Illustration
Illustration is the art of communicating ideas, stories, information, and emotions through image-making. It is a discipline with deep roots in book and editorial art that has expanded enormously with digital media and new forms of visual communication, encompassing picture books, graphic novels, editorial and news illustration, animation, surface design, infographics, concept art, and character design for games and film. Illustration requires both technical skill in drawing and image-making and the conceptual ability to translate a brief or an idea into a visual form that is both effective and original.
The Open University offers illustration through distance learning and part-time study, which makes it possible to pursue a serious arts education while managing existing commitments. The OU's approach to creative subjects at a distance is built around rich visual materials, critical study of illustration history and theory, practical project work, and online studio discussions that allow students to share their developing practice and receive feedback. The flexibility of part-time study suits illustrators at various career stages, whether building a practice from scratch, developing skills in an existing creative career, or returning to education after time away.
You will develop your practical skills in a range of drawing and image-making media, both traditional and digital, alongside critical and historical study of illustration as a discipline, an understanding of the professional contexts in which illustrators work, and the conceptual thinking that allows you to respond creatively and distinctively to briefs. The ability to develop an idea from concept through to finished artwork is a core skill the degree develops.
Graduates in illustration work as freelance illustrators across publishing, editorial, advertising, and design contexts; as concept artists in games and animation; as picture book creators; as surface designers for products and textiles; and in many roles where visual communication and image-making are central. The flexible nature of illustration careers means the part-time route through the OU is genuinely compatible with building a professional practice in parallel. Postgraduate study in illustration, animation, or related areas of visual communication is another route for those who want to develop their research practice or teaching career.