Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) has several paths to study Illustration. Options include a BFA in Illustration; a Drawing and Painting BFA with an Illustration emphasis; and a BFA in Graphic Design and Digital Media (GD+DM) with an Illustration emphasis. An Illustration minor is also available. This program requires 15 credit hours including Computer Imaging; Rendering; Illustration 1: Color; Illustration 2; and Graphic Illustration 1. Illustration minor students will complete several pieces for their professional portfolios.
All programs are led by industry professionals who have worked with major companies, studios, and brands such as Warner Bros., Sony, IBM, Pfizer, McDonald’s, Mitsubishi, Dannon, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), and The United Nations. Other program features include hands-on design projects with LCAD partners such as Nike, Sony, and UCI; small class sizes; guest speakers; mentorship programs; and internship opportunities.
Students in the LCAD Illustration BFA program will take courses such as Pictorial Design for Illustration; Artistic Anatomy; Illustration 1-3; Graphic Novel; Words, Images, and Ideas; Digital Painting for Illustration; Computer Imaging; Illustrative Painting; Digital landscape Painting; and Professional Studies for Illustrators. The program culminates with the Senior Capstone and Thesis Defense course worth three credits.
Graduates are prepared for careers in book and comic book publishing; film, television, and animation; game art and design; product design; advertising and marketing; gallery art; newspaper and magazine publishing, architecture; medical and scientific illustration; and industrial design.
LCAD Illustration alumni have been hired at places such as DreamWorks Animation, Marvel Entertainment, Disney Interactive, Google, Microsoft Studios, Blizzard Entertainment, Obsidian Entertainment, Hurley, Opera New York, Quicksilver, KCET, Xist Publishing, High Moon Studios, and DC Shoes.
Housed in the Fine Arts Department, the Drawing and Painting BFA program at Laguna College of Art and Design focuses on experimentation. All students benefit from industry partnerships with Laguna Art Museum, South Park Studios, and MEAM Museo Europeo de Arte Moderno, as well as internship opportunities in the third year of the program. In the final year of the program, students are assigned to private studios and a mentor.
Students in the Drawing and Painting BFA program will take courses such as Experimental Drawing; Digital Photo for Fine Arts; Materials and Techniques; Intermediate Portraiture; and Scientific Anatomy. The Illustration emphasis explores traditional and mixed media art. Students will work on projects that focus on print, branding, murals, exhibition design, and more. In the Professional Practices course, students will learn about gallery operations, publications, and artist branding.
The Drawing and Painting BFA at LCAD culminates with the Senior Capstone and Thesis Defense course worth three credits.
The Graphic Design and Digital Media BFA at Laguna College of Art and Design is a multidisciplinary, 122 credit-hour program that explores traditional and emerging areas such as 3D, iPad development, package design, advertising, print, video, user experience and interfaces, action sport design, mobile apps, the web, virtual reality applications, and motion.
The Illustration emphasis for this program provides access to all Illustration courses, allowing students to select them as electives to match their goals. Students also have opportunities to work with industry partners such as Pixar, Nike, Saatchi & Saatchi, and SapientNitro; complete an internship; and develop a professional portfolio. The program culminates with a Senior Capstone and Thesis Defense.
Nearly 100% of recent Graphic Design and Digital Media graduates work in their chosen field, with most securing employment through LCAD prior to graduation. Program alumni have been hired at places such as Amazon, MGM, Google, Sony, Fox Entertainment, Pixar, Blizzard Entertainment, Disney Imagineering, Cartoon Network, Apple, Tesla, Saatchi & Saatchi, Riot Games, Disney Interactive, and Mattel.
Laguna College of Art and Design opened in 1961 as Laguna Beach School of Art (LBSA). The school has a main campus in Laguna Beach and educational affiliates locally and around the world including Florence Academy of Arts in Florence, Italy, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences (NHTV), Netherlands. Laguna College of Art and Design serves around 770 students with access to 15 degree options and nine minors. LCAD is regionally and nationally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).