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BA (Hons)

Illustration

Turn your passion for drawing and creativity into a fulfilling career as you hone your craft working alongside major design and animation studios on live client briefs, using traditional techniques and the latest industry-standard equipment and tech. This dynamic course opens the doors to a variety of creative careers.

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Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    W220

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Cardiff

  • Campus Code

    B

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,535*

  • International students

    £15,850*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

Illustration is an essential part of our language Learn how to use your artistic skills to communicate, connect, inform and educate across a variety of media. 

DESIGNED FOR

Turn your passion for drawing and creative concept generation into a powerful skill across multiple media. This course helps you find your creative voice and gives you the industry experience needed to kickstart your dream career as an illustrator.

Member of   

  • Association of Illustrators (AOI)  

Career Paths

  • Freelance illustrator 
  • Comic book artist 
  • Graphic novel artist 
  • Storyboard artist 
  • Children’s book illustrator 
  • Animation and game pre-production / visual development 
  • Character designer 
  • Concept artist 
  • Background artist 
  • Prop designer   

Skills Taught

  • Creative design thinking 
  • Character design 
  • Drawing and mark making 
  • Colour theory 
  • Print making 
  • Research and idea development 
  • Professional communication  

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

design-illustration-students-6

Course Highlights

Real-world experience 

Experience the industry throughout your course with placements, live briefs, field trips and guest speakers.

Outstanding Facilities

Learn your craft using professional equipment and software in our industry-standard studios.

Industry-focused 

Develop a standout portfolio and learn the commercial skills and processes that employers need.

Supportive staff 

Students report that our staff provide amazing support and are always accessible and on hand to help.

Module Overview

Open your eyes to the vibrant world of illustration as you develop your visual language and artistic skills. Then prepare to enter the industry through live projects and placements, building up a portfolio and professional experience that’ll help you find your dream role in illustration/creative industries.

Year One
Colour and Communication for Illustration  
Visual Skills  
Illustration Fundamentals  
Communication Studies 1  

Year Two
Illustration for Literature and Information  
Place and Product for Illustration  
Illustration for Moving Image  
Communication Studies 2 

Year Three
Critical Research Project by Dissertation  
Final Major Project  
Client Studies  
Professional and Promotional Practice  
Competition brief  

Get a thorough grounding in how your illustration skills can make an impact in the real world, finding your own visual language through immersive workshops. Learn the fundamental theory that underpins your practical development and get to grips with key academic skills.

Colour and Communication for Illustration  
Explore how colour theory and colour psychology help you communicate your ideas and enhance your visual storytelling.  

Visual Skills  
Spend time in the studio developing your own drawing style, visual language and storytelling style, experimenting with a wide range of media and mark-making techniques and drawing styles.   

Illustration Fundamentals  
Examine how illustration is applied within the industry of visual communication and illustration, while also considering your visual language, target audience and markets.

Communication Studies 1  
Research key artistic and design movements from the past, that inspire your own art practice, while developing skills in critical research, analysis and academic writing.  

Apply your craft in more advanced ways. Develop a commercial understanding of a range of industries where you can make an impact as an illustrator.

Illustration for Literature and Information  
Examine the relationship between illustrator, client and agent, exploring illustration for literature, editorial illustration, and illustration that can information the audience. 

Place and Product for Illustration  
Investigate how illustration can persuade or attract new audiences with relation to places, products and brands as you respond to a brief aligned to industry.  

Illustration for Moving Image  
Learn how to elevate your visuals with movement, exploring the illustrator’s role in the production of animation and moving images, exploring character design, animation fundamentals, gif making and augmented reality.  

Communication Studies 2 
Develop an advanced understanding of illustration contexts, their purpose and their applications, with an emphasis on social media and trends in the creative industries.  

Prepare to enter the industry as you take part in live briefs and projects tailored to your aspirations. You’ll undertake an industry placement, build up your portfolio, and develop your own branding and identity alongside the professional skills required to launch your illustration career.

Critical Research Project by Dissertation  
Link academic research and creative practice as you undertake a sustained research project in a field relating to illustration and/or design.  

Final Major Project  
Develop a self-directed project, or a professional body of work based on your strengths, interests and career aspirations, presenting your work to a professional level.  

Client Studies  
Undertake a 70-hour work-based industry placement or complete a live project brief provided by an industry partner, demonstrating your industry readiness.  

   

Professional and Promotional Practice  
Build essential skills in the business of freelance illustration. Master self-promotion with a website and social media to boost your employability.  

Competition brief  
Another chance to grow your professional expertise and get lots of eyes on your work. Our students regularly see success in many national prizes and competitions.  

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

Your course experience closely mirrors industry practices, gearing you up for real-world employment. You’ll spend about 80% of your time in the studio, honing your practical skills and building your portfolio. Industry professionals frequently join to deliver live projects, including group work. The course adapts to industry trends, giving you creative freedom to tackle briefs in different media. Theory is covered in interactive lectures and seminars, with your understanding assessed through written coursework and presentations – there are no exams.  

Teaching staff

Our staff are industry leaders with real-world experience, including a former Disney and Nickelodeon animation director and top illustrators for international magazines & newspapers. They’ll help you discover and refine your unique creative style, offering personalised guidance to match your talents. With their active connections, you’ll gain access to valuable placements, live briefs, and guest projects. Plus, they’re always available to provide tailored support throughout your journey.  

