Master of Arts (MA) in Illustration

Graduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

Artistic Ability

• Work with appropriate skill in a chosen medium or mediums
• Create compelling images

Research and Conceptualization Skills

• Clearly identify their audience
• Conduct research for reference

Presentation Skills

• Professionally present their work

Professional Readiness

• Produce a cohesive portfolio tailored to reflect career goals

Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:

• Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
• Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
• Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
• Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
• Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
• Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
• Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.

Academy of Art University offers some of the best training and hands-on experience to help accelerate your career. We pride ourselves in doing an exceptional job preparing you to excel in your future careers in illustration. Our degree programs are designed to equip aspiring illustrators with a comprehensive toolbox of marketable skills that lead to success in the illustration industry.

Book Cover Artist

Create narrative art for book covers as a book cover artist. You'll conceptualize and execute eye-catching imagery for cover layouts, and communicate story notes in a single image.

Children's Book Illustrator

With the vibrant children's book market, you'll be able to create illustrations for a wide range of audiences and story styles as a children's book illustrator. With an emphasis on storytelling, a diversity in approaches and styles makes this a flexible and exciting career path.

Comics Artist

Create and sell your own stories as a comic artist. Layout artists draw pages for comics, inkers create line art for comics, and writers provide the story framework.

Concept Artist

Create preproduction art from rough ideation to model packets as a concept artist. You'll create environments, character designs, and concepts for games or films, and work with a variety of teams to create new worlds and stories.

Freelance Illustrator

Illustrators solve visual problems and tell stories in formats that range from infographics to comic books. You can make 3D visualizations, book covers, posters, cards, graphic novels, collectibles, and more. You are also responsible for managing and maintaining your own business.

Interactive Illustrator

In the emerging market of interaction design, the interactive illustrator creates art for inclusion in digital mediums such as smartphones, computers, and tablets. Understand and influence user behavior with a strong illustrative style and give life to interactive experiences.

Medical/Scientific Illustrator

Create the illusion of being inside a heart, sitting in an ancient temple, or explaining disease vectors as a medical or scientific illustrator. Combining meticulous research and execution skills with artistic vision, you'll distill complex concepts into simple and beautiful illustrations.

Reportage

As a reportage illustrator, you'll be tasked with documenting moments for TV, the Internet, sketchbooks, and specialty publications. Courtroom, combat and corporate presentation artists must work efficiently and accurately to define a moment in time.

Storyboard Artist

As a storyboard artist, you'll break down and draw shots for commercials, films, games, cartoons, and more. Set the tempo and timing of key shots to interpret the director's vision under tight deadlines.

Unit Requirements

Degree Requirements

• Successful completion of Final Portfolio Review
• A minimum grade of C in all required 36 units
• Minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and the following Academic Study requirements:
  • 1 Art Historical Awareness & Aesthetic course

Curriculum

Semester 1

• ILL 610: Clothed Figure Drawing (Major)
• ILL 625: Perspective for Characters & Environment (Major)
• ILL 660: Digital Painting (Major)

Semester 2

• FA 630: Color Theory (Major)
• ILL 602: Concept, Technique, and Illustration (Major)
• ILL 612: The Rendered Figure (Major)

Semester 3

• GLA 629: 150 Years of American Illustration (Graduate Liberal Arts)
• ILL 670: Surface Design and Licensing (Major)
• ILL 735: Children's Book Illustration (Major)

Semester 4

• ILL 607: Situation & Environment (Major)
• ILL 665: Vector Illustration & Motion (Major)
• ILL 730: Graphic Novel /Comic Book 2 (Major)