what should I bring?

Charcoal, paper, drawing boards and easels will be provided.

when is it?

Thursday 17 September to Sunday 20 September, daily 3pm to 6pm.

where is it?

This course takes place in our gallery space. This is an accessible space, but please make us aware of any mobility needs as staff may need to assist with the doors to our old building.

Roy Eastland is an artist and drawing teacher whose work explores themes of human presence, memory and trace. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art (1996), he is the winner of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Portrait Prize and the SGFA Small Works Award. He has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows, including the BP Portrait Award, Jerwood Drawing Prize, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize and Turner Contemporary. His professional practice includes teaching engagements at the V&A and UCA Rochester, with work held in public collections such as The Young Gallery Salisbury and Edinburgh College of Art.