Illustration

The illustration course encompasses image creation, drawing and visual communication in a wide variety of traditional and digital media. The skills taught and the projects undertaken are aimed at serving a range of end users including publishing, advertising, the web and alternative media.

The quality of graduates has earned the course its excellent reputation within the creative industries. Many graduates work for a wide array of book and magazine publishers, design groups and marketing agencies and provide illustrative solutions for major design and advertising clients.

Level One

At Level One you will be introduced to the fundamentals of illustration practice. There is an emphasis on drawing and experimentation with a range of media, processes and techniques. You will be encouraged to engage with illustration in a broad sense and to gain an understanding of the related disciplines of graphic and publishing design. Creativity and exploration in a wide range of contexts are the key elements of study that will enable you to progress successfully to Level Two.

Level Two

Your art and craft techniques are developed along with an appreciation and understanding of illustration in its broadest sense. The course aims to provide you with an appropriate mindset and a skills base to propel you to excellence during your study at NUCA and onward into a career in the creative industries.

Projects, workshops, live briefs, cross-disciplinary collaborations, life drawing and printmaking are integral to the course syllabus.

Level Three

In your final year your priority must be to develop your creative and intellectual skills to professional standards. You will be taking informed decisions about ongoing career pathways or the possibilities of further postgraduate study. You will have input into the course curriculum to facilitate these goals and will take time to consider business, commercial and industry practices in preparation for your working life.

Alongside this study, you will complete a Research Report on an illustration topic that you are passionate about.

What Makes Us Special

In recent years graduates have been commissioned by major design studios, newspapers, magazines and book publishers. These include the BBC, Virgin, Dorling Kindersley, Readers’ Digest and Radio Times.

Illustration students have had success over the years in national competitions, most recently the Penguin Book Design awards.

Successful and distinguished visiting lecturers include: Matthew Richardson, Swava Harasymowicz, Demetrios Psillos, Bruce Ingman, Tim Smart and Michael Sheehy.

Students who successfully complete their undergraduate studies are able to progress to a range of MA courses within the University College, subject to the fulfilment of entry criteria. Alternatively if you choose further study elsewhere we have a very good record of placing students in postgraduate education at the Royal College of Art, Camberwell and Central St Martins College, for example.