BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing and Printmaking

Entry requirements

Although many of our students do come in with top grades and high UCAS points, these aren’t necessarily essential for entry. We typically ask for between 104 - 120 UCAS points, earned through an Art & Design Foundation Diploma, A-levels, BTEC Extended Diploma MMM grade, Access to HE Art & Design, T-Levels, Irish/Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers, the International Baccalaureate, or other international qualifications.

Applicants also need to submit a portfolio.

We understand that talented artists, designers and makers can have a wide range of relevant strengths and skills beyond formal qualifications. We’re just as interested in exploring your portfolio and discussing your creative experiences as we are in seeing your grades, and we welcome applications from students who have followed less traditional routes.

We also accept a range of international qualifications and will look at each application individually.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Prepare for Success in Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking

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

Why choose this course at Arts University Plymouth?

• Embark on a transformative journey in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Explore a rich tapestry of traditional, contemporary, and hybrid artistic skills, nurturing your creativity and unique voice.
• Master the six visual languages: line, form, space, movement, tone, and colour. Develop skills crucial for painting, drawing, and printmaking.
• Showcase your work from the first year in a professional exhibition open to the public, organized, curated, and produced by your group. A great way to start in painting, drawing, and printmaking.
• Be taught by practising and exhibiting artists with international reputations. Their expertise in painting, drawing, and printmaking provides a strong foundation for your artistic growth.
• Develop empathy and sensitivity as you learn to master materials, from making paints to building supports and preparing surfaces. Essential skills for any painting, drawing, and printmaking course.

“Reflecting back on my degree, it’s certainly been a life changing experience for me as a fine artist and as part of the wider university community. I embarked upon my degree with low self-confidence and self-esteem, and I would never have imagined being confident enough to achieve a degree. The staff at Arts University Plymouth have coached me and taught me how to be a fine artist in today’s world.”

RUTH BROWN

Discover Creative Techniques in Expansive Studios

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

Learn from Practising Artists

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 and pedagogical 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

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 in 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.

Showcase Your Work

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.

Fees and funding