Young Artists 2017

About

A selection of over 250 drawings by students of the Royal Drawing School's Young Associates programme for 15-18 year olds will be on display at the Young Artists Exhibition 2017, open to view from Friday 15 September 2017. This is a rare opportunity for these young artists to show their work in a professionally curated public exhibition at the Royal Drawing School’s large gallery space in the creative East End. The opening night will be attended by curators, collectors, artists and creative professionals alongside the students and their teachers and parents, and all the work is for sale with the proceeds going directly to the child.

The idea for Young Artists programme was born from a suggestion made by David Hockney when he visited the School in 2006. Sir Quentin Blake, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Shirley Hughes OBE and Axel Scheffler are also supporters of the Young Artists programme, and have shown their belief in the importance and work of the Young Artists programme by attending the annual exhibition as guests of honour in recent years. This years guest of honour will be Martin Brown, illustrator of the Horrible Histories series.

Young Artist Programme for 10–18 year olds

Our programme for young artists offers a unique opportunity to students from all backgrounds, who want to develop their drawing skills.

Students aged 10 to 14 with an interest and aptitude for drawing can join our weekly Drawing Clubs. The Young Associates programme is for students aged 15 to 18 looking to continue their creative studies. We offer fee paying and full scholarship places on both programmes. In addition to the weekly term time courses for young artists, the Royal Drawing School also offers intensive one week holiday courses in the Summer school holidays. 

Originally located at studios throughout London, the programme expanded to Oxford, Norwich and Glasgow in Autumn 2016. 

The Young Artists programme is taught by professional artists who are alumni of our postgraduate programme, The Drawing Year and experienced in teaching children.  ​The programme aims to deliver serious sustained drawing tuition to young people.

The Young Artist programme was founded in 2006 born out of the suggestion from David Hockney when he came to visit postgraduate students at the Royal Drawing School, when he asked them what they would give back to the next generation of artists.