Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Illustration

The Illustration programme at Derby fosters the development of innovative, unique, diverse, and professionally-minded illustrators. Through a journey of exploration and experimentation, students engage with challenging projects and activities that build self-motivation and confidence, encouraging them to go beyond simply meeting a brief. The course nurtures the ability to explore, redefine, reimagine, and question conventional interpretations of illustration.

Students are encouraged to experiment and challenge the boundaries of illustration, with opportunities to participate in live projects and high-profile competitions. The programme is delivered in a dedicated and inspiring illustration studio, promoting networking among peers and the forging of lifelong professional connections. It allows for specialisation in particular areas of expertise within illustration while providing flexibility to pursue self-authored projects. Facilities include a drawing room, printmaking studio, and Digital Design Hub, where students explore traditional and contemporary techniques such as drawing, screen-print, lino, mono-printing, drypoint, risograph, solar etching, photography, digital image making, 3D model making, painting, and multi-media collage. A wide variety of illustration practices are covered, including sequential image-making, characterisation, reportage, and editorial illustration.

The teaching team comprises practitioners with expertise across multiple illustration backgrounds, including exhibiting artists, printmakers, storyboard artists, and commercial illustrators. This diverse staff brings specialist skillsets alongside expert knowledge of broader design practice, offering individualised guidance throughout the programme. A high-profile lecture series exposes students to leading industry speakers, such as Sam Arthur, founder of Nobrow Publishing, and ceramicist and illustrator Laura Carlin. Opportunities for trips to galleries and events, both locally and further afield, complement participation in pop-up showcase events in the city. All students become members of The Association of Illustrators, providing access to influential industry networks, professional portfolio consultations, and resources such as legal and pricing advice for freelancers.

The programme immerses students in the exploration of craft and design, promoting the development of drawing skills, visual storytelling, and the communication of ideas. It supports the cultivation of a distinctive personal voice while producing illustrative work across diverse formats, including publishing, editorial and educational design, graphic novels, narrative projects, printmaking, moving image, children’s books, and packaging. Studio study is complemented by history and theory modules that enhance intellectual development, graduate and academic skills, and provide an awareness of the broader contexts relevant to illustration.