Year One – The course starts by shaping how you think and draw as a comic/concept artist. Practical workshops develop your design drawing, idea generation, and visual storytelling. Lectures and seminars focus on the historical and professional context of comic and concept art industries. At the same time, projects and art tests give you a taste of what is required to be a comic and concept artist. Experimentation and developing traditional drawing skills inform your 2D and 3D digital output.
Year Two – Our teaching further develops your understanding of cultural awareness and the skills needed for worldbuilding and believability. Practical workshops will begin to stretch you and your digital 2D and 3D workflows in visualising characters and their worlds. Specialism might include character, environment, architecture, prop, mech, vehicle and creature design, storyboarding, narrative illustration, webtoons, comics or graphic novels. You will also create a professional online profile and expand your industry engagement.
Year Three – You will focus on your specialism and the industry-related skills for becoming a professional comic and/or concept artist. You will negotiate a creative project including industry links - competitions, live briefs, studio visits, industry research, and work experience - building a robust portfolio that reflects your passion, ambition and sought-after talent as a versatile specialist.
Work experience covers a broad range of activities and students are encouraged to undertake work placements during their time at university. As well as guidance from the course team our Careers, Employability and Enterprise team offer support that enhances employability skills and supports engagement with industry.
Recent student successes include:
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Overall winner, Canine Welly-Wanger - 3DTotal Character Design Competition 2021
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Bronze prize, International Comic/Manga School Contest 2020
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Students are actively involved in national festivals, curating and running convention tables, gaining professional experience and industry exposure
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Each year, Thought Bubble Festival and Belgrave Music Hall host “Who would read a comic like this?”; an exhibition of student work celebrating diversity in comic creators and readership
Undergraduate degree courses at Leeds Arts University are delivered and supported through a range of teaching and learning strategies. Courses are made up of modules, these are elements of study that are taught and assessed separately. Each module carries a clearly identified credit value, the accumulation of which will allow you to progress to the next level of the course. Around 100 hours of learning are expected for every ten credits of the course. Each level (year) of the course is made up of 120 credits and therefore requires 1200 hours of learning. Teaching is split over 2 semesters; each semester has 13 weeks of teaching and 2 weeks of assessment.
For further information visit Undergraduate teaching & learning at Leeds Arts University.
Graduates will be prepared for employment across a range of roles within the creative industries including:
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Commercial/independent/freelance comic artist
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Storyboard artist for film/animation/games/TV/advertising
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Character designer for comics/film/games/animation/figurines/miniatures
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Concept art generalist for film/animation/games/TV
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Visual development artist for animation
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Creature designer for the entertainment industry or scientific illustration
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Experience/theme design for museums or theme parks
We’re looking for students with the best potential to succeed - irrespective of their background. That’s why we welcome a wide range of qualifications and experience.
Click here to view our entry requirements
Tuition Fees
Our current fees are listed here
Other Costs
Further costs of study are related largely to the costs of materials and depend very much on how individual students choose to respond to University briefs.
The costs below are the result of asking our students to state how much they spend during the year and creating an average, as such they are indicative only.
Equipment and Materials
- Level 4 (First Year)
Materials, printing etc. £150
- Level 5 (Second Year)
Materials, printing etc. £150-£250
- Level 6 (Third Year)
Materials, printing etc. £150-£300
At Level 6 the University will pay a contribution to the cost of materials, preparing your portfolio and/or exhibiting your work professionally.
Computers and Digital Equipment
Teaching and learning are supported through access to some online events and learning materials. This might include visiting speakers or the chance to review lectures that have been recorded. The University also uses a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support learning. There are a range of computer facilities across the University available to access Monday to Saturday including weekday evenings. If you are intending to buy a computer we suggest you wait until you start your course. You will quickly find out what you do and don’t need. The Course Team will be able to offer you advice on what to buy and where to purchase it from, based on your creative needs and budget.
Books, Online Subscriptions and Competitions
You will have access to an extensive range of books, text and online resources provided by the University. There will also be opportunities to submit to national and international competitions and live projects as part of your course. These resources are directly related to your studies and highlighted in modules as you progress through the course. Throughout your time on the course, you may choose to purchase your own copies of key texts, subscribe to online networks and enter non-compulsory competitions. These may cost up to an additional £100 per year.
Educational Visits and Off-Site Activities
Educational visits to enhance your experience may take place throughout the course and can range from a visit to a UK conference, exhibition or gallery, to a European or international study trip. All trips requiring a student financial contribution are optional and costs will always be kept as affordable as possible. We do not guarantee that we will run international visits. The decision is made annually based on availability, cost and the number of students required to make the trip viable.
We provide support for undergraduate students dependent upon their financial circumstances. Visit Undergraduate Finance for further information.
We are delighted to welcome undergraduate visiting and exchange students from Europe and around the world who would like to spend a semester or a full academic year taking credits from our exciting range of courses. You will be fully integrated into the academic and social life of the University during a period of full-time supervised study and your credits transferred back to your home institution.
You can join us through programmes such as Erasmus+, individual university partnerships or as an independent applicant. Please see here for more information and how to apply.
Leeds Arts University students interested in spending some time overseas can find information on the international opportunities available during your course here.
Questions? Contact international@leeds-art.ac.uk
@lau_comicandconceptart
