A Carnival of Illustration from UCF

Roll up, roll up to The Poly in Falmouth from Wednesday 22 April to Saturday 25 April, to marvel at the spectacular illustration displays of first year BA(Hons) Illustration students as they complete a major project entitled, The Illustrated Book.

Showcasing art in many forms, the exhibition features an illustrated book completed over two terms by first-year students on University College Falmouth's highly-regarded BA(Hons) degree in Illustration. Each student has taken text from a well-known author or writer ranging from the Nonsense poems of Edward Lear to Oscar Wilde, Angela Carter, Italo Calvino and the protest song, Hurricane by Bob Dylan.

The exhibition highlights the range of skills that illustrators must learn to become successful practitioners in the world of commercial illustration from understanding critical points of good pacing to fundamental elements of design such as page turn, page layout, typography, colour and cropping.

In many of the books on show, the students have also edited the text to create the type of book they want to make and address an appropriate audience and have researched various forms of printing and bookbinding to create a binding which reflects the content of the book. Double page spreads from up to 70 different books will be on display as will the books themselves.

"The students have had to address many issues that relate to the making of a successful illustrated book. Primarily they need to understand the content of the text in order to create interesting relationships between words and pictures" said Nigel Owen, Senior Lecturer, BA(Hons) Illustration. "Demand for high-quality illustration is growing all the time and we provide students with the skills, practical experience and professionalism they need to become influential pictorial communicators in this competitive and flourishing industry."

BA(Hons) Illustration students engage with the Creative and Media Industries throughout the course. This offers opportunities for future employment and to undertake ‘live' commissions. The majority will go to New York in the third year and present themselves and their work to publishers, advertising agencies, illustrators' representatives' and other media personnel receiving feedback that will inform their career aspirations and provide invaluable insight into the biggest market for illustration.

There is no ‘house-style' and students are encouraged to explore a range of techniques -from traditional processes to the latest in digital media - helping them to deepen their understanding of the creative process from storyboarding to image rendering. This approach has ensured that the course has an enviable reputation in producing first-rate illustrators who have already gained recognition through winning awards such as the Association of Illustrators ‘Images' Best Student Gold Award, New Designers Best Student Illustration Award, and commissions from The Body Shop, Hodder & Stoughton and The Eden Project.

The exhibition at The Poly in Falmouth's Church Street is open to the public from 10am to 4pm, until Saturday 25 April 2009. Admission is free.

Staff and students of BA(Hons) Illustration and across all disciplines are busy preparing for the annual celebration of graduating students work at University College's Summer Shows from 16-20 June held at the Woodlane and Tremough campuses where all are welcome to enjoy the talent and imagination of these fledgling industry leaders of tomorrow.

For further information about BA(Hons) Illustration at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/illustration, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213854.

University College Falmouth is the only independent Higher Education institution in Cornwall with the powers to award degrees in its own name. It has two campuses in Cornwall - at Woodlane in Falmouth and Tremough in Penryn (which it owns, and jointly manages with the University of Exeter) - and a third campus at Totnes in Devon, following its merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008.

This merger created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing. The Devon-based courses will relocate to a new, high-specification Performance Centre at Tremough in 2010, paving the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2012, that will be unique to the South West.

The College is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union, the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

Ends

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 01326 213792; or email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

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