School of Creative Industries

BA (Hons) Illustration with Foundation Year

BA (Hons) Full-time 4 years, Part-time 8 years

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.

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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.

Award
BA (Hons)
Start date(s)
16 September 2024
UCAS Code
W221
Course specifications
View course spec
Course length
Full-time (4 years),Part-time (8 years)
Campus location
Wolverhampton City Campus
School
School of Creative Industries
UCAS points calculator
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Why choose this course?

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.

What's unique about this course?

  • Our modules are assessed on 100% course work. 
  • The National Student Survey 2022 and our students have awarded our BA (Hons) course with 100%
  • We have a strong focus on live projects and employability with regular live projects set within industry

What happens on the course?

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 2018.

Course Modules

Module: 3VA001
Credits: 60
Period: 1
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

In this module you will work on a series of short projects that aim to introduce you to the core art and design skills that will support your development as an artist or designer at degree level and beyond. In semester 1 you will explore a range of approaches to drawing as a fundamental art and design tool for thinking through and communicating your ideas. Increasingly drawing will be seen as a basis for exploring 2d, 3d and media solutions to art and design problems. Alongside these practical workshops you will begin to explore how research, reflection and documentation can inform your ideas and support studio practice by creating a studio journal containing a series of structured tasks. In semester 2 you will have extended opportunity to work with specialist staff from the different art and design subjects taught in the school and develop projects responding to more defined areas of practice appropriate to your interests and ambitions for degree level study. You will be expected to develop a more focused and independent approach to research through your journal responses and studio practice. Increasingly you will be expected to take greater control and direction of your learning. In semester 1 the workshops, studio projects, research tasks and study visits will be clearly structured and you will be expected to attend regularly and participate in a range of learning activities within and outside of taught sessions. As the course develops and you start to define your subject and contextual interests you will necessarily need to become more independent in accessing appropriate resources for your personal development as an artist/designer. The studios, workshops and other resources are open 5 days a week and you are increasingly expected to manage your taught and independent studio/study time effectively to complete work well and on time.

Module: 3VA002
Credits: 60
Period: 1
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

In this module you will be introduced to the range of art and design subject specialisms taught in the School of Art. Academic and technical teams from across the school will introduce you to specialist workshops and provide a range of short project briefs to enable you to explore and test your ideas out in different mediums and contexts. This will be accompanied by contextual visits, lectures and seminars that will explore how the different artists and designers address genres and issues pertinent to their practice. Assessment reviews and tutorials will be used to support you to reflect on these experiences and begin to consider some areas for extended experience in Semester 2. In semester 2 you will work in subject groupings and propose an individually negotiated project aligned to a broad subject area in the school. You will work with Foundation and degree level tutors to develop your ideas and work towards degree level entry standard. You will need to demonstrate some ability to work and learn independently and reflect on your work to progress your ideas. Alongside practical work you will undertake a portfolio of contextual research which will underpin your core knowledge of your chosen area of study and learn the basic research and writing skills that you will need to progress to degree level study.

Module: 4VC021
Credits: 60
Period: 2
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module will enhance your creative approach to illustration through a diverse range of image making workshops with drawing at the core of your practice. You will be investigating ways of seeing the world, recording and observing, to communicate visually. You will be encouraged to use experimental approaches and think conceptually when generating ideas and research. This will allow you to engage with surface, texture, colour, scale, the manipulation of media, and ultimately provide you with the opportunity to get ‘your hands dirty’! You will test, question and analyse all aspects of producing a successful image for a contemporary audience.   Material methods explored will include a range of printmaking techniques, photography, digital processes, and an expanded notion of drawing. This diverse range of processes will be reflect on through a developing practice through the use of visual journals and sketchbooks, on field trips or in the studio. Alongside this, there will be a series of talks from specialist visual practitioners contextualising your learning. This module will culminate in a student-led symposium in which your image-making practices and conceptual ideas are brought together.

Module: 4VC022
Credits: 60
Period: 2
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module will introduce you to essential aspects of contemporary illustration practice. This will encompass a series of collaborative projects and field trips. This approach will extend your visual and conceptual understanding of illustration as a discipline, and the importance of experimentation. Assignments will reflect current industry practice and principles, and you will work from a series of briefs, including single image and some narrative. You will be introduced to core contexts of practice which are editorial, poster design, children’s books, graphic novel, reportage, publishing, advertising and moving image. This range of illustrative practices explored will allow you to experience and briefly ‘inhabit’ different contexts for illustration. While your own interests will allow you to understand and identify your initial preferences for different contexts. This fundamental learning process will be supported by talks from staff and visiting practitioners who will augment your understanding of current industry principles and methodologies. These will precipitate contextual trajectories of illustration, placing current practice in a more historical and theoretical framework. The module will culminate in the development of a varied portfolio, which will be formally presented as an exhibition, through which you can develop a reflective approach to your practice, identifying areas of illustration that you would like to pursue further in Level 5.

Module: 5VC024
Credits: 60
Period: 3
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

Building on your work from Level 4, this module will introduce you to essential aspects of applied illustrative practice, reflecting industry. Initially structured through a series of short, focussed projects around editorial, book publishing and advertising, you will be introduced to the breadth of the subject in greater detail.  From this exploratory work, you will develop a self-authored project/s, allowing you the freedom to explore the potential direction of your work, and to think about your future portfolio. You will engage with the industry through ‘live’ briefs and competitions and a series of talks by current practitioners will augment your understanding of industry practice. You will embrace an increasingly professional approach to all aspects of your practice, culminating in the presentation of your work and future direction. This will be underpinned by research, critical analysis and reflection on models of illustrative practice, contributing to the development of your own personal vision. Alongside studio practice, this will also contribute to your preparation for the dissertation in your final year.

