Course Resources Archive

This module, whilst preparing students with practical skills in the production and delivery of visual material, will also introduce a review of the illustrator’s role as visual communicator in today’s rapidly changing, global marketplace. Students will recognise best practice by establishing and reinforcing the process of briefing, research, idea development and execution, together with exercises and workshops covering an extensive range of media, techniques and processes.

Students will be introduced to the first principles of illustration as a means of communicating ideas, stories, emotions, information and messages through visual language.

Applications of illustrative material, the concept of entrepreneurship and the broader visual communication contexts in which illustrations may be used will also be explored.

The module will explore the scope and context of the illustrators’ practice.

Students will examine a wide variety of creative processes including the following:

• Sketchbook based research drawing to develop a personal visual vocabulary.
• Exploration of drawing contexts such as location, visual notation, and journalistic/reportage
• Storytelling through narrative techniques and sequential drawing
• Media workshops: watercolour, gouache and acrylic painting, pen and ink, collage, 3D
• Using photography for reference
• Bookbinding: hand stitched, glue binding, pamphlet/zine folds, concertina folds, simple paper engineering
• Introduction to printmaking methods: relief print: wood cut and lino, intaglio processes, collagraph, etching, gum arabic print, mono print, silkscreen
• Compositional image construction, page layout and pagination/imposition
• Brief overview of the history and contemporary practice of illustration, the illustrator’s potential applications as entrepreneur together with the traditional client-based commissioning process.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the broad range of approaches, processes and techniques for developing illustrative material
2. Acquire a breadth of drawing skills and understand drawing as a means of image generation, investigation and expression; and as an activity fundamental to the practice of illustration
3. Appreciate the role of the sketchbook/notebook in relation to the gathering of visual and textual information and the development and structuring of imagery
4. Articulate a knowledge of the wide range of illustration genres and styles and their current and potential applications
5. Acquire a basic knowledge of historical, technical developments and cultural influences upon contemporary illustration
6. Relate the breadth of illustration methods and materials to own practice as a basis for developing individual style and identity

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.