Illustration Leeds Arts University

This course offers an expansive understanding of contemporary illustration through an inquisitive and explorative programme of study. On this course, you will explore multidisciplinary methods of working which extend the concepts of communication, narrative and visualisation through research, practice and discursive critique.

The course offers students a stimulating space for exploring the boundaries of illustration. It will offer the opportunity to unpick the specialist mechanisms related to authorial practice, sequential narrative, as well as publishing approaches such as picture books, zines, visual diaries and other illustrative story play. The course will encourage you to consider co-designed and collaborative methods of practice, as well as autobiographical, autofiction and other approaches derived from the ‘lived experience’.

You will be supported by a team with diverse research and practical interests from the fields of illustration and its broader visual cultures. Research and dissemination methods will be introduced and developed with the support of visiting industry speakers, workshops, lectures and seminars with opportunity to situate work in relevant professional contexts.

The course celebrates image making through analogue approaches and digital approaches to working which complement contemporary practice. You will be encouraged to undertake in-depth examination and experimentation of interdisciplinary practical and theoretical research methods through hands-on and playful approaches.

Entry requirements

At enrolment, you should normally have achieved a minimum of:

• A 2:2 undergraduate UK honours degree or international equivalent or;
• A degree-equivalent postgraduate diploma /professional qualification

You will also need:

• Evidence of your English Language ability equivalent to IELTS 6.5 with no component less than 5.5. Please see the English Language Requirements section below for details of accepted qualifications
• A short portfolio (application images)
• One reference to support your application from an academic or a creative practitioner
• An international qualification equivalent to the above – please check how your qualifications match our entry requirements by visiting our International Students pages on our website - www.leeds-art.ac.uk/international

Applicants who hold a degree from another discipline or have experiential learning in lieu of a degree that can demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skills may also be considered for entry, subject to an interview and/or the submission of a satisfactory portfolio of work in support of their application.