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BA Illustration with Foundation
About this course
Illustration is the art of making images that work in context, communicating ideas, stories, information, or atmosphere in ways that words alone cannot. It encompasses a vast range of approaches and media, from traditional hand-drawn and printmaking techniques to digital tools, animation, and image-making for interactive environments. The best illustration is both visually compelling and purposefully clear, and developing this requires a rigorous engagement with the full process from concept to finished work, understanding who you are making something for and what it needs to do. At the University of Plymouth, this four-year, full-time programme begins with a foundation year, providing students who enter without a traditional art and design background the opportunity to develop their visual thinking and practical skills before progressing to the full BA. The foundation year introduces creative processes across a range of media relevant to visual design, animation, illustration, printmaking, fine art, and photography, building the confidence and exploratory mindset that studio-based learning demands. As you progress into the main degree, you will develop skills across a range of media and learn the creative best practice that underpins professional illustration work. The programme includes a year abroad, broadening your creative and cultural perspective. The typical entry tariff is 72 UCAS points. Graduates from illustration programmes work in publishing, advertising, editorial and magazine work, children's books, animation studios, game design, digital media, and as independent practitioners. The combination of traditional and digital skills developed during the degree prepares you for a commercial landscape in which both are valued. Many graduates build freelance practices alongside other creative work, and the portfolio developed during the degree is the primary tool for entering the profession. Postgraduate options include illustration, animation, and visual communication programmes for those who wish to specialise further.
Syllabus & Modules
Typical curriculumStudent Satisfaction
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