Painting, Drawing and Printmaking

Painting, drawing, and printmaking are the foundational disciplines of studio art, the practices through which artists have represented the world, expressed interior experience, and pushed the boundaries of what visual art can do. Far from being superseded by digital tools, these media remain central to contemporary art practice precisely because they engage directly with materiality, process, and the physical act of mark-making. A degree in these disciplines develops not just technical skill but a sustained creative practice grounded in looking, thinking, and making.

At Arts University Plymouth this extended four-year programme is designed to support students who may be returning to education after a break, who are without formal qualifications, or who want an exploratory year before committing fully to a discipline. The early stages of the degree allow you to develop the foundations of artistic practice before you narrow your focus and build the depth of work needed for a professional portfolio. A sandwich year and work placement activity are embedded in the programme, giving you professional experience alongside your studio development.

You will study painting, drawing, and printmaking not as separate subjects but as interconnected practices, understanding how each medium shapes and complicates the others. You will engage with art history and critical theory, developing the contextual knowledge to place your own work in relation to traditions and contemporary conversations. Critique and professional practice skills prepare you for life after graduation.

Graduates of painting, drawing, and printmaking follow many paths. Careers as professional artists, whether through gallery representation, commissions, public art, or community engagement, are one direction. Many graduates also work in arts education, teaching at primary, secondary, or further education level, or running workshops and community programmes.

Roles in illustration, design, and visual communication draw on studio practice skills in commercial contexts. Arts administration, gallery and museum work, and arts journalism are further directions. Postgraduate study at MA or MFA level is well suited to graduates who wish to develop an academic or research practice alongside their studio work.