Illustration

Illustration is a discipline that occupies a distinctive space in the visual arts: it is concerned with communicating ideas, narratives, and emotions through images, working in response to a brief, a text, or a concept rather than in purely self-directed expression. From children's picture books and editorial cartoons to concept art for games and films, animated sequences, and graphic novels, illustration is a broad and diverse field that rewards both technical skill and the development of a personal visual voice.

At the University of Cumbria, this three-year full-time programme takes a comprehensive approach to the discipline, building strong foundations in drawing, composition, and colour that underpin everything you do as an illustrator. You will develop your personal visual language, working across a range of contexts and audiences to discover where your distinctive strengths lie. The programme prepares you for the multifaceted nature of a professional illustration career, covering children's book illustration, editorial work, and game and film concept art, among other areas.

You will develop both the technical skills and the professional confidence needed to succeed in a field where the quality of your portfolio and your ability to work to briefs are what employers and commissioners look for.

Illustration graduates work as freelance illustrators, in publishing and media, as concept artists in the games and film industries, in advertising and design agencies, as editorial illustrators for magazines and newspapers, and in education. The breadth of contexts in which illustration is used means that graduates who develop a distinctive style and strong professional practice can build careers that are genuinely varied and personally satisfying. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in illustration, animation, or visual communication to develop their practice further or to move into specialised areas of the discipline.