Animation and Illustration
Become a skilled and versatile animator with a focus on illustration and storytelling, and prepare for a rewarding creative career.
for Learning Resources.
Source: NSS 2024
Explore a variety of animation and illustration methods and media, including puppet making and stop-motion animation, traditional 2D animation, digital 2D and 3D animation, character and graphic novel design.
With guidance and support from dedicated industry professionals, you’ll develop your technical skills and a personal language within animation.
You’ll learn the entire creative process from observational drawing and research to storyboarding to editing and sound design, so that you can best bring your characters and stories to life.
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View graduating students' work in our showreel.
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Become a skilled and versatile 2D or 3D animator, focusing on illustration and storytelling
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Go on group drawing trips and visit museums, galleries and animation festivals
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Work in dedicated animation production studios with high-end 3D CGI, Cintiqs and rostrum equipment
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Attend lectures from top animation studios in London
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Graduate industry-ready with a professional portfolio, showreel or website
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Get full training on all our facilities, including our print studio and Futures Lab
Study at an award-winning university
We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.
Careers
The course makes it easy to make industry connections. They invite guests for live briefs and also provide help with employment.
As a student at ARU you’ll prepare for your future career by creating a showreel, website and promotional material.
You'll also take part in a final-year degree show, and attend guest talks from top animation studios such as Passion Pictures, The Mill, FrameStore and Studio Aka.
You’ll also get the opportunity to work on live briefs set by industry; we’ve worked with companies like 9 Trees, Provide CIC, Curveball Media, and even the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, creating an animated ident to promote their collaboration with Chelsea Flower Show.
Teaching and modules
You’ll learn a broad set of skills and experiment with many methods and themes in both digital and analogue media.
Year 1 is your chance to explore, learn, experiment, and find your unique style.
You’ll get straight into the studio, learning the principles of image creation, storytelling, different types of animation, film-making and production methods.
In years 2 and 3 you’ll develop your animation and drawing skills and style, and start thinking about your future career by taking part in live projects, creating a website, showreel or portfolio, and building your professional network.
Finally, you’ll showcase your abilities and skills as a creative producer with a major individual or group project.
Student work
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Freya Finnis.
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Madelen Schønningsen, "LOSSNORD".
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Louie Hobbs, "We're Late".
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Seren Hiscox, Green.
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Joe Davey.
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Adrian Carlosama, High Contrast.
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Bry Francisco, The Fisherman.
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Peter Tien.
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Created by Year 3 students for live project with Action on Empty Homes, and selected for screening at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting.
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Night Town, an animation by Linda Maruzzelli, 2022.
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Watch an animation created for the Provide CIC live brief.
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Hell of a Getaway, an animation by Ethan Dredge for his Major Project, 2022.
Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.
- Animation Skills
- Illustration and Animation Practice
- Sequential Practice
- Sequential Structures and Contexts
- Into ARU
- Animation Practice
- Computer Generated Imagery
- Critical Issues and Debates
- Ruskin Module (15 credits)
- Professional Sequential Practice
- Working in the Creative Industries *
- Research Project *
To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.
- Foundation in Art and Design
You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.
- Work Placement - Cambridge School of Art
Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.
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Jeff CrosbySenior Lecturer
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Rachel LarkumLecturer
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Bunny SchendlerLecturer Practitioner
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Inbal LeitnerLecturer Practitioner
Facilities
As well as our dedicated animation base rooms with workstations for stop motion and digital animation, you’ll have use of facilities including:
- Studios equipped with HD rostrum cameras, traditional lightboxes, and the latest industry-standard software
- Dedicated stop-motion room with lighting set-up
- 3D modelling and compositing software
- Motion capture equipment, 4k cameras, lighting kits, and Wacom tablets
- Sound recording studio; green screen and film editing suites; digital photography lab and photography/film studios and darkrooms.
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
Apply for Animation and Illustration
Clearing places available
UK students, apply through Clearing for a September 2025 start