Placements and work experience 

Throughout the course, you’ll have a wide range of placement opportunities. In your third year, you’ll tackle a major project with industry leaders like Cloth Cat Animation, Hachette Picture Group, or the National Museum of Wales. You’ll also contribute to USW’s renowned Immersed Festival, creating murals and illustrated maps. Our course staff and careers team will help you arrange additional placements if you’re interested. Past students have worked for New York Art Galleries, taught art via the Welsh Language in Patagonia, designed tote bags for USW’s graduations, and led art workshops with schools and local community groups.  

Facilities

You’ll be industry-ready with access to the latest equipment and technology. At our Cardiff campus’s creative hub, you’ll work with professional studios. You’ll also have access to social and collaboration spaces, a Mac suite with drawing tablets and Adobe software, and specialist equipment like Risograph digital printing, 3D printers, and laser cutters. This hands-on experience will prepare you to hit the ground running in any studio you join.  

Equipment

At our Cardiff Campus we have a vast range of equipment that you will be trained to use as part of your course. To help support your studies we have a Media Loans facility that allows you to hire the equipment, at no cost, for you to then use for your assignments and practical work.  We have both basic and high-end film and photography cameras, portable lighting and sound equipment as well as a range of professional studio recording microphones, instruments and associated equipment to use in our music studios or on location. The team of technical officers and instructors are also available to help you with any queries and technical issues.

Careers and Employability

Careers support

The course is designed to set you up for a successful career in illustration with a strong focus on practical, industry-relevant skills. You’ll get hands-on experience with industry-standard practices and equipment while also learning how to market yourself and handle the business side of freelancing. You’ll have chances to build relationships with industry professionals, which could lead to commissions from live projects and placements. Plus, our dedicated careers team is here to help you find and pursue job opportunities, meaning you’re well-prepared for the dynamic creative world.  

Graduate careers

You’ll become a confident, versatile creative, ready to excel in a range of roles. Whether you aspire to be a editorial or children’s book illustrator or explore animation creation, video game art, concept design, or packaging design, this course prepares you for success. Some graduates even branch out into unique areas like tattooing, fine art painters, or teaching art and design. You’ll have the space to discover your passions and strengths, and with our successful alumni network, your work could soon be showcased alongside theirs.  

Industry partners  

Your course experience is shaped by our close partnerships with leading studios and industry professionals. We stay in touch with these partners to keep you updated on industry trends, cultural shifts, and employer needs. You’ll engage directly through placements, live projects, trips, and networking events with partners like Cloth Cat and Jammy Custard animation studios, the National Museum of Wales, and various London studios. You can also take part in social impact projects with organisations like Music Declares Emergency, festivals such as PRINTED, and a variety of competitions.  

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS points: 96 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A Level: CCC to include a relevant art and design subject
  • Welsh BACC: Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and CC at A Level with a relevant art and design subject
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Merit Merit Merit in a relevant subject
  • Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points
  • T Level: Pass (C and above)

Additional requirements include:

GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£9,535

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£15,850

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

* Obligatory

USW provides a variety of basic materials, but we encourage you to have your own preferred  materials to use for directed work.

Drawing Materials:

  • Set of graphite pencils (ranging from 2H to 6B) o Coloured pencils RRP £8
  • Felt tip pens RRP £10
  • Fine liner pens (various nib sizes) RRP £8.99
  • A brush pen RRP £4
  • Eraser RRP £1.99
  • Sharpener RRP £3
  • A metal ruler £2.99
  • Scalpel Blade Handle (with 10a blades) RRP £4.99

Painting Supplies:

  • Watercolour paints (small set of tubes or pan set) o Paintbrushes (assorted sizes and shapes) RRP £13.99
  • A palette for mixing colours RRP £5.25
  • Water containers

Digital Tools:

  • External thumb drive for file backups (32GB or higher) RRP £14.99

Miscellaneous:

  • A3 Portfolio case or folder for storing and presenting your artwork RRP £6.99
  • Sketching bag or backpack to carry your materials
  • A4 Personal Sketchbook RRP £3.99
  • A3 Personal Sketchbook RRP £5.99
  • Notebook and pen for taking notes during classes and critiques (separate from your sketchbook) RRP £2.00

Cost: Up to £150

As the course progresses it is useful to have your own laptop, but you will have access to all IT equipment over the three years. Laptop costs vary depending on your own preferences and budget.
Cost: Up to £300

On occasion you may be required to print illustrated outcomes for specific modules, live briefs, client presentations or assessment. Costs are subject to individual requirements.

Cost: Up to £100

Field trips that are part of core learning will be paid for by the course. Additional visits are occasionally arranged which are optional and students may be asked to share the costs. These optional trips will range from £20 for local trips to £500 for international trips.

Cost: Up to £500

Media Loans

You can hire a range of equipment, for your assignments and practical work, for free from our Media Loans facility.

Media Loans

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

ba-illustration-nss

92% of BA (Hons) Illustration students at USW were satisfied with their course. (National Student Survey 2024).

How to apply

All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time.)

Advanced entry

If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.

International admissions

International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
 

Related Courses

Graphic Communication - BA (Hons) Learn more

Next Steps

How to apply
Apply Through UCAS
Book an Open Day
Chat to Us

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.

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