BA (Hons) Animation and Illustration with foundation year

Program Overview

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Course Details

At the University of Bolton’s School of the Arts we offer creative, student-focused courses that are valued by employers, and underpinned by the knowledge and industry experience of our high-quality staff. We frequently update our programmes to ensure they keep up with new and emerging trends and provide you with the tools and techniques you will need to progress into your chosen area of employment.

Our BA (Hons) Animation and Illustration with foundation year degree offers commercial understanding and gives you the opportunity to develop high-level technical skills and knowledge. Starting with foundation studies that offer a structured introduction to a wide range of materials, processes and techniques, we’ll support you as you develop your own line of visual enquiry, explore different areas of art and design, and develop a sound portfolio of creative work.

Following the foundation year, you’ll be encouraged to develop professional standards in the creative use of a wide range of illustration, animation, and digital software programmes. Building on an introduction to the basics of animation and illustration, the second half of the course offers you increasing levels of choice to specialise in either area, exploring digital and experimental means of image-making.

You’ll be taught by a diverse team of highly experienced, professionally and academically qualified, staff. They have extensive experience in the animation and illustration industry and have worked for several broadcasting companies including the BBC and Granada Television.

Alternatively, on successful completion of the foundation level, you can opt to transfer to one of our related art and design degrees, for instance, fashion, fine art, graphic design, photography, or textiles and surface design. You can also explore transferring to another subject area offered by the University of Bolton, such as film FX or games art.

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Highlights

Our Art and Design courses are placed fourth in the UK and top in the North West of England for teaching quality by the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.

Our Art courses have also been placed in the top ten in the UK for student-to-staff ratio for the third year running by the Guardian University Guide 2021, so you'll have access to individual tutor support and small group teaching.

If you want to specialise in pursuit of a specific career destination, such as digital animation or children’s book illustration, you can do so.

You’ll be encouraged to enter national and international competitions, including the Penguin Random House Design Award, Channel 4 E Stings and the Macmillan Prize for Illustration.

We’ll invite you to participate in study visits to animation festivals, galleries, museums, exhibitions and conferences. In the past, these have included The Bradford Animation Festival, Thought Bubble, Alice in Wonderland at the Portico Library, Manchester Art Gallery and Tate Liverpool, and the Manchester Animation Festival.

Students have also benefited from trips abroad and have visited, in previous years, Barcelona, Berlin, New York, Paris and Tokyo. There is also an opportunity for a limited number of exceptional graduates to exhibit at Design and Art Direction in London.

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Key Features

You’ll have access to industry-standard equipment in our five dedicated studio spaces equipped with Apple Mac computers and scanners. Much of the coursework involves the creative use of animation, illustration and graphics software.

The course is broad-based and you’ll explore character design, story boarding and narrative techniques with traditional and digital animation and illustration for screen and print.

There is a visiting speaker programme so you can benefit from discussions with industry professionals in the sector. We’ll also support you to develop transferrable skills for the work place such as problem solving, team working and interpersonal skills.

You’ll be encouraged to create a portfolio of work and have the opportunity to present your work to the public as part of the Bolton School of the Arts final-year Creative Show.

In addition to the taught modules, which are mostly simulated live briefs, there are opportunities to work on live projects for clients from inside and outside the university.

By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.

Program Outline

This course offers you a practical and critical exploration of both illustration and animation. Animation modules aim to develop your visual voice and technical skills, your communication and storytelling skills, as well as your ability to work with others and take instruction. In addition, you can increase your networking skills and flexibility, by working between several projects simultaneously.

Illustration modules aim to make the most of your imagination and enable you to develop your knowledge of computer-aided design techniques and printing processes, including computer graphics and screen printing. Furthermore, it can provide you with the opportunity to increase your research skills and develop the ability to market your skills to potential employers.

What can I do with this qualification?

Professional careers in the disciplines of animation and illustration include such roles as storyboard, layout and concept artists, character animators and technical directors, and visual development artists in character design and/or environment design for animated films, shorts and special projects. You can also consider careers in publishing, book illustration, or editorial and advertising.

Some of the other more common career paths include graphic designer, video editor and web designer. Graduates can work freelance for magazines, newspapers, publishers and TV production companies. They can also pursue careers in games, multimedia, special effects and design.

Postgraduate opportunities also exist within disciplines such as illustration, advertising, fine art, furniture design and museum studies. Some graduates also pursue teaching qualifications.

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Alternative career options

Graduates can use the qualification to enter a range of other careers, and for some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. They include:

Exhibition design

Produce design

Animated commercials

Poster production

Greeting card design

Music promotion

Advertising and marketing

Studio management

Arts administration

Fashion design

Education and teaching