The Natalia Cola Foundation proudly supports the Royal Academy of Arts’ Drop in and Draw programme. Held on the first Friday of every month, these free workshops give members of the RA’s 25 & Under scheme the opportunity to explore their creativity in a relaxed and welcoming environment, whether they’re picking up a pencil for the first time or developing existing skills.
Led by professional artists, each session guides participants through the RA’s exhibitions or collection, with practical tips and techniques designed to build confidence and develop their skills. All abilities are welcome, with basic materials provided to help ensure the sessions remain open and accessible to as many young people as possible.
At the Natalia Cola Foundation, our dedication to improving access to the arts comes from a belief in the power of culture to bring people together through creativity and conversation. We’re proud to support initiatives like Drop in and Draw, encouraging artistic exploration and making cultural experiences more accessible to all.




Pick up a pencil and get creative at this free drawing evening, inspired by the Summer Exhibition 2026.
The drop-in session will be led by alumni from our Young Producers Programme; Abigail, Akif, Soyeon, and Neha who can give you tips and tricks for improving your drawing.
All abilities are welcome. You will be provided with basic drawing materials as part of the event. Due to high demand, we cannot guarantee a space for everyone. Queuing is likely, and we allocate spaces on a first come, first served basis. We encourage you to bring a sketchbook and your own dry materials for self-guided drawing around the RA in case capacity at the event has been reached.
Young Producers is a seven-month programme for 16–25 year olds, focused on developing skills, gaining practical insight into creative careers, and amplifying young people’s voice within the RA.
Abigail is a London-based photographer and a recent MA Fine Art graduate from Chelsea College of Arts, specialising in photography with a particular focus on light distortion. Her work uses light in film and digital photography to evoke nostalgia and collective memory, inviting audiences into an image that feels familiar yet not literal.
Akif is a spatial practitioner and artist, who studied Architecture at the Bartlett, UCL, where he developed an interest in how art pedagogies could be explored and inspired by spaces and structures we inhabit. Working across multiple forms of drawing, writing, collaboration and facilitation, criticism and evaluation is at the core of Akif’s work, where it was explored previously with The Line Art Walk, Cor-, Freelands Foundation, V&A, Beyond the Box, Barbican, William Morris Gallery, The Showroom, and New Architecture Writers.
Neha is studying art alongside other subjects. She finds joy in interpreting and analysing art, and thinking about how to implement other artist techniques into her own work. She particularly likes themes of nostalgia and how artists portray this. She would like to continue to explore the artistic world, and can’t wait to deliver this Drop in and draw workshop.
Soyeon is an artist which explores the ever-changing surrounding environment with constant curiosity and a determination to learn. By closely observing everyday spaces and responding to shifting environments, her work reflects an ongoing engagement with place, memory, and experience. Through encounters with different spaces, communities and cultures around the world, her works aim to communicate through a cross-cultural lens that transcends language and cultural barriers.
See great art for less with half-price tickets to all RA exhibitions. All you need to do is sign up online for free.