Brighton Draw is a friendly little studio in the rather unfriendly-looking New England House…read more Various sessions are arranged throughout the week, ranging from life drawing (tutored or untutored) to mono printing. The atmosphere is relaxed for a lot of the sessions you can just drop in (no need to pre-book). My particular favourite is the Thursday evening themed life drawing, run by the lovely Laura. There is a different theme each week, the set is dressed and the model has various props/accessories to match the theme.

If like me you don't live in Brighton and only visit on the odd weekend for a stroll down the lanes…read moreand fish and chips on Brighton Pier, you'll never even notice Phoenix Art Gallery despite its imposing size - it's massive! Once inside you forget its ugly interior and the traffic outside. I came for the opening event and artist talk for an exhibition of digital art. There is a second exhibition of sound art teamed with ceramics in the other gallery space - both are part of Brighton Digital Festival and run until the end of September, not to be missed!

A gigantic building a small walk from the North Laines and Brighton City Centre, Phoenix is a large…read morearts organisation run by a co-operative. There's over a hundred affordable art studios and workspaces and a busy annual programme offering short courses in drawing, painting, fine art, print making, life-drawing, performance art, jewellery making and -don't laugh! - puppetry. Open to the public as well as resident artists and members, it also has a couple of gallery spaces which show contemporary art, multi-media and photo exhibitions. The priority seems to be local and national group shows but there's also regular installations by visiting artists from Europe and overseas. Sadly, the couple of times I've visited I thought the work was abysmal. I also went to an event they held on Saturday night as part of the White Night festival and wish I hadn't bothered. I was expecting to see great bands and some mind-blowing work and instead was met with hundreds of pissed students and locals talking loudly and drinking cans of lager infront of a tired performance poet and a bad improvisational jazz band. I have friends who claim to have seen great work here though so I'm hoping I will have better luck next time I visit!

As well as artwork and exhibitions, Fabrica is also an amazing venue to hire out for Weddings,…read morecivil ceremonies, conferences and launch nights. My brother was married here 2 years ago, and Fabrica as a venue was absolutely top notch. From the outside, it is a beautiful old church situated right in the South Laines, which could look as though services are still taking place. Once inside, the venue's space is one massive room with a striking viewing gallery, which give it so much potential to make into something beautiful. My brother and his wife had ivy leaves and lights draped across the viewing gallery, giving the wedding an old fashioned Pagan feeling, which inside an old church was truly unique. The events people from Fabrica were really well organised and truly interested and concerned in the look and feel of the wedding, which thankfully went incredibly well, due in large part to the atmosphere created by the beauty of the venue itself.

Established thirteen years ago, Fabrica are a visual arts organisation that support and promote…read morecontemporary artists. Their home on Duke Street is an incredible Regency church with high ceilings and ornate windows. The main space is used as a gallery with free regular installations and exhibitions whilst the smaller spaces on the ground and first floor are used for meetings, one to one mentoring with staff and workshops. Painters, sculptors and visual artists should note they have a terrific Artist Resource Library where you can find upto date lists of national and international galleries, information about available grants and arts funding and lots of current art magazines and quarterlies. The art itself is also pretty inspiring. I saw the Amish Kapoor installation as part of the Brighton Festival earlier this year and was both freaked out and blown away. Which is probably how he'd want people to feel given the subject matter and scale of the work!

It's all right there in the name...the Painting Pottery Café is a café where you can paint…read morepots...and bowls, plates, vases etc. You pay a studio fee of £5 (which includes the cost of glazing) and then another fee for the pottery, depending what you choose, and then you get to work! It's a really fun thing to do, whether you're artistically talented or not, though it is worth thinking about your design, as it's kind of a bonus if you like your work and want to use it at the end! I made the mistake of sort of improvising as I went, which resulted in a mug covered in animals and flowers, which looked more like the handiwork of a five year old! But that's what's so nice about the whole experience in a way- you can exercise your inner-child in a legitimate fashion! This shop is purely about fun and having a go at something you might never have done before. I hadn't created anything in this way since school, and it was a really satisfying experience, even if it did confirm my appalling drawing technique! The Painting Pottery Café is of course a really fun place to bring kids- it's a great way to get creative and messy without ruining the living room! They have a party room, and will run children's' and adults' parties. As well as painting a mug for yourself, you can create a commemorative piece for an occasion (birthdays, anniversaries etc.) and you can even have your baby's hand or footprints cast!

I'll be honest,. I was dragged here very reluctanctly by a group of friends, who insisted that I…read morewould enjoy it. 'But I won't' I said 'I hated stuff like this at school and I hate it now' 'Don't be boring' they told me. Hmm, ok. Boring's not a word I like to associate with myself - so due to my vanity I got persuaded. And, was really pleasantly surprised. You really don't need to be an artist to enjoy it (I'm certainly not). You can just paint pots here, but we chose to make them too (messy but lots of giggly fun). They will then fire them for you and keep them until a later date when you come back to paint.

This is Brighton's smallest central campus, and is in a very old building. The lecture room is…read moresmall and stuffy, and there dont seem to be very many facilities... however, you are very close to the Grand Parade building, and everything you need is up there. I suppose this is just an annex of that campus, and it is also located very close to town.

When I was working with a language school this summer we were teaching some of our classes at the…read moreConnaught Centre in Hove. It is an adult learning centre, which offers classes throughout the day and in the evenings too. The building has the feeling of a school, which I am sure it was at some point in its history. Although not the most up-to-date of educational establishments, most of the courses on offer do not need a mass of new technology (art classes and language classes for example). Saying this, there is a computer suite and also TVs etc that can be used in the classrooms if desired. Aside from the educational bits there is a café, which offers tea, coffee, cakes and sandwiches at extremely affordable prices. The staff were polite and always helpful when we had enquiries. On the whole the Connaught is a decent building with adequate facilities and good staff. If you have seen an evening class advertised here, then go for it. If you are looking for evening classes and haven't tried the Connaught, then try it.