Studio Art: Illustration, BFASA
for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art, Illustration Concentration
Pending National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) approval, expected for Spring 2025
The Illustration concentration will provide students majoring in Studio Art with rigorous training in the necessary practical skills in drawing, painting, layout design, and visual storytelling; investigations of new business models and best practices within a collaborative and interdisciplinary industry; as well as a path to understanding themselves as makers in the creative process.
Students in the School of Art and Design must complete the Campus General Education requirements. Some Art and Design courses will also apply toward the General Education requirements.
Students majoring in this degree program must complete the First Year Curriculum requirements before beginning other major requirements.
A portfolio review is required for admission to the School of Art and Design.
for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art, Illustration Concentration
A portfolio review is required for admission to the School of Art and Design.
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 122 hours.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300- or 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in Art and Design.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
fulfilled by ARTH 110 | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-10 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-15 | |
First Year Curriculum
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| FAA 101 | Arts at Illinois | 1 |
| ARTF 101 | Contemporary Issues in Art | 2 |
| ARTE 101 | Art, Design, and Society | 2 |
| ARTH 110 | Introduction to the History of Art and Visual Culture | 3 |
| ARTF 103 | Design I | 3 |
| ARTF 105 | Design II | 3 |
| Select one Drawing course: | 3 | |
| Observational Drawing | ||
| Expressive Drawing | ||
| Visualization Drawing | ||
| Total Hours | 17 | |
Art History Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 200 level and above ARTH courses | 9 | |
Illustration Concentration Requirements
Students must declare one concentration, students may not declare more than one concentration.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate Studio Requirements | 12 | |
| ARTS 245 | Beginning Illustration | 3 |
| ARTS 250 | Life Drawing | 3 |
| ARTS 251 | Beginning Painting | 3 |
| ARTD 222 | Typographic Practice | 3 |
| Additional 200-level ARTS course | 3 | |
| Advanced Studio Requirements | 9 | |
| ARTS 352 | Digital Coloring | 3 |
| ARTS 355 | Composition and Storytelling | 3 |
| ARTS 465 | Advanced Illustration | 3 |
| Advanced Course Options (pick 2) | 6 | |
| ARTE 480 | Popular Visual Culture | 3 |
| ARTJ 301 | Manga: The Art of Image and Word | 3 |
| ARTJ 302 | Intro to Japanese Animation | 3 |
| Additional 300- and 400-level ARTS courses | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 48 | |
Capstone Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS 392 | Current Art Issues Seminar | 3 |
| ARTS 451 | BFASA Capstone Studio | 4 |
Summary of credits for Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| First-Year Curriculum | 17 | |
| Art History | 9 | |
| Concentration | 48 | |
| Capstone | 7 | |
| Free electives to bring the total hours earned to 122, including a minimum of 40 credits at the 300- or 400-level. | ||
| Total Hours | 122 | |
for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art, Illustration Concentration
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 101 | 1 | ARTE 101 | 2 |
| ARTF 101 | 2 | ARTF 105 | 3 |
| ARTH 110 | 3 | ARTS 245 | 3 |
| ARTF 103 | 3 | Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 |
| ARTF ### (Drawing Category) | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARTH 200-400 level course | 3 | ARTH 200-400 level course | 3 |
| ARTS 251 | 3 | ARTS 250 | 3 |
| ARTD 222 | 3 | ARTS 352 | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ARTH 200-400 level course | 3 | ARTS 392 | 3 |
| ARTS 355 | 3 | ARTS 465 | 3 |
| ARTJ 301, 302, or ARTE 480 | 3 | Additional ARTS 300 or 400-level course | 3 |
| Additional ARTS 200-level course | 3 | ARTJ 301, 302, or ARTE 480 | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Additional ARTS 300 or 400-level course | 3 | ARTS 451 | 4 |
| Additional ARTS 300 or 400-level course | 3 | Additional ARTS 300 or 400-level course | 3 |
| Additional ARTS 300 or 400-level course | 3 | Additional ARTS 300 or 400-level course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Total Hours 122 | |||
for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art, Illustration Concentration
BFASA Studio Art:
- Students will understand and be able to apply basic principles of visual and material communication, including two-dimensional pictorial concepts, three-dimensional formal and spatial concepts, and a wide variety of media and formats for artistic production, and possess the ability to apply them to a specific aesthetic intent.
- Students will demonstrate an ability and willingness to experiment and explore the expressive possibilities of various media, and artistic and creative strategies for self-directed art-making, and investigate the diverse activities and conceptual modes available to the contemporary artist, including work that directly addresses or engages with recent developments in the field of fine art as well as broader social questions and challenges. Students are trained in the production and critique of artworks that explore forms and technologies identified as new or emerging.
- Students will gain knowledge of, understand, and be able to apply concepts of visual rhetoric in the development of content, and be able to recognize and critically analyze an evolving variety of communicative practices in art and visual culture, including those that represent diverse cultures and sociopolitical positions, and to demonstrate openness to new social possibilities and a critical empathy towards both audiences and culture producers of differing histories, origins and identities.
- Students will develop an innovative, imaginative, and entrepreneurial self-directed studio practice, will gain a deep understanding of their own creativity, be able to apply it in any context, and will learn to independently generate thematic investigation and implementation of research in a broad variety of social locations, including art and educational institutions, activist forums, and cyberspace.
- Students will be willing and able to investigate and accommodate broad-ranging types of knowledge and artistic strategies for the purpose of synthesizing diverse and even disparate ideas in order to create sophisticated, unique works of art, participate in new types of collaboration, and to make innovative statements and hypotheses, or propose creative solutions to social, organizational and societal problems using aesthetic strategies.
- While pursuing a BFASA, students prepare for work as artists at a time when artists are employed in a variety of spheres: artistic direction, project management, education, research, fine art, curation, performance, non-profit work, activism, advertising, and many others. As digital medias evolve, our graduates will be flexible, able to understand the best use of emerging technologies while crafting new economic and social connections.
- Students will produce an integrated, cohesive, critically informed body of work for a thesis exhibition, supported by a written thesis document that serves to position their artistic practice within the broader sphere of contemporary art practices, exhibition strategies, audiences, and economies.
Illustration concentration:
- Demonstrated competence and facility in drawing especially related to specific narrative or expressive problems.
- Ablity to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of form, space, and tone.
- Understand various color strategies and applications in rendering, including the scientific, cultural, and emotional aspects of color.
- Apply knowledge and skills in the use of basic tools, techniques, and processes sufficient to work from concept to finished product. This includes capabilities in fields such as painting, photography, typography, general design procedures, and digital/computer-aided design.
- Ability to analyze a text to identify the primary visual elements and character designs in storytelling.
- Demonstrate a narrative’s tone, rhythm, and intention in page and sequential formats.
- Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a visual strategies capacity to communicate it’s given intention.
- Evaluate the use of art elements, design principles, and rendering methods in one’s work and the work of others.
- Working knowledge of the history of illustration, including its origins in the fine arts, and its relationship to written communication.
- An understanding of the commercial applications and basic business practices of illustration.
for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art Major in Studio Art, Illustration Concentration
School of Art & Design
School of Art & Design
Art & Design Faculty
Academic Coordinator of Undergraduate Academic Affairs: Michael Foellmer
143 Art and Design Building, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 244-8462
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College of Fine & Applied Arts
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