BA (Hons) Illustration with Foundation Year

Module: 3VA001

Credits: 60

Period: 1

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

In this module you will work on a series of short projects that aim to introduce you to the core art and design skills that will support your development as an artist or designer at degree level and beyond. In semester 1 you will explore a range of approaches to drawing as a fundamental art and design tool for thinking through and communicating your ideas. Increasingly drawing will be seen as a basis for exploring 2d, 3d and media solutions to art and design problems. Alongside these practical workshops you will begin to explore how research, reflection and documentation can inform your ideas and support studio practice by creating a studio journal containing a series of structured tasks. In semester 2 you will have extended opportunity to work with specialist staff from the different art and design subjects taught in the school and develop projects responding to more defined areas of practice appropriate to your interests and ambitions for degree level study. You will be expected to develop a more focused and independent approach to research through your journal responses and studio practice. Increasingly you will be expected to take greater control and direction of your learning. In semester 1 the workshops, studio projects, research tasks and study visits will be clearly structured and you will be expected to attend regularly and participate in a range of learning activities within and outside of taught sessions. As the course develops and you start to define your subject and contextual interests you will necessarily need to become more independent in accessing appropriate resources for your personal development as an artist/designer. The studios, workshops and other resources are open 5 days a week and you are increasingly expected to manage your taught and independent studio/study time effectively to complete work well and on time.

Module: 3VA002

Credits: 60

Period: 1

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

In this module you will be introduced to the range of art and design subject specialisms taught in the School of Art. Academic and technical teams from across the school will introduce you to specialist workshops and provide a range of short project briefs to enable you to explore and test your ideas out in different mediums and contexts. This will be accompanied by contextual visits, lectures and seminars that will explore how the different artists and designers address genres and issues pertinent to their practice. Assessment reviews and tutorials will be used to support you to reflect on these experiences and begin to consider some areas for extended experience in Semester 2. In semester 2 you will work in subject groupings and propose an individually negotiated project aligned to a broad subject area in the school. You will work with Foundation and degree level tutors to develop your ideas and work towards degree level entry standard. You will need to demonstrate some ability to work and learn independently and reflect on your work to progress your ideas. Alongside practical work you will undertake a portfolio of contextual research which will underpin your core knowledge of your chosen area of study and learn the basic research and writing skills that you will need to progress to degree level study.

Module: 4VC021

Credits: 60

Period: 2

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module will enhance your creative approach to illustration through a diverse range of image making workshops with drawing at the core of your practice. You will be investigating ways of seeing the world, recording and observing, to communicate visually. You will be encouraged to use experimental approaches and think conceptually when generating ideas and research. This will allow you to engage with surface, texture, colour, scale, the manipulation of media, and ultimately provide you with the opportunity to get ‘your hands dirty’! You will test, question and analyse all aspects of producing a successful image for a contemporary audience. Material methods explored will include a range of printmaking techniques, photography, digital processes, and an expanded notion of drawing. This diverse range of processes will be reflect on through a developing practice through the use of visual journals and sketchbooks, on field trips or in the studio. Alongside this, there will be a series of talks from specialist visual practitioners contextualising your learning. This module will culminate in a student-led symposium in which your image-making practices and conceptual ideas are brought together.

Module: 4VC022

Credits: 60

Period: 2

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module will introduce you to essential aspects of contemporary illustration practice. This will encompass a series of collaborative projects and field trips. This approach will extend your visual and conceptual understanding of illustration as a discipline, and the importance of experimentation. Assignments will reflect current industry practice and principles, and you will work from a series of briefs, including single image and some narrative. You will be introduced to core contexts of practice which are editorial, poster design, children’s books, graphic novel, reportage, publishing, advertising and moving image. This range of illustrative practices explored will allow you to experience and briefly ‘inhabit’ different contexts for illustration. While your own interests will allow you to understand and identify your initial preferences for different contexts. This fundamental learning process will be supported by talks from staff and visiting practitioners who will augment your understanding of current industry principles and methodologies. These will precipitate contextual trajectories of illustration, placing current practice in a more historical and theoretical framework. The module will culminate in the development of a varied portfolio, which will be formally presented as an exhibition, through which you can develop a reflective approach to your practice, identifying areas of illustration that you would like to pursue further in Level 5.

Module: 5VC024

Credits: 60

Period: 3

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

Building on your work from Level 4, this module will introduce you to essential aspects of applied illustrative practice, reflecting industry. Initially structured through a series of short, focussed projects around editorial, book publishing and advertising, you will be introduced to the breadth of the subject in greater detail. From this exploratory work, you will develop a self-authored project/s, allowing you the freedom to explore the potential direction of your work, and to think about your future portfolio. You will engage with the industry through ‘live’ briefs and competitions and a series of talks by current practitioners will augment your understanding of industry practice. You will embrace an increasingly professional approach to all aspects of your practice, culminating in the presentation of your work and future direction. This will be underpinned by research, critical analysis and reflection on models of illustrative practice, contributing to the development of your own personal vision. Alongside studio practice, this will also contribute to your preparation for the dissertation in your final year.

Module: 5VC023

Credits: 60

Period: 3

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module will examine narrative and sequential concepts across a range of platforms including zines, graphic novels, childrens’ literature, storyboards, animations, artists’ books and reportage. You will experience the established stages of development, from inception, research and idea generation, through character, location, visual coherence, layout, and “roughs”, to finalised work for publication and exhibition. You will have time to develop a substantial body of work and experience the potential of the long-form project. Throughout this year-long focus on narrative and sequence, an experimental approach to your work will be driven by your individual project proposals. You will further develop and enhance your visual language through an increased material engagement in the workshops and studios. Drawing, experimentation and collaboration remains at the core of the subject, you will undertake a number of themed drawing trips and assignments intended to assist your visual recording, reporting and analytical skills. Interdisciplinary projects across the School of Art will provide you with the opportunity to collaborate and will offer exciting possibilities to extend the direction of your practice. A series of contextual lectures, seminars and talks with an emphasis on literary analysis, visual culture theories and critical enquiry will underpin your studies. You will further hone your research methodologies for theory and practice and develop types of writing such as academic, journalistic and creative.

Module: 6VC024

Credits: 60

Period: 4

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

For the final year of your undergraduate studies, Illustration modules are designed to build upon the discoveries and progress made at Level 5. This module will support you in the generation of a substantial body of work that will become the foundation of your future practice. Major Project in illustration is intended to give you the necessary skills to become a professional freelance practitioner working in the Creative Industries. This module offers a series of projects, lectures, ‘live’ and competition briefs that are designed to inform your practice and your potential position in the marketplace. You will also undertake a series of projects that are intended to encourage greater understanding and engagement with industry. You will work independently as you progress through the module, engaging with the staff team through structured individual tutorials and studio sessions. You will have the creative freedom to build self-authored projects in negotiation with the staff team, projects that develop your own personal visual language. You will act professionally, plan and manage your weekly workload to hit agreed set deadlines. The body of work created for this module will form your final Illustration portfolio and degree show exhibition.

Module: 6VC023

Credits: 60

Period: 4