Illustration Major
Moore’s Illustration degree program is designed for future cartoonists, graphic novelists, tattoo artists, medical illustrators, children’s book artists, editorial illustrators, and beyond. You’ll explore various illustration styles and develop problem-solving skills essential for a successful career.
Our Illustration Degree Program is perfect for the kind of person who...
- Brings fictional characters to life on the page
- Makes prize-worthy doodles in the margins of your notebook
- Wants to make a career out of bringing stories to life through hand-drawn imagery
If this sounds like you, then our Illustration BFA might be the Moore major for you.
Illustration Major Student Work
Dream it, then draw it. See what current Illustration college students and recent alumni have accomplished.
Catherine Epps ’23
Kira Rassa ’26
Addison Earnst ’25
Madi McHugh ’24
Romeo Montero ’24
Jae Feliciano ’25
Selena Barnish ’24
Check out more student work!
WHY CHOOSE AN ILLUSTRATION DEGREE AT MOORE?
- CUSTOMIZED: Our unique Illustration college course curriculum can be tailored to your interests—whether you dream of becoming a widely read graphic novelist or developing visually impactful illustrations for children’s books, scientific journals, or newsstand magazines.
- ACCESS: Your $1,000 paid internship between junior and senior years will give you on-the-job experience and introduce you to working Illustration professionals who will be crucial to your success. Plus, your industry heroes might become your future mentors, thanks to field trips to comic cons and classroom talks with well-known working illustrators.
- CREDENTIALS: You’ll gain important industry experience working in analog and digital formats, with state-of-the-art equipment used by professional freelance illustrators, graphic designers, and UX designers.
KICKSTART YOUR ILLUSTRATION CAREER WITH A PAID INTERNSHIP
100% of Moore Illustration college students receive a paid internship between junior and senior years, and get real-world experience working with companies and organizations like:
Anthropologie
Night Kitchen Interactive
Super Signs
Torpedo Factory Arts Center
LAND YOUR DREAM ILLUSTRATION JOB
Illustration alumni have landed jobs at companies and organizations like…
Carter’s
Dynamite Entertainment
Kangaru Toys & Stationery
Mock5Design
Nickelodeon
Philadelphia Zoo
Quad
Studio Yotta
IN OUR OWN WORDS
I came to Moore because I adored the intimate environment and felt that I would receive the care and attention my education deserved. This turned out to be true, as many of my professors have become mentors and huge influences on the trajectory of my work. They pushed me to hone in on my creative vision and helped me feel more confident and assured in my work.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR EXPANSIVE ILLUSTRATION FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
COMPUTER LABS
Everything Illustration majors need for digital work: Mac Studios and PCs, Wacom Cintiq interactive displays, laser and inkjet printers, huge 98” inch screens for viewing work, and large-format scanners for documents up to 18”x24” in size
PRINT CENTER
For wide-format work, including multiple 44”-wide photo-quality inkjet printers
FABLAB
Your future favorite place on campus, featuring a laser cutter/engraver, 3D scanners/printers, CNC Router, ceramics decal printer and a digital embroidery machine
ILLUSTRATION STUDIOS
Your home away from home as you prepare work for your senior thesis and other assignments! Enjoy dedicated space to work, in the company of friends and peers.
EDITING BAYS
Soundproofed studios with the equipment you need to focus on your work in a quiet environment.
MEET YOUR ILLUSTRATION MAJOR
Watch our Meet Your Major: Illustration video to take a deeper dive into everything our Illustration has to offer!
NETWORK WITH THE PROS
You’ll also meet guest critics and speakers—illustration superstars who started out just like you—at special department events. Here’s a glimpse of some of our recent visitors:
LOIS VAN BAARLE, AKA LOISH
Loish is a digital artist, concept artist and animator based in the Netherlands, who has done character designs for LEGO, Guerrilla Games, Amazon, EA, Coca-Cola, and more, and who shares knowledge through workshops, lectures and art books, including The Art of Loish.
DAN YACCARINO
In addition to selling over 2.5 million children’s books, Yaccarino is the creator and producer of several award-winning animated series based on his books, including Doug Unplugs (AppleTV), Oswald (Nickelodeon) and Willa's Wild Life (NBC and Qubo), and the character designer behind The Backyardigans (Nickelodeon).
ROZ CHAST
Internationally renowned for her New Yorker cartoons, Chast was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2019, and has written and illustrated several books, including Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, which won a National Book Critics Circle Award.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Click the plus buttons below to get an overview of our Illustration BFA core curriculum, and also choose from a variety of exciting electives like:
- Sequential Illustration & Animation: convey a story line and create a basic 2D animation
- Portrait & Caricature: create portraits of the human face in realistic and exaggerated methods
- Licensing Art for Retail Products: develop market-ready artwork, typography and patterns
- Illustration for Children: explore layout, storyboarding and art related to children’s interests
- Sequential Illustration & Personal Narrative: illustrate a multi-page comic that addresses an issue or experience important to you
Illustration Core Curriculum
Year 1 is your Foundation year! You’ll get a head start with your bridge-to-major class
- 2D Design
- 3D Design
- Foundation Drawing I
- Drawing for Visual Communication OR Creative Design
- Visual Thinking
- Color Theory
- Introduction to Illustration
- Writing Workshop I & II
- Art History I & II
Immerse yourself in your major in Year 2. Classes like Life Drawing Form, Pictorial Fundamentals and Digital Image Making will give you foundational skills for future work.
- Life Drawing Structures
- Life Drawing Form
- Illustration Fundamentals
- Illustration Practice
- Pictorial Fundamentals I & II
- Digital Image Making
- Modern Art History Course
- Non-Western Art History
- Gender, Race, Class & Power
In Year 3, explore your options and start to think about your future through electives and Professional Development, which will prepare you for an exciting $1,000 paid summer internship.
- Illustration Junior Studio I & II
- Life Drawing Value
- Life Drawing Color
- Typography I
- Digital Painting for Illustrators
- Professional Development I
- Creative & Critical Studies Electives
- Studio Electives
In Year 4, take your final electives and Senior Studio and Thesis classes, and apply the skills you’ve learned to a final thesis project. Then get ready for your journey to post-graduation success!
- Senior Studio
- Senior Thesis
- Business for Illustration
- Professional Development II (Internship)
- Liberal Arts Electives
- Open Electives
-
PostedStudents, alumni and faculty from Moore’s Illustration program are leaving a lasting impression in the illustration field.
-
PostedLamboy's piece was one of 300 works selected from 7,300 entries.
-
Posted“I didn’t think I was going to get it. When I heard my name [at Senior Awards], I was shocked, overjoyed and thankful.”
-
How Lauren Balogh '24 Kickstarted Her Career Goals with Moore’s Financial and Professional Support
CategoryPostedMeet Lauren Balogh, an Illustration senior who put her fellowships towards two unforgettable experiences in 2023—a screen-printing internship in South Philadelphia and a trip to a music festival in Italy.
