Quick Facts
- Delivery: On Campus
- Credits: 84
The School of Art offers a four-year, professional degree program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Visual Arts/Animation with a concentration in Illustration.
Illustration offers a comprehensive digital experience, including training in both traditional 2D and cutting-edge 3D illustration techniques. Students use the latest industry-standard software such as Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator to create comics, children's books, concept art, surface pattern design, and editorial illustrations. Our illustration program emphasizes training in creating highly detailed visuals and design elements that often become the basis for animated worlds and characters.
Students begin in our First-Year Foundations Program which nurtures their interests and skills through classes in drawing, 2D, 3D, and 4D. In introductory Animation and Illustration courses, students learn about developing a concept based on a prompt through visual ideation, layout, composition, color, and final product. They also learn how to professionally interact with clients, take direction, and adjust to requested changes. Students develop the ability to manage deadlines and learn about business strategies for freelance art production. Students participate in hands-on, collaborative projects alongside students and faculty from diverse fields of study, fostering a rich and dynamic learning environment.
In their senior year, students build a portfolio that showcases the full breadth of their illustration competencies and present it at an annual capstone event attended by peers, faculty, and families.
Our graduates are prepared for careers in character design, storyboarding, advertising illustration, interactive media design, and 2D and 3D animation. They are also prepared to work in concept art, comics and graphic novels, and visual development.
Major in Visual Arts/Animation with a Concentration in Illustration
This concentration is part of the animation major and provides students with focused study in the specific area of illustration.
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Take the Next Step
If you’d like to learn more about our Illustration Concentration, complete our online form. Or one of the best ways to get a true feel for Ball State is to see it for yourself, so schedule a visit today! And if you’re ready to apply, review our admission requirements and complete our online application.