Illustration

An illustration of a person holding an ink pen sitting at a desk and drawing a comic.

Exciting Job Market for Illustrators

Today, illustrators don’t just draw narrative images for editorial and publishing purposes, they apply a broad spectrum of techniques and mediums to bring all kinds of ideas and stories to life in pursuits as varied as muralist, apparel design, gaming, publishing, advertising, marketing, and packaging applications.

Introduction

Building on a solid foundation of drawing, painting, and conceptualization, LCAD’s BFA program in Illustration will help you achieve mastery of your craft in an array of both traditional and technical media and techniques. You will become not only a skillful illustrator, but also a dynamic and adaptable one. LCAD’s BFA program in Illustration will teach you to build complex visual narratives that will allow you to bring your original ideas to life. Your skills will be highly marketable and may be applied to apparel, advertising, boutique print design, children’s books, comics, editorials, entertainment, fashion, gallery art, graphic novels, industrial design, medicine, the music industry, product design, various fields of science, and more.

LCAD’s Illustration faculty are talented industry professionals who are active in illustration, publishing, and retail industries

AT&T
Avis
Bubba Gump Restaurants
BJ’s Restaurants and Brewhouse
Dannon
Fujifilm
The Gap
General Motors
Hartcourt Publishers
Hilton Hotels
Hansen’s Beverages
Hewlett-Packard
IBM
ITT
The Kraft Heinz Company
Kroger Foods

Masco/Milgard
McDonald’s
Mitsubishi
Mattel Toys and Brand
Ocean Spray
Oxford University Press
PepsiCo
Pfizer
Sears
Sony
Suzuki
Toyota
The United Nations
Union 76
Warner Bros.

Our Illustration alumni have gone on to apply their skills to a wide range of areas and companies that include:

Applied Medical
Blizzard Entertainment
Coast Kids Magazine
Creative Co-Op
DC Shoes
Disney Interactive
DITA
DreamWorks Animation
First Ascent
Gallery Hijinks
Google
High Moon Studios
Hive Gallery
Hurley
Icelantic Skis

Interplay Entertainment
KCET
Last Rites Galleries
MARVEL Entertainment
Microsoft Studios
Obsidian Entertainment
Opera New York
Quiksilver
Rusty
Spectral Motion
Warner Bros.
Xist Publishing
686 Clothing
DHX Media

Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate proficiency in drawing, sketching, rendering, and painting effectively using various mediums.
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of color theory and pictorial composition.
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of digital imaging processes—both vector and raster.
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of the human anatomy and accurately depict the human form.

Department Leadership

Michael Photo

Chair of Illustration

Michael Savas

Michael Savas, currently serves as Chair of Illustration. His professional career spans both traditional and technology-based methods. He began his professional career as an advertising and technical illustrator in the early 1980's, creating illustrations for the aerospace and retail industries.

Some of his clients have included: Mitsubishi, Seiko Instruments, Mars Candy, Beckman Instruments, Sega Games and more recently, the Morongo Casino. His personal work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, New York, Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, Spectrum, Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, and Applied Arts. His digital work has been featured internationally in exhibitions and publications including The National Association of Desktop Publishing Journal, Artistry Magazine, and Corel Painter books.

He received his B.F.A. Summa Cum Laude from Laguna College of Art & Design and continued his graduate studies in illustration and printmaking at California University Long Beach where he received his M.F.A. degree. He began teaching at Laguna College of Art + Design in 1996 and was initiated into the National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi in April 2005. He loves to draw and paint fantastical imagery using all mediums.

Admissions Information

Application Dates