Course overview

This course will give you the opportunity to explore the vast range of traditional and contemporary methods of illustration and introduce you to the new technologies being exploited in today's marketplace. The course is supported by highly qualified staff who encourage individualism, flexibility and innovative ways of communicating through illustration. We will do all we can to develop your potential.

Please visit the course website for current and past examples of the kinds of work and activities we engage with.

Interview

As part of the entry requirements, you will be invited to attend an interview at the School of Art, Design and Media, where you will be expected to present a portfolio of art and design work.

We are very keen to see you with your portfolio at the interview where we will discuss some of your work. Interviews are conducted in a friendly open manner; if you are worried about the interview in any way we will put you at ease very quickly.

We hope to discuss your future aspirations towards building upon your current experience. After the interview you might have the chance to discuss the course with some of our current students.

Suggested portfolio content

The work contained within your portfolio can be produced as part of a formal course of study or evening class, or anything you have produced independently. Your drawing ability is important, so try to achieve a balance between freehand drawing, life drawing and painting that employs a range of different media (for example, pastel, gouache, charcoal, pencil, and so on). Please include photographs of any 3D projects (for example, sculpture, ceramics or model making) that are too unwieldy to bring with you.

Sketchbooks are essential as they help to give us an insight into your research capabilities, breadth of knowledge and working methodology. Finally, anything that indicates an interest in art and design is useful (for example, visits to relevant exhibitions or galleries).

Course content

Year one

In year one you will experience several workshop activities such as print-making, etching, typography and IT software packages. Studio-based activities will also help you to explore illustration themes driven by a brief. You will be expected to build upon your previous experiences and more importantly, find new ways to explore illustration.

Units include:

• Letter and Form
• Line and Colour
• Methodology
• Narrative Illustration
• Historical and Theoretical Studies
• Self Promotion

Year two

In your second year, units are designed to enable you to explore chosen themes and topics with the agreement of your tutor. You can have tutorials weekly where you will be able to discuss your work with staff and peers.

You will study some of the following units:

• Number in Print
• Online Portfolio
• Social Awareness
• Book Works
• Multiples: Zines
• Historical and Theoretical Study
• Sequential Illustration

Year three

Your third year gives you the opportunity to expand these experiences and further develop self-directed study. It has been developed to provide a number of choices, encouraging you to expand the boundaries of conventional illustration. You will therefore be working on a series of projects to develop a portfolio that represents your identity. One of these will be your major project, where you will be expected to clearly demonstrate your research, its methodology and development. A range of units will also enable you to achieve this, as well as help you develop communication skills, give presentations, share research information, organise collective exhibitions, plan and write project proposals, and present and document your work.

Units include:

• Self-Directed Project
• Professional Practice
• Historical and Theoretical Studies

Teaching and assessment

You will be taught using a mixture of project lectures, group tutorials and workshop activities and you will receive regular written and verbal feedback.We have year group lectures and visiting speakers who address all years from the programme. All visiting lecturers have expertise in the areas of art, design and media, cover art direction, animation, business advice, illustrators and agencies, postgraduate studies and the social responsibility of the illustrator. Examples of previous speakers include Craig Mackie (Commissioning Deputy Art Editor of the New Scientist), Darren Garrett (Creative Director of Littleloud Animation Studios), Ross Holden and Graham Rawle (leading artist/illustrators).

Portfolio surgeries are offered by specialist illustration agencies. We also have a school-wide core activity for history and theory subjects, where you will have lectures with other art, design and media students, followed by mixed-degree group seminars in year one, group debates in year two and individual tutorials in year three.

Throughout the programme you will be assigned a personal tutor, whose role is to take an overview of your progress and attend to non-academic matters that may affect your experience with us. You will be able to discuss your current performance and academic achievement at regular individual tutorials.

Assessment takes place at the end of each unit. We have several methods assessment, but in the main staff assess work as a team. Some peer assessment takes place, also giving you a valuable opportunity to experience this process.

Career prospects

The course will develop your knowledge of new image-making technology, as well as help you develop as an individual, which will enhance your future employment prospects. We maintain close links with employers to make sure that the professional practice elements you will undertake on this course are in line with current and future industry trends.

A destination survey, carried out between illustration students from the last ten years, shows graduates gained work across the whole spectrum of careers in art, design and media. This includes employment in design studios, web design, exhibition work, teaching, freelance work and book illustration. Examples of work, units studied and employments gained are all held on our extensive website www.illustration.port.ac.uk

Facilities and features

The School of Art, Design and Media provides you with appropriate studio space, access to printmaking workshops, computer suites and the knowledge and experience of professional academic and support staff.

Students are actively encouraged to use the studio space to create work.

We also have an artists' book archive in our area. The studio spaces are used for tutorials, workshops, independent study, student interaction and presentations of work, culminating in the annual degree show.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Illustration for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).