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.
Illustration Student Work
Steampunk
Darcy Cunningham
Color Animal
Brianna Garman
Character Development
Jacqueline Rhiannon
Anatomical Character Dissection
Layla Updyke
Children's Picture Book
Clynn Yeoh
Character Study
Bailey Schmee
Cat Cycle Days
Abbie Ridpath
Walrus Character 3D Digital Model
Joseph Neff
Untitled
Bill Wang
Perspective Drawing
Haejung Lee
Orville Peck Poster
Heidi Lamerson
Exterior Architecture Perspective Drawing
Emily Wick
Adventure Together
Hillarie Mattox
Steampunk
Darcy Cunningham
2027
Digital Painting
Color Animal
Brianna Garman
2026
Digital Painting
Character Development
Jacqueline Rhiannon
2024
Digital Painting
Anatomical Character Dissection
Layla Updyke
2024
Digital Painting
Children's Picture Book
Clynn Yeoh
2023
Character Study
Bailey Schmee
2024
Walrus Character 3D Digital Model
Joseph Neff
3D Digital
Perspective Drawing
Haejung Lee
2024
Orville Peck Poster
Heidi Lamerson
2023
Exterior Architecture Perspective Drawing
Emily Wick
2024
Adventure Together
Hillarie Mattox
2027
Spaces to Make
Our campus has the tools and the spaces to help you make your vision real.
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 |
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2D Creative Practice |
Systems of Drawing |
Collaboration |
Mod Contemporary or Historical Art History |
Writing and the Arts |
Freshman Year - Spring
Course Title |
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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
Recent Employers
- American Greetings
- Bath & Body Works
- Boeing
- Cartoon Network
- CBS News
- DC Comics
- Disney Consumer Products
- DreamWorks Animation
- Forever 21
- Hallmark
- Hasbro
- LEGO
- Lucasfilm
- Marvel Comics
- New York Times
- Ogilvy & Mather
- Orange Barrel Media
- Pixar
- Wall Street Journal