Illustration
When words aren’t enough, you complete the picture.
You have creative talent—and you’ll take it to the next level in our top-ranked Illustration program. Here, you’ll develop the skills you need to communicate ideas and emotions through pictures. You’ll master drawing and rendering techniques and learn how to use new tools, guided by faculty members who have active creative practices in illustration.
As a CCAD student, you’ll learn how to breathe life into character designs, craft attention-grabbing motion graphics, create out-of-this-world 3D objects, and much more. You’ll graduate prepared for what you want to do next, whether that’s writing and illustrating your own books, creating eye-catching prints and posters, or contributing to the cutting-edge concepts, characters, and worlds that top entertainment companies are looking for.
Recent Employers
- American Greetings
- Bath & Body Works
- Cartoon Network
- CBS News
- DC Comics
- Disney Consumer Products
- DreamWorks Animation
- Forever 21
- Hallmark
- Hasbro
- Homage
- LEGO
- Lucasfilm
- Marvel Comics
- New York Times
- Ogilvy & Mather
- Orange Barrel Media
- Pixar
- Wall Street Journal
Illustration Student Work
Line
Mallory Kish
Characters in Environment
Lee Sambas
Stained Glass Cutout
Anna Malone
Scale and Proportion
Dennis Parker
Spot Illustration
Ella Prindle
3D Illustration Final Project
Anri Pelaez Trejo
Steampunk
Darcy Cunningham
Animalized Digital Self-Portrait
Brianna Garman
Character Development
Jacqueline Rhiannon
Anatomical Character Dissection
Layla Updyke
Characters in Environment
Lee Sambas
This piece was created in my sophomore year for an assignment about historical narrative illustration. I chose to depict the famous tale of Emperor Ai of Han and his lover, "The Passion of the Cut Sleeve". The tale's relevance as a famous queer anecdote has stuck with me ever since I first read it, which is what moved me to illustrate it for this assignment. I focused primarily on the drapery throughout the scene, as well as populating the environment in a believable and visually engaging way.
2027
Digital Illustration
Stained Glass Cutout
Anna Malone
2027
Cut Paper
Scale and Proportion
Dennis Parker
2028
Graphite
Spot Illustration
Ella Prindle
2028
Digital Illustration
3D Illustration Final Project
Anri Pelaez Trejo
2026
Digital Sculpture Illustration
Steampunk
Darcy Cunningham
This project was meant to focus on learning and using Adobe Photoshop. The purpose was to take something from nature - an animal, flower, or portrait - and make it steampunk. I chose a goldfish because I was thinking about using a complementary color palette for this project. Using the warm hues from the goldfish and hardware to contrast the blue water to create something visually appealing.
2026
Digital Painting
Animalized Digital Self-Portrait
Brianna Garman
An anthropomorphized self-portrait from Digital Illustration, during the spring of my sophomore year. It was an interesting exercise in exaggeration and digital painting techniques. I felt like an alligator would be an interesting animal to digitally paint, and this project allowed me to really play with interesting colors, which is one of my favorite parts of the artistic process.
2026
Digital Painting
Character Development
Jacqueline Rhiannon
2024
Digital Painting
Anatomical Character Dissection
Layla Updyke
2024
Digital Painting
Spaces to Make
Our campus has the tools and the spaces to help you make your vision real.
You can create work in our 2D illustration lab, which features scanners, drawing tables, open lounge space, Wacom Cintiq 22 monitors, a light table, drawing projectors, drawing tables, a cutting table, a mat cutter, cameras, and a cleaning sink.
Faculty
Meet the people who will help you along your creative and professional journey.
Adjunct Faculty
Course Spotlight
Character and Environment Design
You’ll strengthen your illustrative drawing skills—and your storytelling ability—in this course, which includes character development and storyboards. You’ll do that in part thanks to class assignments that will help you better observe and depict the human figure through drawing (clothed) models.
Illustration First Year Experience
Academic Year
Freshman Year - Fall
| Course Title |
|---|
| 2D Creative Practice |
| Systems of Drawing |
| Collaboration |
| Mod Contemporary or Historical Art History |
| Writing and the Arts |
Freshman Year - Spring
| Course Title |
|---|
| Intro to Illustration |
| Drawing for Entertainment Design |
| 3D Making with Care |
| History of Comics and Illustration |
| Liberal Arts Self and Society Course |
Illustration careers
After earning their BFA in Illustration, our graduates leave ready to take on such roles as:
- Advertising designer
- Apparel graphics designer
- Book illustrator
- Character and asset designer
- Editorial illustrator
- Fine artist
Illustration News
At Columbus College of Art & Design, students have the opportunity to work with real clients to develop real solutions. And some of them are really cute.
