Painting Drawing and Printmaking

UCAS code: WWDF

Here's what Arts University Plymouth says about its Painting Drawing and Printmaking course.

Our BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing and Printmaking course is designed to immerse you in a wide range of traditional and contemporary techniques, students on this course will simultaneously develop a distinct creative voice as a contemporary professional artist.

Nestled in expansive, open-plan studios designed with airy lofted ceilings and strategically positioned windows to harness the natural light, you'll be inspired to cultivate an ambitious working ethos whilst immersed in all three disciplines of painting, drawing, and printmaking.

Why Choose this Course? Embark on a transformative journey and explore a rich tapestry of traditional, contemporary, and hybrid artistic skills, nurturing your creativity and unique voice. This course equips you with mastery over the six visual languages of line, form, space, movement, tone, and colour.

Whilst studying this course, you will have the chance to show your work right from the beginning of your first year, in a professional exhibition open to the public, organised, curated and produced by your group.

Our tutors are all practising artists who bring unique, independent experience to the classroom and studio teaching. The course specialises in the embodied practice of painting, with the synergy of drawing and fine print together with colour as a conceptual practice.

Develop Hands-On Skills through Workshops Throughout the intensive three-year period of focused study, an extensive array of technical workshops and material demonstrations serve as a cornerstone of the curriculum, nurturing a hands-on, profound material knowledge that directly shapes the concepts, techniques, and nuances of your developing studio practice.

Explore the Art World Whilst studying with us, you’ll be able to take advantage of numerous cultural and community-based institutions in and around Plymouth, providing you with opportunities to see and participate in exhibitions that will expand your knowledge of the contemporary art world. Recent student trips have included visits to Tate Galleries in London and St Ives, the Barbara Hepworth Museum, Spike Island, Arnolfini, Hauser & Wirth and the Rabley Drawing Centre.

Students on the course have travelled internationally to attend the Impact 10 international printmaking conference in Santander, Spain, and have recently toured galleries and art fairs in Madrid, Berlin, and Amsterdam.

Through university initiatives and collaborations with the contemporary art world and curators, our students exhibit in local galleries and showcase their degree shows in London's prestigious Second Floor Studios. Renowned artists like Turner Prize nominee Ciara Phillips and Freelands Foundation Creative Director Dr. Henry Ward contribute to our program. Graduates establish successful practices in Plymouth, Falmouth, St Ives, Exeter, Bristol, London, and Europe.

Professional Practice, Career Opportunities, and Skills Development Benefit from interactions with a diverse array of visiting artists, industry experts, and renowned partners, enriching your education with real-world insights and experiences. Our extensive industry connections include collaborations with art suppliers like Winsor & Newton, galleries such as Art Mill Gallery, and organisations like Q-art, known for their Crit Club events at venues like Tate Modern.

Our strong international connections also allow our students to take a semester of study with one of our partner institutions within Europe and North America, and in turn, we welcome overseas students from those institutions to join us in our studios, creating an exciting cultural exchange.

Upon graduation, our students pursue various career paths, such as painters, drawing artists, visualisers, fine printmakers, studio-based artists, illustrators, art, therapists, public artists, gallery owners, lecturers, teachers and arts entrepreneurs.

Your progress throughout the three years is driven by a comprehensive series of technical workshops, underpinned by the teaching of drawing as a core component of your studio practice. You will study painting, drawing and printmaking, whilst also learning about the professional strategies of the art world. We will encourage you to think through making, with your own studio work providing you with a centre of enquiry and a point of departure through the deep learning of a core discipline.