Welcome to the University of Northampton.BA (Hons) Illustration

Louise Bird BA, MA, FHEA — Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer

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Learning & Teaching at Waterside.

➢You will study in small interactive group sessions, enhanced by the latest developments in technology.

➢Our Learning Hub, the heart of Waterside Campus combines resources, staff and learning spaces that would traditionally be separate.

➢Waterside has been designed to give you a personalised learning experience, excellent opportunities to develop your academic experience and life skills.

* Valid for 2021/22 entry. For 2020/21 academic year, please refer to our website for the latest information: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/about-us/situation-updates/

Integrated Foundation Year

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The Integrated Foundation Year at the University of Northampton is an opportunity for you to successfully study a four-year version of the three-year degree without the standard entry qualifications, whilst gaining critical study skills.

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Personal Tutor.

• You will be allocated a personal tutor at the start of the year

• They are there to help you with every aspect of university life

• They’ll be in touch at various point in the academic year

• You can arrange to meet them at any time

Money Matters.

• A range of scholarships and bursaries to support you

• Financial Guidance Team on hand to help you with any money queries from student loans to financial hardship, and budgeting to loans

Accommodation.

• Halls of Residence on campus, in the town centreand Boughton Green Road

• Private Sector Officer to give advice and guidance if you’re looking to go into private sector accommodation

Health.

• Doctor’s surgery on campus

• Counselling and Mental Health Team

• Additional Needs and Disability Support (ASSIST)

• Residential Life Team are there to support and advise students living in halls

Support.

Welcome toBA (hons) IllustrationInstagram: @northamptonillustration

Twitter: @UoNillustration

UCAS code: W220

What is illustration? Illustrators communicate visually to capture the imagination, connect with people, make ideas accessible, persuade and entertain.

They respond to texts and concepts or devise their own authored work to visually engage people, suggest meaning, and create experiences.

They comment on and produce culture – they’re part of the cultural conversation.

Illustration overlaps with many other disciplines – an illustrator may also be an author, a designer, an artist, a set designer, a journalist, a performer, an entrepreneur… it’s a very open area with an immense amount of possibility and this course encourages you to explore this.

Where can a degree in Illustration take you?Freelance illustrator Self-publisher/authorAnimator Film makerPrintmaker Model/scenery/puppet makerDesigner Storyboard artistBook publisher EditorCurator Editorial publisherDirector Illustration agentPicture book designer Public artistArtist in residence Gallery assistant

The following slides are some examples of the sort of work an illustrator might do.

The images showcase some of the work made by students on our course.

For example through comics, books, animation, installation, sculpture, textiles, games, apps, costumed performance and more.Students on our course both respond to existing stories, write their own stories from scratch or sometimes adapting them to create a new work, like this work here which was a response to Kafka’s The Trial.

There are many ways an illustrator may bring a story to life …

Here is the work of a student who created a story around an imaginary local cult. He used both drawings and object making to tell the story.

Student work bringing new life to some forgotten nursery rhymes - installed in the local library. And another student’s self authored and illustrated comic book – The Woodcutter.

Student work responding to poetry by making tiny sculptures and a host of crazy characters exploring the idea of being immersed in a book.

Student work that involved costume and performance to interpret a story of metamorphosis plus some zines and comics made by our students.

Illustrators also design characters, storyboard and build worlds for games, films or in other virtual spaces. Concept work for a game (left) plus drawing virtual (VR) environments in the studio (below).

More world building student work in traditional media.Illustrating Sherlock Holmes stories for Folio Society international competition .

Stories can convey complex ideas and be documentary as well as fiction. Illustration encompasses documentary through storytelling such as this zine (below) telling the story of how the Brexit vote divided this students family.

Location drawing is becoming popular Professionally, to document events. Below is a student’s sketch live from Graduate Fashion Week where our students attended to capture the event both backstage andin the arena.

More student reportage, documentary work exploring family history from found cine film.

Illustrators often comment on the world around them, not only through documentary but also though responding to editorial articles that appear in print or online and these illustrations are increasingly animated and occasionally virtual. Student editorial work (left).

Illustration can also involve creating a mood to suggest content or entertain – it is often used this way on book covers, record covers and VJ-ing, packaging, branding, window display and mural art.

Below is a student design for the Penguin book cover competition and some commissioned work by a local craft beer brewery.

Our student’s enter international competitions and belowis work designed for UK Greetings Card company through YCN .

Illustration can also be used to make information more understandable or accessible for example through maps, instructions, educational books and scribing: drawing down concepts as they’re being discussed at, for example, a meeting – this is becoming very popular in the corporate centre.

Illustration can be so many things! And the possibilities are being expanded all the time as technology and culture change.

Now is a great time to be studying illustration!Illustration is very popular – there’s a big demand for it.

Virtual and augmented technologies and the internet have opened up new areas and opportunities yet many of the traditional areas for illustration continue to thrive too – there has been a resurgence in the need for beautifully designed books, for example, and a growing appreciation for the look and feel of printmaking.

On the course we explore both traditional and cutting edge approaches to the subject.

About the courseWe only take on a relatively small cohort of students each year,about 20 to 25 students per year group, which makes our course particularly supportive with a family-like atmosphere and lots of one to one tuition time, technician help and access to resources when you need them.

We take an open, questioning and exploratory approach to the discipline. The course is focussed on you and the development of your own unique illustrative voice.

