Art Courses

The Free Art School offers a variety of paid art courses in the evenings, on weekends, and during holidays. Most of the courses are suitable for all levels — from beginners to experienced professionals in the field of visual culture. All courses are taught by professional artists or other industry experts.

Life drawing during a course led by Ilkka Sariola. Photo: Ilkka Sariola.

The language of instruction for the courses is Finnish, but some courses have a teacher who is proficient in English and/or Swedish, and it is possible to receive guidance in these languages. However, the common sessions are held in Finnish, and any written instructions are also provided in Finnish.

Course offerings at the Free Art School include:

Life drawing with charcoal and other drawing tools
Watercolour painting from observation
Oil painting from observation

We also offer tailored art courses to suit various needs.

What’s Included in the Course Fee

Course fees generally include all necessary materials and supplies. For some courses, participants may bring their own tools if they wish, but this is never required unless explicitly stated in the course description.

Weekend courses include coffee, tea, water, and a snack provided by the Hima & Sali restaurant at the Cable Factory. These can be enjoyed on-site or taken to go. Evening courses do not include refreshments.

The Free Art School does not provide aprons or protective clothing, so please dress appropriately for a studio environment.

Courses are usually held in our large drawing classroom. If a course takes place outdoors, this will always be mentioned in the course description.

Payment Methods

The course fee is paid at the time of registration through the Paytrail service.

Paytrail offers several payment options:

Online bank payments from all major Finnish banks: Nordea, Osuuspankki, Danske Bank, Säästöpankki, Oma Säästöpankki, POP Pankki, Aktia, Handelsbanken, Ålandsbanken, and S-Bank
Card payments: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Mobile payments: MobilePay, Pivo, Siirto
Invoice and installment options: OP Lasku, Jousto, Walley (These options allow you to pay later or choose an invoice with an extended payment period)

You can also pay using Epassi, in which case the registration process is different:

Do not fill out the registration form in Hobiver. Instead, contact Communications Coordinator Jari Mustonen [insert mail-to link here], who will complete your registration.
The Epassi payment is made at the start of the course, on-site at the Free Art School. You can pay part of the course fee with Epassi; the remaining amount will be invoiced separately. This split payment is required due to tax regulations, which state that Epassi can only be used to pay for services.

Cancellation Policy

The following cancellation policy applies to paid courses at the Free Art School, unless otherwise stated.

Registration for courses closes two weeks before the course begins or once the course is full. You may cancel your registration free of charge up to 10 days before the course starts. For cancellations made after this deadline — or in the case of a no-show — the full course fee will be charged.

If a cancellation after the deadline is due to illness, the course fee may be waived upon presentation of a medical certificate. All cancellations must be made in writing via email to info@vapaataidekoulu.fi.

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to, for example, low enrollment, as well as the right to make changes to the schedule. If the entire course is rescheduled, you may cancel your registration free of charge.