Module: 5VC023
Credits: 60
Period: 3
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module will examine narrative and sequential concepts across a range of platforms including zines, graphic novels, childrens’ literature, storyboards, animations, artists’ books and reportage.  You will experience the established stages of development, from inception, research and idea generation, through character, location, visual coherence, layout, and “roughs”, to finalised work for publication and exhibition. You will have time to develop a substantial body of work and experience the potential of the long-form project. Throughout this year-long focus on narrative and sequence, an experimental approach to your work will be driven by your individual project proposals. You will further develop and enhance your visual language through an increased material engagement in the workshops and studios. Drawing, experimentation and collaboration remains at the core of the subject, you will undertake a number of themed drawing trips and assignments intended to assist your visual recording, reporting and analytical skills. Interdisciplinary projects across the School of Art will provide you with the opportunity to collaborate and will offer exciting possibilities to extend the direction of your practice. A series of contextual lectures, seminars and talks with an emphasis on literary analysis, visual culture theories and critical enquiry will underpin your studies.  You will further hone your research methodologies for theory and practice and develop types of writing such as academic, journalistic and creative. 

Module: 6VC024
Credits: 60
Period: 4
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

For the final year of your undergraduate studies, Illustration modules are designed to build upon the discoveries and progress made at Level 5. This module will support you in the generation of a substantial body of work that will become the foundation of your future practice. Major Project in illustration is intended to give you the necessary skills to become a professional freelance practitioner working in the Creative Industries. This module offers a series of projects, lectures, ‘live’ and competition briefs that are designed to inform your practice and your potential position in the marketplace. You will also undertake a series of projects that are intended to encourage greater understanding and engagement with industry. You will work independently as you progress through the module, engaging with the staff team through structured individual tutorials and studio sessions. You will have the creative freedom to build self-authored projects in negotiation with the staff team, projects that develop your own personal visual language. You will act professionally, plan and manage your weekly workload to hit agreed set deadlines. The body of work created for this module will form your final Illustration portfolio and degree show exhibition.

Module: 6VC023
Credits: 60
Period: 4
Type: Core
Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module enables you to consolidate your learning and practice in a professional context, where you will demonstrate increasing independence in preparing for a career in the creative industries. You will engage with a range of assignments that will be both self-authored and developed from increased input from guest lecturers discussing career paths, providing meaningful insight and helping to enhance your understanding of the broad area of visual communication in the context of employability. Engagement with lectures, workshops and seminars will support this increasing independence as you learn to build an effective portfolio, engage with commissions, group exhibitions and develop strategies for presenting yourself and your work to the global creative community. You will undertake written and visual research to produce a visual thesis, generating an extended written assignment alongside supporting, experimental practical work. Using critical and reflective skills, this body of work should complement your practice-led portfolio, as well as contributing to your contextual understanding of your discipline. This module offers an opportunity to refine your personal visual language and approach to your chosen specialism within the market.

Potential Career Paths

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.

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

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

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.

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2022-23
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2024-25
Home Part-time £3120 per year# 2022-23
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2024-25
International Full-time £13450 per year 2022-23
International Full-time £14450 per year 2023-24
International Full-time £14450 per year 2023-24
International Full-time £ per year 2024-25

Additional Course Costs

Additional Materials: £50 to 250 per semester - Prices vary according your subject of practice.

Additional Field Trips: £50 to 500 - Prices will vary according to location.

Additional Events: £350 - Degree Show/New Designers. Costs will vary according to the medium and mode of your practice but considerations will be around materials, installation and presentation.

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies.

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies

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

Key Entry Requirements 

Either: 

  • A-levels: Grade profile of DD 
  • Access to HE Diploma (60 credits) of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 (48 UCAS point equivalence, minimum 45 credits at pass)
  • BTEC: Grade profile of PPP 
  • T-Level: Pass grade with a core component profile less than C.  
  • Tariff: Other Level 3 qualifications are accepted for entry. A minimum of 48 UCAS Tariff points will be required. 
  • UAL L3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design or Creative Media Production & Technology- grade P
  • Other: We also consider applicants who have not achieved 48 UCAS points from prior level 3 qualifications. If you have a keen interest in this subject area or hold relevant experience, please make sure you outline this experience within your personal statement. This can be assessed through an alternative assessment route such as an academic essay. 

Use the UCAS Tariff calculator to check your qualifications and points

International entry requirements and application guidance can be found here

Other Requirements

Those meeting the entry requirements will be shortlisted for a Portfolio Review. Further details can be found at https://www.wlv.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply/4---after-youve-applied/subject-specific-applications/. Applicants will also be required to provide a satisfactory reference.

 

Progression Information: 

Applicants who successfully complete the foundation year programme can progress onto Level 4 of this course area, you will not be required to reapply or reinterview. 

If you complete this foundation year programme and decide you wish to change your degree subject, you will be required to apply again through UCAS and take part in the course specific interview and selection process for this new course area.  

 

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

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