Illustration, BFA

Contact

Frank Cammuso, Program Coordinator
Shaffer Art Building, 315-443-3700
fvcammus@syr.edu

Faculty

Robert Dacey, Ginny Hsu, Frank Cammuso, Deborah Donhe, Steven Ellis, Phil McAndrew

Program Description

Using visual symbols and imagination, illustrators stimulate curiosity and interest, tell stories, illuminate, and motivate. Therefore, students in the illustration program must be able to draw and to communicate exceptionally well with visual images.

The curriculum, which leads to a B.F.A. degree, is centered on a series of studio courses covering figure drawing, drawing for reproduction, illustration concepts, and the history and development of illustration. At the same time, students embark on individual research projects in specialized areas of illustration. The program balances imagination and individual expression with the continuous development of skills in drawing, painting, digital media, and design as they apply to the communication arts.

Students must complete a total of 122 degree credits for the Illustration, BFA. This includes 30 credits of liberal arts and science courses, 9 of which must fall under the AIC (Arts in Context) category.

Student Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate fundamental skill in traditional and digital media
Establish a distinct and unique personal style
Display professional level competency in the timely conceptual planning and final execution of their illustrations
Create illustrations with specifically articulated professional goals: towards the entertainment industry, editorial publications, in sequential work and / or graphic work
Build a professional presence on a multitude of platforms: online, in a physical portfolio and through self-promotional campaigns
Apply historical and current perspectives in contextualizing practice

Program Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
University Wide Requirement
FYS 101	First Year Seminar	1
Major Requirements
Requirements for the First Year
AIC 101	Arts in Context I	3
AIC 102	Arts in Context II	3
ARI 101	First-year Studio I	3
ARI 102	First-year Studio II	3
Six 1-credit ARL workshops, selected from a list offered in the fall and spring of the student’s first year (3 workshops in the fall, 3 in the spring). In addition, the following two workshops are required, 1 in the fall and 1 in the spring:		6
ARL 131	Observational Drawing Workshop	1
ARL 150	Woodshop Art Lab I	1
ILL 251	Introduction to Illustration I	3
ILL 252	Introduction to Illustration II	3
ILL 253	Media Arts Techniques I	3
ILL 254	Media Arts Techniques II	3
ILL 351	Intermediate Illustration I	3
ILL 352	Intermediate Illustration II	3
ILL 353	Illustration Research Problems	3
ILL 453	The Business of Illustration	3
ILL 451	Senior Portfolio I	3
ILL 452	Senior Portfolio II	3
Illustration Concepts Courses
Select two of the following:		6
ILL 455	Illustration Concepts: Editorial Focus
ILL 456	Illustration Concepts: Sequential Focus
ILL 457	Illustration Concepts: Visual Development Focus
ILL 458	Illustration Concepts: Product Focus
ILL 256	Intro to Digital Illustration
Arts in Context Requirements
Art in Context can be satisfied by courses related to art and design history, theory and philosophy.		12
ILL 255	History of Illustration
AIC 340	Visiting Artist Lecture Series (a 1-credit class, three times, for a total of 3 credits.)
Students must also take one of the following survey classes from the Department of Art & Music Histories:
HOA 106	Arts and Ideas II
HOA 176	The Visual Arts of the Americas
HOA 378	Twentieth-Century American Art
Students may also petition for a survey-style selected topics class that covers modern or contemporary art, under HOA 200, 300, and 400, to fulfill this requirement. Not all HOA selected topics classes will count; they must be focused on modern or contemporary art (roughly 1860s to present) and must be a survey class, meaning that they cover a broad range of work instead of focusing on a narrow topic.
Art history survey class
ILL 255	History of Illustration
Art/Design History Elective (x1) 3 credits each (The required 12 credits should consist of 9 Liberal Arts & Sciences credits.)
AIC 340	Visiting Artist Lecture Series (x3, 1 credit each)
Academic Requirements
WRT 105	Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing	3
WRT 205	Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing	3
Writing Intensive Elective		3
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Academic electives are most courses offered outside of art, design, or transmedia (for example, courses offered in CRS, Arts and Sciences, Whitman, and other colleges outside of VPA). These academic courses usually have non-art-related content, such as math, natural sciences, astronomy, global history, political science, psychology, entrepreneurship, and languages among others.		12
You can find a comprehensive list of courses that count here.
The required 23 credits should consist of Liberal Arts & Sciences Electives (12 credits) and Academic Electives (11 credits).		11
Studio Electives
Studio electives are courses usually offered in VPA through art, design, or transmedia. The content of the courses directly relates to the preparation of students for professional careers in art, design, and transmedia. The course content includes, but is not limited to, conceptualization, process, product, and critique of creative work in studio practice. These courses meet for a much longer time, for a minimum of four hours per week for the duration of the semester. Usual meeting patterns are: the class meets once per week for four+ hours, or the class meets twice per week, usually for two or more hours each.		18
You can find a comprehensive list of courses that count here.

Total Credits Required: 122

Degree Awarded: BFA in Illustration

Undergraduate University Requirements

The following requirements and experiences apply to all Syracuse University Undergraduate matriculated degree programs.

Course Catalogs