Why choose this course?
The Illustration degree will help you develop both your illustrative style and flair for creative image-making. The course covers the practical, professional, and artistic sides of working as an illustrator with an individual artistic voice, equipping you for a successful career in the creative industries.
You will:
Learn how to create compelling images, work to professional standards and understand how your work fits into the industry.
Be introduced to a broad range of creative skills, from the generation of ideas to their technical production through printmaking, bookbinding, 3D materials, life drawing, traditional and digital media, with an emphasis on drawing and the development of a unique personal style.
Be introduced to professional creative processes and be encouraged to expand your abilities through workshops and practical projects.
Learn how to interpret a brief, identify and solve problems, develop creative individuality and produce a professional portfolio.
Gain personal, professional and entrepreneurial skills including working as a freelance artist: from marketing and self-promotion to contracts, invoices and working with clients.
Be encouraged to work on live briefs and competitions.
Key Course Features:
Includes a foundation year to prepare you for further study.
You will be part of a vibrant and creative community of commercial artists including children’s book artists, illustrators, animators, game artists and designers.
You will be taught by a teaching team with a broad range of experience working professionally in the illustration and creative industries.
We encourage our students to self-publish and learn how to produce high-quality production prototypes to pitch to the publishing industry through the use of our in-house Bindery.
Our students have won illustration prizes and awards such as the Oxford University Press Illustration competition, the Macmillan Children’s Book Competition, the Caldecott Society and D&AD awards and been nominated for prestigious Eisner and Silver Reuben Awards.
Be part of an end of year degree show exhibition - view the 2022 Degree Show e-magazine, Unjammed.
What you will study
YEAR 1 (FOUNDATION YEAR)
The foundation year will introduce you to the key elements of art and design, including graphic design, animation, illustration, photography, and film, applied and fine art. You will explore the creative thought process relating to various art and design disciplines, developing your ability to put ideas down on paper quickly. There will be a range of practice assignments that will increase your recognition of strong ideas and original concepts.
MODULES
Visual Investigation
Materials and Methods
Creative Processes
Progression Project
The Skills You Need
Contextual Studies
YEAR 2 (LEVEL 4) - Core skills
Level 4 introduces you to the fundamental principles of illustration that will help you develop your illustrative style. This includes developing an understanding of the tools and creative techniques you will be using, the historical contexts and theories of illustration, print, production techniques and an understanding of the illustration industry.
MODULES
Semester 1
History & Context
Visual Communication
Digital Communication
Semester 2
Social Design
Story Telling: Theory and Practice
Interactive Design
YEAR 3 (LEVEL 5) - Advanced skills
Level 5 enables you to develop your individual approach the role of illustration in society, the conceptual aspects of illustration, the practicalities of preparing work for production as well as exploring the fundamentals of running a business as a freelancer.
MODULES
Semester 1
Motion Design
Print and Production
Critical thinking
Semester 2
Creative Futures: Making a Living
Design Project: Illustration
YEAR 4 (LEVEL 6) - Specialism
Level 6 is focused on your specialism. You will work with staff to pitch the projects that demonstrate your illustrative style, your skills and abilities, your ambition, and your understanding of the illustration industry.
MODULES
Semester 1
Specialist Project: Illustration
Semester 2
Creative Futures: Professional Practice
Live Brief
The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.
Teaching & Assessment
There are no set exams. Assessment is continuous and relates to all aspects of the programme, providing a more carefully defined emphasis on formative assessment and feedback on your coursework throughout the academic year. We will advise you on your level of attainment and direct you towards a strategy for further progression as assignments and modules are completed.
There are varied formats of assessment to encourage your learning through group seminars, critiques, and tutorials. This can be through group interaction with critical analysis where you will submit a range of work including sketchbooks, design sheets, finished artwork, screen-based work, technical/ production files, journals, essays, and audio-visual presentations. There are reviews of work at key points before Christmas and before Easter and this provides time for you to reflect on your progress prior to a final or summative year end assessment.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
The programme is structured to enable you to work in a multidisciplinary manner, to be flexible and enable you to develop individually. This is supported by a personal tutor / tutorials system that provides you with guidance throughout all aspects of the programme.
Wrexham University is committed to supporting our students to maximise their academic potential.
We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments. Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.
In terms of particular needs, the University’s Inclusion Services can provide appropriate guidance and support should any students require reasonable adjustments to be made because of a recognised prevailing disability, medical condition, or specific learning difference.
The following entry points are available for this course:
This course is not currently available to those requiring a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.
Wrexham University takes into account a variety of qualifications and experience when considering applications to our programmes. If you are unsure if the qualifications you currently hold will be accepted for entry, or if you're not sure you'll achieve the required UCAS Tariff points, please contact us at enquiries@wrexham.ac.uk for further advice and guidance.
Each application received is considered in the wider context of the applicant’s background and experience, considering the personal statement, reference, predicted grades and any other information provided.. The offer made will reflect the individual applicant’s circumstances, and this is continued throughout the admissions process; when results are received, we’ll consider these personal circumstances again and, where possible, be flexible with confirming an applicant's place.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
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Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Enquire now to join us this September
Email:enquiries@wrexham.ac.uk
Phone:01978 293439
Email:enquiries@wrexham.ac.uk
Phone:01978 293439
Plas Coch
Mold Road
Wrexham
LL11 2AW
At Wrexham University
