Do you love drawing, are you creative and full of ideas? Can you imagine nothing better than earning a living with your pictures? Then studying Illustration at WAM is just the thing for you.
Like photography, an illustration is first and foremost an image that emphasises a text or content. Unlike photography, however, illustration creates new levels of content through its own interpretation of reality, which is what makes it such special. Illustration is therefore an artistic process that aims to create an image that takes on a communicative function and tells a story. From lifelike illustrations to explain scientific content, e.g. in medicine or archaeology, to free artistic illustration in magazine layouts or children's and youth book illustration, to digital illustration for game design and web applications, illustration reflects the media and stylistic plurality of our everyday lives. And that's exactly what makes studying illustration and the profession so interesting! At WAM, you will learn about and apply a wide range of illustrative techniques and find and/or develop your own style.
WAM's innovative study concept prepares you for your start in the creative industry and gives you the space to develop freely along the way. In the live online study programme, you have digital real-time lectures together with your fellow students, you chat or discuss via video call and can ask questions, exchange ideas with your fellow students and form working groups at any time. You have ongoing support from your lecturers and get a real study atmosphere without having to be on site. A distance learning programme with a community character. You are independent of location and can live wherever you want. Studying at WAM is also possible while travelling, on holiday or alongside a job.
Are you curious? Then pack a few creative samples of your work and apply now for the live online Illustration programme at WAM!
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The Illustration course teaches you the basics of drawing construction and perspective, how to illustrate nature and object studies using different techniques and what is possible with colours and drawing techniques. You will also learn about conceptually integrated illustrations - i.e. illustrations for a publisher or for a company as part of an advertising campaign or as an independent illustration - how illustrations are integrated as a graphic element in advertising campaigns and how illustrations can be brought to life in digital practice with 3D programmes. In your Illustration degree programme, you will draw people, animals, landscapes and anatomy,
heads, faces, hands and feet, washing machine motors, jam jars, storyboards, game characters, game landscapes and sketches for 3D animations. After completing your degree in Illustration at WAM, you will be able to combine illustration with photography, graphic design and graphic software to produce creative images and collages, integrate illustrations as graphic elements in an advertising campaign, create product illustrations and other conceptual illustrations on technical, social or industrial topics and draw storyboards for commercials or film sequences.
A high-quality and meaningful portfolio with examples of your illustrative skills is crucial for your career start. And to prepare you for your start in the creative industry, you will develop up to 30 pieces of work over the course of your studies, which you will compile in your portfolio. At the WAM, great importance is placed on you creating a portfolio that not only shows how diverse your work is, but also reflects your own personal style. Your signature style as a budding illustrator is the key to success and your dream job. After graduating, you will be well equipped to apply for jobs on the labour market with your portfolio, in-depth knowledge and plenty of practical experience.
Our lecturers, who are industry professionals themselves, will provide you with many insights into the world of illustration during your studies. They will not only teach you the illustrative craft, but also the requirements and working attitude that will prepare you optimally for the market. And only the best succeed here!
Gestalte dir die Welt, wie sie dir gefällt. An der WAM lernst du viele verschiedene Techniken kennen, die dich später in deinem Job begleiten könnten. Dabei kannst du dich mit den unterschiedlichsten bildnerischen Ausdrucksmitteln vertraut machen und sie deinem eigenen Stil anpassen.
Natürlich gehört ein umfangreiches Grundlagenstudium rund um das Zeichnen von Natur- über Objekt- bis hin zu Aktstudien dazu. Du erlernst die verschiedenen illustrativen und künstlerischen Techniken von Blei- und Buntstift über Feder bis hin zu Aquarell und Acryl.
Das klassische illustrative Handwerk gehört genauso zu deinem Repertoire wie die digitale Illustration mit der aktuellen Grafik- und Bildbearbeitungssoftware, denn die digitale Illustration ist eine interessante und hochaktuelle Bereicherung der klassischen illustrativen Techniken. Ob pixel- oder vektorbasiert, ob 2D oder 3D – die digitale Illustration bietet dir nicht nur vielfältige Anwendungsmöglichkeiten in den Medien, sondern bereichert deine Ausdrucksmöglichkeiten um eine neue Dimension.
Viele Illustratorinnen und Illustratoren arbeiten auch in der Werbe- und Verpackungsindustrie. Sie erstellen Storyboards für TV-Spots, visualisieren Ideen vor deren eigentlicher Umsetzung in Layouts und zeichnen Animationen für Filme oder Websites.
Hierbei ist z. B. auch der Comic mit seiner Synthese aus verschiedenen gestalterischen Elementen wie Charakterentwicklung, Text, Typografie, Stil, Schnitt und Lichtführung ein Genre, das einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Entwicklung vieler anderer Medien wie Storyboard, Game- und Web-Design, Musikvideo und Film liefert. Nicht nur Anhängerinnen und Anhänger des Comics oder der Graphic Novel werden also hier eine Herausforderung finden.
Wir möchten nicht nur deinen persönlichen Stil mit dir entwickeln, sondern dir beibringen, wie du deinen Stil je nach Kundenauftrag variieren kannst, um so am Markt breiter aufgestellt und flexibler zu sein. Dafür beleuchten wir die verschiedenen Facetten der Illustration unter Berücksichtigung der Bedürfnisse von Auftraggeber und potentieller Zielgruppe.
Jetzt online bewerben
Would you like to study Illustration at WAM? Then convince us of your skills and apply with your portfolio!
Before you start at WAM, we would like to get an idea of your illustrative skills and your motivation for the programme. Please send us a comprehensive collection of creative work samples.
We would like to see between 20 and 30 of your works. These can be drawings, illustrations, paintings, collages, photographs, etc. The portfolio should not only contain works that you have created specifically for the application, but also older works that show your creative development over the last three to five years.
We do not expect perfection, but enthusiasm and passion should be visible! We also like to see sketches and sketchbooks because they give us information about your working methods. When compiling your portfolio, please make sure that it gives us a realistic picture of your working methods and skills.
Are you unsure what a good portfolio might look like? Then get in touch with us at info@wam.de and ask for a portfolio consultation. Once you have sent us your portfolio, we will be happy to provide you with written feedback.
