AUB, MA, Illustration

The MA Illustration course encourages practitioners to question the nature of their illustration practice, and its context and position relative to the creative industries.

This course provides an opportunity to further refine your creative identity, offering an exciting incubator between degree level and professional illustration practice at MA level. It is also a great opportunity for creative professionals to return to university to reflect on their studio practice and consider new directions and possibilities.

This course does not promote a particular house style or preferred platform – we are interested in attracting diverse contemporary practitioners to the course who are able to think independently and self-initiate work within a contemporary illustration context.

This course recognises an expansive understanding of contemporary illustration through the exploration of relationships between illustrator and author, audience and context. Ideas are developed through specific individual approaches to research into practice and reflective enquiry.

Students studying on this course come from a number of diverse backgrounds, including illustration, graphic design, printmaking, drawing, photography and painting. Others come from outside art and design, having had experience across other subject disciplines but demonstrating an abiding interest and evidence of a passion for illustration.

This Masters course is designed to appeal to students who are open to participating in a broad range of creative strategies, using traditional and digital methods. These include drawing, printmaking, lens- and time-based media, with ideas and concepts that might be realised through exhibition, publication, or new hybrid forms.

This course is structured and delivered to encourage and support students to develop their own distinct visual language. This deeper understanding and commitment helps our students to identify, explore, and achieve their future career aspirations.