MA Illustration

Creatively develop your illustration practise, and discover your mature, insightful authorial voice.

A central element of this course is the application and testing of communicative drawing, as well as drawing with identified purpose and intent. It’s an intense and productive process of enquiry and investigation, focusing on the acquisition of fluency, clarity and coherence in expressing visual narrative.

The techniques and technologies which form the practice-based mechanisms of illustration are also key, with the aim of achieving a dynamic, sophisticated and confident application of process. You may choose to actively explore your printmaking, digital painting, or use of creative software and other forms of traditional media with our technicians and academics supporting you to meet your individual creative and career aspirations.

Drawing also forms a methodology for research and investigation, supported by lectures and workshops delivered by illustration staff who have a wide range of industry and publishing experience.

We are home to the Cheltenham Illustration Awards (CIA), an international illustration competition that leads to a touring exhibition of highly commended entries, one of the many opportunities to exhibit your work internationally.

Study Style

You’ll learn through lectures, seminars, studio practice, lectures, workshops and reflective study. Assessment is 100% by coursework.

You’ll participate in intellectual and critical enquiry through your practice, lectures, individual research and reflective study. This course encourages enterprise and promotion alongside your own personal development. You’ll have opportunities to print, publish and disseminate your work in collaborative and personal publications for our imprint, ‘The Pittville Press,’ which is actively promoted at book fairs and publishing events. Tutorials will support you in developing a creative portfolio strategy relevant to your personal aims.

As part of a creative community, you will have the chance to take part in exhibitions and events such as the Cheltenham Literature Festival, London Book Fair and comic fairs. Digital methods of creating images are supported alongside traditional printmaking processes, enabling a range of skills to be acquired and interrogated. The course will challenge you to apply your ideas to a variety of contexts and support you to forge a career in diverse areas such as publishing, animation and concept art for games design. To do this, technicians and the academic course team will guide you to implement strategies to meet your creative aspirations and develop collaborations to progress your career aspirations.