In the increasingly fluid and fast-moving creative industries, practitioners need to be quick in their thinking and multi-disciplinary in their approach. With traditional boundaries in constant flux creative professionals must, as a result, be fluent and dynamic. Our intention is to produce independent and informed visual problem solvers who are able to perform effectively in the industry.
The Foundation year prepares students for university level study. Successful completion of our Foundation course permits access to any of our Art or Digital Media BA (Hons) or BDes (Hons) degree courses, which include Fashion, Fine Art, Furniture Design, Glass and Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Paint and Print Making, Photography, Product Design, Sculpture and Environmental Art — The Foundation year begins with modules aimed at providing transferable study skills and then, in the second semester, gives students the opportunity to study more specialist modules, with a focus on various aspects of Arts and Digital Media.
Our illustration course aims to develop your potential and enhance your creative responses through a broad range of innovative challenges. We aim to foster your personal vision by providing you with opportunities to experience a range of material and digital practices. This experimental approach, in a specialist workshop and studio environment, encourages you to challenge established orthodoxies, examine, analyse, conclude, and embrace the new.
We will challenge and support you to experiment, record, report and imagine. You will engage with original concepts and ideas and thoroughly explore and develop your visual language. You will be courageous, allow yourself to take risks and be open to unexpected possibilities and ideas. An experimental approach to drawing, printmaking and collage (both analogue and digital) is vital, and we will work with you to develop your abilities across a range of media. We actively encourage collaborative engagement with other specialist areas within the School of Art.
Each level is structured in order to allow you time for introspection, in other words projects that encourage you to work on the development of your own visual language, as well as a more external viewpoint in which you will engage with directed briefs closely associated with industry.
BA (Hons) Illustration is assessed on 100% coursework.
The curriculum is delivered through a series of projects, which will give you the opportunity to develop making and designing skills, conceptual ideas, contextual knowledge and understanding and experience of live industry briefs/ external projects in the public domain.
At Level 4 you will explore the fundamental aspects of image making through traditional techniques and with digital technologies. You will be encouraged to think of these processes as contextualised within a social and philosophical context, exploring the reasons for different styles and material manipulation in image making. The second module allows you to put illustration practice into context and to work briefly within a set of professional parameters in order to understand and experience, from the inside, how certain industry practices work. This will be supplemented through presentations and lectures from staff and other practitioners working professionally in illustration and related subjects. At the end of Level 4 you will have the opportunity to talk about and show your work.
Level 5 is designed to help you consider more closely the direction in which you would like your illustrative practice to develop. The two modules you will undertake ask you to question in more depth the component aspects of illustrative narrative practice and the areas in which you see your illustrative practice working best. Narrative Illustration breaks down in depth the component parts of illustrative practice in the development of narrative through a range of different illustration genres. This work may lead to animation, as well as more traditional narrative practice. Developing Specialist Practice offers opportunities for competitions and briefs that centre on the areas of illustration that you are beginning to specialise in. At the end of Level 5 you will have a clear sense of direction with which to launch into your final year. Throughout Level 5 there will be opportunities to show work and publish and also to work collaboratively with other students across the School of Art.
Level 6 sees the consolidation of your practice whilst giving you opportunity and time to continue your experimentation and development of your own visual language. Alongside this practice-based investigation, you will develop an extended research project that will lead to a dissertation or alternative assignment. This will galvanise research in theory and practice and provide a foundation for your final major project, which will be shown at the degree show and other venues.
Why not check out what our students got up to for their final projects at our annual Degree Show 2019.
The School of Art houses a range of purpose built studio spaces and workshops with an extensive range of professional equipment not available in schools and colleges. Students at the School of Art are taught by practicing artists and designers working in academic and technical roles. These specialist practitioners teach both fundamental skills, support experimental and speculative practice and ensure practice is underpinned by knowledge and awareness of contemporary contexts.
The Illustration course in particular is distinctive in its approach because of:
- The breadth of opportunities offered within the creative industries coupled with the wide reach of our course.
- The focus on the fundamentals of image-making at the heart of our course.
- The opportunities for individual, peer and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
- The fluid relationship between theory and practice that will enable you to become a more reflective and analytical individual, with learning activities enhancing this transition.
- You will receive continuous feedback on your work throughout your time with us.
- All learning activities are delivered in specialist areas (mac lab, print, drawing studios and lecture theatre).
- A series of visiting practitioners will complement your understanding of the subject
- You will have the opportunity to engage with ‘live’ commissions and competition work.
- Study trips, both national and international are offered and will enrich your cultural and contextual awareness.
- An excellent library resource for Illustration
- Membership of the Association of Illustrators
- For more information about our facilities click here.
