BA(Hons) Illustration

Content

Year one

You'll be introduced to the field of illustration and key areas of illustration practice: Sequential Narrative, Editorial Illustration, Artists’ books and the Visual Essay through set project briefs. 

You'll engage in a wide range of physical making processes, both analogue and digital such as printmaking, laser cutting, and fabrication. 

You'll be introduced to design thinking and visual problem solving, underpinned with a series of lectures, workshops, tutorials within a vibrant studio culture. 

The introductory nature of year one encourages the exploration of individual expression and creative risk-taking.

Year two

You'll engage in modules that challenge and refine your practical and conceptual approaches to interpreting texts while utilising on-campus fabrication, print, and digital facilities. 

Through lectures and workshops, you'll explore visual language, deconstruct semiotics, and examine narrative structures. 

You'll be encouraged to contextualise your practice within the creative industries, broadening your understanding of potential career paths. The modules foster creative adventure and equip you with the tools to communicate ideas effectively. 

Additionally, in the second half of the year, you may be offered the opportunity to travel through the Turing Exchange Programme.

Final year

You'll negotiate your own individual programme of study, based on your creative developments and achievements in the preceding years. 

The year is more outward facing via live briefs and competitions in tandem with the development of a professional portfolio, website and promotional material to help launch your career. 

You'll continue to develop your individuality of thought and will be supported to be creatively daring, building confidence in your professional practice. 

Lectures and workshops from industry experts and freelance practitioners offer support as you graduate and prepare for the creative marketplace.

This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching is mainly studio based, with workshops, seminars, tutorials and lectures.

You'll explore traditional and digital media, attend visual culture lectures, and develop a critical and analytical approach to yours and others' work.

Build your creative, professional and research skills, working with active researchers, authors and thought leaders. Get involved in projects with the Centre for Fine Print Research, the Pervasive Media Studio and Bristol VR Lab.

Build critical questioning and persuasion skills, and expand your ideas about what illustration can be and do.

Attend talks from industry professionals, find out about career options and go on work experience. Get advice from practising illustrators about presenting a professional portfolio.

Take responsibility for your own creative progress through self-directed study.

Many illustrators work freelance, so we'll cover areas such as how to find clients and promote yourself.

You'll be fully aware of the business and working processes in your chosen area

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Look at illustration students' work on Instagram.

Get involved

Attend workshops with the Association of Illustrators on contracts, copyright and invoicing; and with The Central Illustration Agency on sustainable careers and career preparation. 

The D&AD runs a Graduate Academy and many students have won places to secure this additional support.

Work on projects with Beneficial Shock magazine, a global publication that uses illustration to discuss film, run by course lecturers.

Study time

In a typical week in your first year, you could expect to be timetabled with academic and technical staff for an average of 12 hours, with the expectation that you'll also work on practice and assessment tasks through independent self-study for an additional 12-18 hours.

Assessment

All modules are assessed, and marks from modules undertaken in year two and final year can contribute to the final award.

You can expect to be assessed through projects, essays, group presentations and visual presentation.

Learn more about assessments.