We are interested in traditional image making tools such as pencil drawing and printmaking as well as digital painting and VR. You are encouraged to explore everything and to consider illustration in its broadest sense.

We believe our course is highly supportive as well as inspiring, challenging and particularly strong on professional practice; equipping you with the knowledge and experience to become successful illustrators when you leave.

How will the course inspire me?• You will be taught by practicing illustrators

• Fantastic access to resources such as our print rooms, studio risograph and digital resources

• Visits to agencies, publishers, working studios

• Workshops and talks by guest illustrators

• Collaborations with real clients, ‘live briefs’

• Getting involved with our our own risographpublishing house - Made Well Press

• Study special collections owned by the university

Recent visits to B&A illustration agency who work with big brand clients such as Nike, (left) And a visit to the Guardian offices to hear about how they commission illustration, (right)

How will the course inspire me?

Trips

Made well press

CFW and practicing illustrators teaching. CF week (visits, talks and workshops by illustrators)

Trips to agencies

Special collections

Collaborations

Student plasticine models made during a workshop led by illustrator Wilfrid Wood. Workshops happen every week in the studios – such as this character led life drawing session where students devised costumes for the model!

Trips to working studios such as Le Gun collective and workshops on book binding.

How will the course challenge me?• Through workshops that encourage you to work in new ways.

• Testing and expanding your ideas of what illustration can be.

• The spectrum of media and resources you’ll develop new skills in with continued technician support available.

• Through studio seminars that encourage critical reflection and challenge your ideas.

• Critical theory lectures and writing.

• Collaborative working and live projects and getting your work out there through exhibitions and events which you organise and promote with our support.

• We encourage a research-led approach to developing work through research methods.

Printmaking resource areas and the studio Risograph press

How will the course support me?• Nurturing supportive atmosphere with lots of face to face time with your tutors

• Studio culture – you are on campus or in the studio at least three days a week

• Small numbers, supportive family atmosphere, great access to resources

• Wider support network of the university

• Technician support for all resource areas

• TEF gold

Working together in the studio to devise an illustration-based workshop at the local museum.

Artist residency at NN, Northampton contemporary Art gallery. Running workshops with students fromNorthamopton college.in

How will the course enable me to become a professional illustrator or improve my job prospects on graduation?• Simply having a degree makes you more employable and increases your chances of

earning a professional level income soon after graduating.

• This university has a very high postgraduation employment rate.

• Changemaker – if you take on their challenges you can be guaranteed a paid internship when you leave if after 6 months you don’t have a job.

This course equips you with many transferable skills and encourages initiative and independence. The course also offers:

• Specific modules focussed on developing your professional skills

• Links with and visits from the Association of Illustrators

• Visits to agencies and publishers

• Tutoring in how to exhibit, curate and promote your work effectively

• Opportunities to organise and promote your own events

• Opportunities to gain teaching experience by delivering workshops to others

• Professional experience through live projects which are embedded in the course • plus extra opportunities to work on commissions

• Internship and other work experience is embedded in the course

A talk form the Association of Illustrators on promoting your work, negotiating fees, running your own business and understanding contracts

Students advertising their residency at the local contemporary art gallery, NN.

Above, students selling their booksat DIY Cultures, the largest self-publishing fair in London.

Some of the companies and brands we work with on the course

Where are they now?What our graduates have gone on to do …

Many of our students have gone on to obtain Masters degrees in Visual Communication, Illustration, Glass Making, Forensic Facial Reconstruction, Art Therapy, Education and other subjects at institutions such as the Royal College of Art and University Arts London and the University of Dundee.

Others practice as freelance illustrators working on commissions around the environment, education or astronomy for example, establish businesses online or publish their comics.

Others have gone on to develop careers in related fields such as marketing, art therapy, teaching or graphic design.

A panel of students recently returned to tell current students about their experience of working towards a Masters degree.

Alumni students have been featured in Creative Review, Varoom and Gosh comics in Soho London

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Illustrationfundamentals

Skills and application toa range of challenges

Developing a practice

Ways of thinking and creatingwork with impact.

Digital MediaDeveloping practical and professional skills

Contextual Studies Understanding how visual culture works.

Year 1

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Illustrationapplication

Responding to live and hypothetical scenarios

Research led practice

Self authorship and enhancingpersonal approaches.

Professional PracticeApplying practical and professional skills

Contextual Studies Exploring theory in relation to practice

Year 2

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Illustrationapplication

Responding to live and hypothetical scenarios

Self authoredpractice

Self authorship and showcasing personal approaches.

Professional PracticeRefining portfolio, self promotion and professional skills

Illustration DissertationIn-depth exploration of an area of visual culture or Design theory.

Year 3

Selection process: interview and portfolio After you apply to the course through UCAS we invite all candidates to an interview. This is an informal discussion around your work and allows you to visit the campus and ask us questions too.

You will need to bring a portfolio of work and some recent sketchbooks to the interview.

Advice for your portfolio

Be selective - around 10 to 15 pieces

Include a range of work; drawing, painting, printmaking, design, 3D, animation …

Sketchbooks - we love these! Bring along sketchbooks that relate to projects but also personal work too

We like to see work in progress so consider including something you are working on

We want to see how you think and where you get your ideas from

Come with questions for us too More at northampton.ac.uk/portfolio-guide

Where can a degree in Illustration take you?

Thank youFollow us on Instagram: @northamptonillustration

UCAS code: W220