- The member of academic staff who leads this course is Ben Kelly
Employability is core to the ethos of the School of Art’s learning and teaching, and Illustration provides opportunities from Level 4 to experience and engage with professional and industrial contacts. At Level 4 students are encouraged to encounter and experience all aspects of their specialist area and further embed themselves into the subject through visits and speakers. At Level 5 students will have the opportunity to experience professional practice and will work on subject-specific briefs led by external clients/organisations. At this level there will also be an emphasis on off-site/live projects/placements that offer opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborative practice. Level 5 is designed to give students the opportunity to risk take and experiment within their subjects but also to meet and network with other students across the School of Art. Level 6 emphasises self-negotiated projects and provides students with the time and support to develop their individual voices as artists and designers. There is also provision for interdisciplinary teams working together on ambitious final outcomes where appropriate, and student will be supported to maintain placement learning and external networks established at Level 5. In addition, the University offers a Career Development Week each year, which is intended to provide cross-curricula activities that enable students to extend or galvanise their skill and employability goals.
All of our students have the opportunity to engage with an additional ‘Employability Award’ associated with their degree, and a high percentage of our students achieve the gold standard as a result of our employment-focused curriculum.
BA (Illustration) offers an industry focus at all levels from introducing our students the different types of illustration employment at Level 4, to offering live brief and competition opportunities at Levels 5 and 6. Our students will also have experience of exhibiting and presenting work to a wide audience from Level 4 onwards, learning important transferable skills that can be applied to a number of other employment contexts. These broader skills will be consolidated by opportunities for students to work in a cross-disciplinary environment in the School of Art community as a whole. Here you will have the opportunity to establish a professional network of fellow artists, designers and makers before you leave to begin your working life.
All courses in the School of Art are now available with a professional placement option (Sandwich Year). A professional placement provides an opportunity for professional development in the work place and as such, greatly enhances the student’s prospects of finding rewarding and relevant employment at the end of their studies. The school assists students in securing work placements, undertaking live briefs, engaging directly with employers and developing key employability skills. The School is committed to raising student awareness of the opportunities that exist post-graduation.
These modules are correct at the time of publication. Modules may change over time due to validation and continuous monitoring policies. Applicants will be notified in writing of any significant changes to their chosen course(s).
| Title | Credit | Type | Year | Location |
|---|
| Introduction to Art and Design: Core Skills | 60.00 | Core | 1 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
| Introduction to Specialist Art and Design: Contexts and Practices | 60.00 | Core | 1 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
| Illustration Fundamentals | 60.00 | Core | 2 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
| Introducing Illustration Practice | 60.00 | Core | 2 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
| Developing Specialist Practice | 60.00 | Core | 3 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
| Narrative Illustration | 60.00 | Core | 3 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
| Major Project in Illustration | 60.00 | Core | 4 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
| Personal Investigation | 60.00 | Core | 4 | Wolverhampton City Campus |
2019 Entry
- DD from A level
- BTEC QCF Extended Diploma grade PPP, BTEC QCF Diploma grade MP
- UAL Extended Diploma in Art & Design grade P, UAL Diploma in Art & Design grade M
- Pass Access to HE Diploma (Full Award)
- If you've got other qualifications or relevant experience, please contact The Gateway for further advice before applying.
- International entry requirements and application guidance can be found here
Other Requirements
Applicants will also be required to provide satisfactory reference. Those meeting the entry requirements may be shortlisted for a Portfolio Review.
Students must have studied a minimum of two years post GCSE level. However, it is expected that some applicants will be mature students with work experience, who wish to further their career development. These applicants will be processed through standard procedures, which may involve an interview as part of the process. Please see http://wlv.ac.uk/mature for further information.
Applicants who do not meet the entry requirements may be offered an alternative course.
The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed
# Undergraduate part-time fees for 50% rate of study
The University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships in addition to other financial support packages
Tuition Fees Loan: If you wish, you can take out a Government Student Loan which covers the full course fee. You pay it back once you’ve left university and your income is more than £25,725 (from April 2019). More information on repayments can be found at: repayments.It’s available to eligible full-time higher education students and does not depend on family income.
The amount of the Tuition Fees Loan is paid directly to the University of Wolverhampton by the Student Loan Company.
Visit student finance on the gov.uk website to find out more.
Self-funding: If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: see
How to Pay.The funding available to you depends on when you started your studies and if you have been to University previously.
For more information please contact the Gateway.
Financial Hardship: Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund (http://www.wlv.ac.uk/study-here/money-matters/financial-support/dennis-turner-opportunity-fund/) for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.
