Why you should study this course
This course encourages experimentation and play so you can develop your unique portfolio that reflects your ideal career in the arts. Our course focuses on four key areas of your growth: research, development, portfolio and professional practice.
This course aims to start with a programme of traditional and digital technology workshops. Here, you can learn transferable skills and how to use a wide range of tools to bring your ideas to life. You will also take a deeper look into illustration through practical and useful research and develop your professional portfolio. A series of business and marketing materials aim to guide you through the steps you’ll need to take after graduation to have a successful and sustained career in Illustration.
The course will guide you through a diverse range of practical projects. We use a contemporary and interdisciplinary teaching approach to the subject by engaging you in an array of materials, processes and technologies. These include, but are not limited to, traditional drawing skills, numerous printing methods, digital software, moving image and 3D sculptural work. The interconnection of multi-disciplinary activities makes this an ideal Illustration course if you want to develop your practice into other areas.
Employment opportunities in illustration are varied. Previous graduates have gone on to work in editorial illustration, fashion, advertising, comic books, theatre, TV and film production, children’s picture books, textile design, professional artists, arts management, curatorship, art direction, games art and animation, teaching and study at postgraduate level.
By studying this course you will benefit from:
- A unique cross-disciplinary course that gives you the opportunity to create a highly creative portfolio relevant to the most contemporary design both in the UK and internationally.
- Professional practice is a key component of the course with scope to undertake placements and live client briefs.
- An inter-disciplinary and flexible approach enabling you to individually develop your creative practice and portfolio towards a wide range of potential career paths.
- Opportunity to develop skills and experiment with a wide range of technology and traditional media.
- Opportunity to take a placement or study abroad year.
- Current teaching staff are industry experienced (practitioners) and/or research active (staff may be subject to change).
- Current staff have worked for a wide range of clients and on major arts-funded projects. They bring their considerable knowledge and experience of the industry into our teaching environment. They do this through their practical teaching activities and project work, which are core to the curriculum and helps to maintain the course contents’ currency and professional alignment. Staff maintain a continuous relationship with industry and have a significant and growing portfolio of collaborative and industry-focused projects that inspire student research, design and development activities (staff mat be subject to change).
What you'll study
Year one
The first year focuses on developing new skills and applying these to project briefs. You will have the opportunity to learn about essential software packages, screen printing and drawing skills as well as developing your ideas skills in illustration for a range of purposes including editorial, publishing, advertising, sequential narrative, product, site specific, character design and self-directed projects. Alongside this, you have the chance to study professional practice and contextual modules.
Modules
Year two
In Year 2 you will focus on developing your own personal approach to illustration and begin to apply this within a professional context. You are encouraged to experiment and explore a range of workshops including 3D modeling, moving image and digital approaches. You can undertake projects that engage you in social and political subjects, as well as those that develop your external profile and visual presence online.
Modules
Final year
In the final year, you have the chance to undertake a major project as well as a variety of competitions and live external briefs. You can work towards building a highly creative and professionally credible portfolio ready to enter your chosen industry specialism and career path. You can enter a broad range of creative fields and to support you in doing this, you will research and produce a range of marketing and business planning materials to enable you to begin your career path.
Modules
