A slow Commute

April 2013 saw the launch of an exciting student exchange project A Slow Commute in association with Luca College of Art in Gent, Belgium. 

First year students Mitko Karakolev, Louis Burrows and Richard Williams took part in a walk between Gent and Brussels whereby the experience of the journey and changing landscape was documented in transit.


Also taking part in the project were staff and students from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Czech Republic and the Burg Giebichenstein College of Art and Design in Halle, Germany.

Work made during the project can be seen at: aslowcommute.blogspot.com

Spectrum Degree Show

Join us at the Rag Factory and the Spectrum Degree Show for some amazing narratives, books, films, installations and a diverse approach to contemporary ideas of illustration. 

The show is open between Friday 31st of May and Monday 31st of June and features work from BA (Hons) Illustration, Animation Arts, Graphic Design: Visual Communication & Graphic Media, Photography & Media Arts, Photography & Video and Video Arts Production. 

Mystery of the Wild Children

We are very excited to have just produced the first publication under the course's Lion & Lamb Press. The book is a record of 19 collaborative collages created by first year students with the guidance of the amazing Graham Rawle! 

The resulting text and images are beautifully suggestive, playful and contemplative. 

Lion and Lamb Press

2013 saw the establishment of the long awaited Illustration Course press and imprint, ‘The Lion and Lamb Press’.  Lion and Lamb Yard is a location in Farnham and makes reference to the new course location. With the move the course has had the opportunity to combine existing staff expertise, practice and experience in book production and printmaking with the excellent printmaking and bookmaking facilities at the Farnham campus, to set up its own course press. 

The aim of the press is to publish small illustrated editions of staff work as well as collaborative editions and the best of BA and MA student books. The press will promote the excellence of illustration and narrative which the course is renowned for, in book form.

Alumni: Thomas Dowse

Graduate of the Illustration course and visiting lecturer Thom Dowse has recently been working on a series of whimsical animated sequences for the Guardian. Keep an eye on the Guardian website for updates.

Thom’s work has a unique sense of atmosphere and his incredible, dense drawings suggest narratives that stand somewhere between the real and the dreamlike. 

Images 36: Best of British Illustration

The exhibition presents the winning work of over 50 artists from the length and breadth of the UK who entered the AOI's annual flagship competition. Following its London launch, the exhibition will visit UCA Maidstone from 26 April to 24 May 2013 as part of its national tour.

It features exciting new talent and established names such as Rod Hunt (Where's Stig?), Chris Haughton (Booktrust best new illustrator), Lizzie Mary Cullen (Design Week's 50 Hot people), Stephen Collins (Jonathan Cape/ Observer Graphic Short Story Prize 2010), Steve May (shortlisted for British Animation Award 2008) and Olaf Hajek (AA Directors Club, Europe Gold Award 2003).

The exhibition is free and open to the public weekdays 9.30am-5.30pm.

                                    Image by Anuska Allepuz

Alumni: Ian O’Shea

Recent graduate of the course Ian O’Shea has published a beautiful book of monotypes and pen and ink drawings with LMNOP. The book is called Antarctic Survivors and is based on the story of Thomas Crean, one of the members of 1912 Scott Expedition. Full of beautifully crafted, atmospheric imagery, it is highly recommended!