BA (Hons) Illustration | Open University

England

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Accessibility statement

An image to illustrate the BA (Honours) Illustration

Bring ideas to life through the power of visual storytelling. This online degree nurtures your ability to tell stories and convey complex ideas through visual art. From editorial illustrations to graphic novels, you'll explore diverse styles and mediums, developing your unique visual voice. The flexible distance learning format allows you to balance your creative growth with other life commitments, all while building a professional portfolio that showcases your evolving skills as an illustrator.

Key features:

Course highlights:

This honours degree in illustration has three stages, each comprising 120 credits.

Stage 1 (120 credits)

As you begin your illustration journey, you'll explore fundamental visual language and creative strategies. You'll experiment with mark-making, composition, and colour theory while developing your research and idea-generation skills. Throughout this stage, you'll study the historical and contemporary contexts of illustration, gaining insights that will inform your own work. You'll learn to produce artwork for various formats, from eye-catching posters to engaging comics, giving you a well-rounded start to your illustration career and helping you discover the areas that most inspire you.

Stage 2 (120 credits)

Building on your foundation, you'll deepen your practical skills and creative understanding of illustration. You'll explore how different methods apply to contemporary contexts such as editorial, commercial, and technical fields. This stage will broaden your horizons as you investigate global perspectives in image-making and address current social issues through visual representation. You'll have the opportunity to apply your growing expertise in a self-directed project, where you'll create an original body of work that reflects your developing style and interests, preparing you for more independent work in the final stage.

Stage 3 (120 credits)

In this final stage, you'll refine your unique illustrative voice through a series of self-directed projects and critical thinking assignments. This approach will foster an autonomous and professional attitude towards your practice, preparing you for the realities of a career in illustration. You'll produce a substantial body of work that reflects your interests and skills and demonstrates your readiness for the industry. By engaging in external projects and preparing a major final piece, you'll create a capstone to your studies that showcases your growth and potential as a professional illustrator, ready to make your mark in the visual arts world.

This open-access degree welcomes students from all backgrounds. No formal qualifications are required – just bring your passion for visual storytelling and willingness to learn. You'll need basic IT skills, a reliable internet connection, and English language proficiency equivalent to CEFR B2 to engage fully with the course.

This online course is available through our college dedicated to the creative arts, the Open College of the Arts.

This degree is delivered by The Open University's Open College of the Arts.

To explore this course in detail, including entry requirements, fees and funding options, and how to apply, visit the Open College of the Arts website.

This online course is available through our college dedicated to the creative arts, the Open College of the Arts.