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Comic and Concept Art

Leeds Arts University

UCAS Code: W223 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

104-120

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Illustration

This hands-on course gives you space to explore the theory, practice, and professional context of comic and concept art. Discover the limitless possibilities of this exciting field through practical, transdisciplinary, and industry-relevant skills.

This unique course is one of the first to bring together comic and concept art. Throughout this degree, you will refine your traditional drawing and digital art skills to design astonishing worlds and tell incredible stories from the imagination.

Using new technologies and industry-standard software, you will develop your design and planning skills alongside comic art output. There is a strong emphasis on engaging with industry from the start of the course and gaining professional practice skills.

Our impressive industry links allow you to learn from practising artists, live briefs, and visiting lecturer workshops. We position all comic and concept art within an international context, which has included involvement in Thought Bubble – the leading European comic art festival based in Yorkshire.

We encourage creative collaboration within the course and across the University, learning to work to briefs, participate in competitions, and have your work critiqued. You will develop your understanding of studio and freelance practice while gaining expert skills suitable for a range of creative careers.

Modules

Year one – The course starts by shaping how you think and draw as a comic and concept artist. Practical workshops develop your design drawing, idea generation, and visual storytelling. Lectures and seminars focus on the historical and professional context of comic and concept art industries. At the same time, projects and art tests give you a taste of what is required to be a comic and concept artist. Experimentation and developing traditional drawing skills inform your 2D and 3D digital output.

Year two – Our teaching further develops your understanding of cultural awareness and the skills needed for worldbuilding and believability. Practical workshops will begin to stretch you and your digital 2D and 3D workflows in visualising characters and their worlds. Specialisms might include character, environment, architecture, prop, mech, vehicle and creature design, storyboarding, narrative illustration, webtoons, comics or graphic novels. You will also create a professional online profile and expand your industry engagement.

Year three – You will focus on your specialism and the industry-related skills for becoming a professional comic and/or concept artist. You will negotiate a creative project including industry links - competitions, live briefs, studio visits, industry research, and work experience - building a robust portfolio that reflects your passion, ambition and sought-after talent as a versatile specialist.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
EU
£17,500
per year
International
£17,500
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Leeds Arts University

Department:

Communication Design

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

70%
Illustration

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
67%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
28%
Male students
72%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
92%
med
Employed or in further education
60%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

57%
Design occupations
8%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£15k

£15k

£19k

£19k

£23k

£23k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
Middlesex University | Barnet
BA Illustration with Foundation Year
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 56-64
Nearby University
University of Huddersfield | Huddersfield
Illustration
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-112
Same University
Leeds Arts University | Leeds
Illustration
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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