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This exciting and stimulating course will give you a practical foundation in all the varied activities within the hugely diverse world of graphic arts.

The course is underpinned by drawing and we've structured it around a series of projects that address both the practical issues that you may encounter as a professional but also the broader cultural or social-economic world that you will be moving into. 

You'll be exposed to a wide range of techniques, both direct and indirect, digital and analogue, from printmaking, painting, drawing, collage, object making, book-making, publishing and graphic novels.

In your first year, you’ll undertake a number of projects and workshops that teach about different sorts of materials and ways of working. In your second year, we’ll introduce you to some professional practice in ‘live’ projects.

These include the opportunity to tackle the leading ‘House of Illustration’ book illustration competition, which offers you a potential shop window in the professional world.

By your third year, you’ll be moving more from directed projects to your own independent creations as you build your own distinctive portfolios.

The aim of this course is develop you as an imaginative, confident, creative individual capable of exploit and adapting to a rapidly changing world.

The course has its own very distinct flavour because it’s not directed at or bound by the conventions of industry. We want you to give full vent to your creativity and explore all sorts of areas where your illustration skills could be used.

You’ll be taught by talented, creative individuals, too. Our academic staff, headed by Fine Arts specialist Martin Barrett, are all admired professional practitioners in their varied fields. Valerie Pezeron is an illustrator,  and Mikey Georgeson is… well, a man of many parts from painter to illustrator-singer-songwriter!

As well as receiving supportive personal tuition, you’ll learn in superb facilities. We have outstanding book and journal-making equipment, a printmaking workshop, a wood and 3D workshop, plaster and casting workshops as well as a fully-equipped Mac lab and 3D laser cutting gear.
 
You’ll enjoy visits to galleries and museums and, even if you choose not to take up the opportunities we offer to study abroad, don’t worry. You’ll be learning amid the wonderfully vibrant creative atmosphere of east London. There could be no more stimulating setting for your studies.

• Guided independent study
We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7. We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces and dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.

• Academic support
Students are supported with any academic or subject related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, former and current UEL students.
If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, maths or IT, our Skillzone and English for Academic Purposes we offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential. You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need. UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).

• Workload
Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.

The approximate percentages for this course are:
Year 1: scheduled teaching – 300 hours; guided independent study – 900 hours.
Year 2: scheduled teaching – 300 hours; guided independent study – 900 hours.
Year 3: scheduled teaching – 300 hours; guided independent study – 900 hours.
The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work. You will receive your personalised timetable at the beginning of the academic year dependent on your course.

Who will teach on this course

Dan Duran

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

Our Illustration graduates progress into a wide variety stimulating jobs. Some become editorial illustrators, working on magazines or designing book covers. Others go into teaching the subject themselves or working for graphic design companies.

A few have even landed jobs as technicians within the University itself. They just can’t tear themselves away from UEL’s winning atmosphere!

Preparing you for your life beyond university is key for us. Each year, we have an annual ‘Detour Ahead’ week, when leading industry figures visit us to offer invaluable insight and advice about further careers and entrepreneurship in the art and design world.

Some of our students grasp their opportunities well before they leave our course. For example, Martin Reznik, one of our outstanding graduates who is now in hot demand as a magazine illustrator, was already designing apps for a company in Los Angeles as a student.

Then there’s the story of a group of friends who set up their own company while studying at UEL.

They began as a university society, just wanting to find a way of making their own comics more visible. Now, after graduation, they’ve grown into a business, Backwards Burd, offering publishing services and giving new illustrators and artists a fresh showcase.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal