Illustration (with a foundation year)

Our Illustration degree is ideal if you're interested in image-making, visual communications, printmaking, visual storytelling or animation.

You’ll become a versatile illustrator and will establish a personal voice and vision within an engaging portfolio of work.

With an emphasis on creative visual thinking and craft, this course reflects the rich and diverse nature of contemporary image-making, inviting you to challenge its boundaries through both digital and craft-based media.

Our flexible studio space fosters an integrated approach to learning and we encourage you to collaborate, experiment and engage in a wide range of related visual practices. These include: image making techniques, drawing for illustration, illustration for information and promotion, photography and art direction, visual storytelling, editorial/book illustration, and crafts and animation.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) Illustration

Foundation Year Core: Creative Project: Materials, Methods & Meaning; Exploring Context & Culture; Fundamentals of Creative Practice; Personal Project & Progression
Year One: Exploration: Mark Making, Exploration: Visual Storytelling, Creative Cultures: Making, Research & Reflection; Sustainability, Society and Impact
Year Two: Communication: Fact and Fiction, Communication: Illustration for Impact, Collaborative Creative Industries Project
Year Two Optional: Art Trail; Colour + Surface: Print, Texture & Material Exploration; Creative Heritage; Digital Journeys: UX & UI Design; Experimental Formats; Experimental Music and Sound Art; Marketing, Branding and Cultural Production; Still Life Through the Lens; Surround Sound and Multichannel Audio; Visual Effects & Motion Graphics; Hybrid Production Methods
Year Three Core: Final Major Project of Illustration; Contextual and Critical Investigation; Professional Practice

You are assessed in this course by a range of different types of coursework and practical activities. The assessment task for each module will vary dependent upon its content but may include: • A portfolio of completed artwork, professionally presented in the format required by the assignment, project or brief. • Workbooks, sketchbooks etc., documenting the process of generating, developing and resolving thoughts/ideas, and demonstrating the influence of research on practical work. • Research books, folders, dossiers, etc. documenting the gathering, sorting and presentation of research material. • Technical Exercises demonstrating your skills and competencies using particular equipment and/or techniques. • Written essays or reports, in which you are exploring the contextual or professional background to a specific project. • An individual or group seminar presentation and/or the accompanying material which you have used to create the presentation.