Online hub

Welcome to the online hub, where you will find digital resources and information to connect with the College and tutors, providing ideas and online courses for you to join in at home. 

Join the community on social media

Our social media is full of developments from the West Dean community. Follow #westdeantogether for inspiration and to join the creative conversation. Maybe your own work will help inspire others? 

NEW Short Courses Online

Enjoy the flexibility of doing a Short Course at your own pace. 

If you've been inspired by some of our learning in lockdown, why not take the next step and do a Short Course online? NEW this summer, you can choose from:

Tuition is given by one of the 300+ tutors who teach on the Short Course programme at the College.

Book an online course today

Learning in lockdown

We now have 50+ tutorials on Youtube from the College’s expert Short Course Tutors. These bite-sized tutorials are designed to keep us all connected with creativity, and to provide inspiration for creative projects.

Many of the tutorials focus on materials you may already have and more demonstrations are being released daily; try drawing a charcoal self-portrait (why not challenge friends and family to draw live via video call), explore botanical painting, fill a sketchbook with mixed media collages, get to grips with using flash on your DSLR camera or learn the basics of crochet. 

See demos on Youtube

Sketchbook Project

Get involved and be inspired to join in at home. Follow our Sketchbook Project on social media to get regular inspiration from the Gardens which can be used to draw, paint, stitch or print using the colours, textures and shapes from the images in your work. See the full details for weeks one - five on Facebook or Instagram. You can also find further information and ideas for week two on the School of Arts blog.

Join the conversation and share your creative responses on social media tagging @westdeancollege and @westdeangardens and using #westdeantogether. 

Sketchbook Project inspiration and responses

Week one
Week one
Credit @orieljewellery (Pippa Hufton)
Credit @orieljewellery (Pippa Hufton)
Fritillery by Janet Price
Wire fritillery by Julia Oh
Week two
Week two
Week three
Silk painting by Julia Oh
Week four
Week four
Week five
Week five
Week five
Week five
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Creative writing exercises

To keep us inspired, Creative Writing and Publishing Subject Leader Mark Radcliffe has put together a series of 15 minute creative writing exercises. These prompts, tips and ideas are designed to encourage us to explore our imaginations and are suitable for all ages and abilities.

Download your daily exercises:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10

Degree and Diploma courses

Students are currently learning remotely and because our class sizes are small it helps to keep class dynamics working. MFA student Philippa Clarke has been responding to everyday life in isolation with daily drawings, including this sketch of an online lecture.

Discover degrees & diplomas

Take a virtual tour

If you aren't able to visit us or want to take another look around then take a virtual tour. Explore the degree and diploma studios, workspaces and communal areas of the College to get a feel for what it's like to study here.

Take a tour