School of Visual Arts (SVA) has a number of paths to study Illustration. Students interested in developing illustration skills in s short period may enroll in a single course or workshops. Both options can last anywhere from a few days to several months, and some options can be completed entirely online. Examples of single courses and workshops include Animals and Creatures in Illustration, Comics Poetry: Experimenting with Text and Image, Crash Course for Artists, Illustrators and Cartoonists, Accordion Book Workshop, Illustration as Design as Illustration, Etching: Illustrating Books with Prints, Careers in Illustration: A Drawing Workshop.
For degree-seeking artists, School of Visual Arts has an Illustration BFA Program and an Illustration as Visual Essay MFA Program. Housed in the Illustration Department, the Illustration BFA provides access to faculty and mentors who are professionals in the industry; opportunities to gain hands-on experience through internships and other experiential learning programs; and a senior portfolio curriculum that allow students to develop professional works in an area of focus.
Illustration BFA students will complete 120 credit hours, including 72 credits in studio art courses. Coursework explores drawing and illustration, painting, storytelling, writing, comics, books and zines, digital coloring, and visual computing. Elective studio courses allow students to explore areas such as motion graphics, web design, and stop-motion animation. Course examples for the program include Creating Unforgettable Characters, Pictorial Projects I-II: Illustration, Cool Books, Digital Collage Illustration: Telling Stories in Layers, Still and Moving: Low-Tech Animation, and Motion Graphics Techniques I-II.
Before graduating from SVA, students have plenty of opportunities to compete in competitions and work for places such as The New Yorker and The Village Voice. SVA Illustration graduates go on to establish successful careers in fields such as Advertising, Textile Design, VFX Art, Animation, Fashion Design, Book Publishing, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Printmaking, Film, Packaging, and Greeting Card Design.
Note that for students seeking a degree in a specialized area of Illustration, SVA has a Comic BFA Program. The curriculum for this program is similar to the Illustration BFA Program curriculum. Students will also take other courses such as Principles of Cartooning I-II, Lettering Comics, Graphic Design Solutions for Illustrators and Cartoonists, Comic Book Superheroes and American Society, and Pictorial Projects I-II: Cartooning.
SVA’s MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department was established in 1984. The Department’s MFA is a competitive program that accepts just 20 students per year. Program features include a classroom-based curriculum; 24/7 access to personal workspaces; guest lecturers, speakers, and mentors; the Illustration Business Boot Camp, internship opportunities; and participation in exhibits and gallery shows.
Students in all SVA programs have access to the school’s study abroad program as well as SVA offices in Seoul, South Korea, and Shanghai, China, where students can collaborate, network, participate in workshops, and attend lectures.
In addition to coursework and projects in computer illustration, creative writing, storytelling, and visual essay, SVA MFA students have the opportunity to audit classes in Animation, Film, and Fine Arts. Students in this 60 credit-hour, two-year MFA Program will complete four workshops, Book Seminar (course 5040), Computer Illustration Portfolio (course 5090), and a Thesis Project completed over two courses. Illustration Boot Camp and courses such as The Digital Book, History of Storytelling, and Perceptual Appetizers are also part of the program.
School of Visual Arts alumni have worked for brands such as Prada and Van’s, and on major productions such as Sleepy Hollow.
School of Visual Arts opened in 1947 as the Cartoonists and Illustrators school. Classes began with just three teachers and 35 students. Today, School of Visual Arts serves approximately 4,110 students enrolled in dozens of BFA, MA, MFA, and MPS programs. SVA is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), with individual program accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).