American Academy of Art

Phone: 312.461.0600

Home Request A Catalog Apply Online Visit The Academy
News and Events  :  Academy History  :  Campus Location  :  Student Services  :  Housing  :  Contact Us
About the Academy
Academics
Admissions
BFA Program
Benefits
My Campus Portal
Career Services
Portfolios
Hall of Fame Links
Click here to Request a Catalog
BFA Links
COMMERCIAL ART:
3-D Modeling / Animation
  Graphic Design
  Illustration
Multimedia/Web Design
FINE ART:
  Life drawing
  Oil Painting
  Watercolor Painting
REQUIRED:
  Foundation Studies
Humanities & Sciences
BFA Program » Digital Illustration

Digital Illustration

llustration students who specialize in digital illustration produce art work using a variety of software in a range of applications including publishing work, advertising art and children’s books. Courses include Art Direction, Concept Art, Advertising Art and Digital Illustration. Students develop a foundation in traditional drawing and painting techniques and adapt these approaches to a digital medium.  Emphasis is placed on problem solving and creating a final portfolio and website in digital media.

BFA Sample Curriculum

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration
Specialization in Digital Illustration

Semester 1
Fundamentals of Art I 5 Semester Credit Hours
Beginning Life Drawing I 5 Semester Credit Hours
English Language Arts I 3 Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Seminar 1 Semester Credit Hour
Semester 2
Fundamentals of Art II 5 Semester Credit Hours
Beginning Life Drawing II 5 Semester Credit Hours
Anatomy 3 Semester Credit Hours
Semester 3
Illustration I 5 Semester Credit Hours
Digital Graphic Foundations 5 Semester Credit Hours
English Language Arts II 3 Semester Credit Hours
Art History Survey I 3 Semester Credit Hours
Semester 4
(One of two) Illustration II or Introduction to Photographic Imaging 5 Semester Credit Hours
Electronic Imaging 5 Semester Credit Hours
Art History Survey II 3 Semester Credit Hours
(One of four) Film and Society; Film and Society: World Cultures;Visual Culture; or Art and Activism 3 Semester Credit Hours
Semester 5
Digital Illustration I 5 Semester Credit Hours
(One of two) Introduction to Photographic Imaging or Studio Lighting and Techniques 5 Semester Credit Hours
Quantitative Literacy 3 Semester Credit Hours
Marketing 3 Semester Credit Hours
Semester 6
Digital Illustration II 5 Semester Credit Hours
(One of five) Illustration: Advertising Art; Illustration: Editorial and Publishing Art; Concept Art; Art Direction; or Multimedia I: Interactive Graphics  5 Semester Credit Hours
(One of three) Introduction to Lab Science; Vision, Light and Color; or Advanced Anatomy 3 Semester Credit Hours
(One of seven) Survey of American Illustration; History of Graphic Design; 20th Century and Contemporary Art History; Art History: Renaissance and Baroque; Art History: Art and Technology; Art History: Rococo and Neo-Classical; or World Art  3 Semester Credit Hours
Semester 7
(Two of eight) Illustration: Advertising Art; Illustration: Editorial and Publishing Art; Concept Art; Storyboarding; Art Direction; Multimedia I: Interactive Graphics; Studio Lighting and Techniques; or Introduction to 2 Classes Each for 2-D Design 2 Classes - Each Class is
5 Semester Credit Hours
Studio Elective 5 Semester Credit Hours
Semester 8
Portfolio: Illustration 5 Semester Credit Hours
Advanced Illustration 5 Semester Credit Hours
(One of four) Film and Society; Film and Society: World Cultures; Contemporary Visual Culture; or Art and Activism 3 Semester Credit Hours
Professional Writing 3 Semester Credit Hours

122 Total Credits Required for the BFA Degree in Illustration Specialization in Digital Illustration


Information for 2009-2010 Year 

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design 2009-2010 Graduates:

  • Design Graduates within 4-Years:  9
  • Design Graduates  4 to 6 years: 2
  • Total Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design graduates: 11

    The American Academy of Art’s overall Graduation Rate for all programs is 52% as reported to the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges in the 2010 Annual Report

Job Placement Rate for 2009-2010 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design: 100%

Occupations for Graphic Design by SOC Code (Standard Occupational Classification):

DESIGN 27-1024     
http://www.bls.gov/soc/2000/soc_i1c4.htm

  • Advertising Agencies 27-1019
  • Art Director 27-1011
  • Creative Director 27-1011
  • Assistant Art Director 27-1011
  • Production Assistant 27-1021

Design Studios

  • Art Director 27-1011
  • Graphic Designer 24-1024
  • Package Designer 27-1021
  • Corporate Identity Designer 27-1029
  • Editorial Designer 27-1013
  • Digital Layout and Production Design 27-1021

Publishers

  • Art Director 27-1011
  • Graphics Editor 27-1024
  • Assistant Graphics Editor 27-1024
  • Illustrator 27-1013
  • Page Layout Artist 27-1011

Printers

  • Art Director 27-1011
  • Production Manager 27-1021
  • Graphic Designer 27-1024
  • Production Assistant 27-1021
  • Digital Layout and Production Design 27-1021

Corporate Art Departments

  • Art Director 27-1011
  • Graphics Designer 27-1024
  • Digital Layout and Production Design 27-1021

http://www.onetonline.org/

Costs for the 4-year Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design Degree:

  • Tuition and Fees: $97,020
  • Room and Board: No on-campus housing
  • Books and Supplies: $4,800

Median Loan Debt for all 2009-2010 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design Graduates:

  • Federal Title IV Loans: $25,125
  • Private Education Loans: $12,789
  • Institutional Loans $0


 
Career Opportunities
  • Freelance illustration
  • Figurative illustration
  • Product Designer
  • Editorial illustration
  • Caricature
  • News & courtroom illustration
  • Computer-generated illustration
  • Advertising
  • Art Director
  • Storyboard rendering
  • Graphic Designer
  • Layout design
  • Product Development
  • Muralist
  • Comic book artist
  • Creative Director
  • Modelmaker
  • Presentation Design