The department’s efforts are devoted not only to the refinement of visual skills, but to the articulation and cultivation of the mind. Students must bring creative force and imagination – qualities that cannot be taught but can only be stimulated and appreciated.

As a developing artist, students couldn’t be in a better place. The department is located in downtown Denver and is at the heart of its thriving, dynamic arts community. Whether students work as an intern at a local gallery or visit one of the nation’s leading museums, our urban setting yields endless opportunities for students to learn, experience and create art both on and beyond the Auraria campus.

Given the vast array of opportunities, today’s illustrators must understand how to communicate effectively with a chosen medium and situate their work professionally within a particular market. Students in the illustration emphasis receive instruction in conceptual illustration, digital illustration, rendering, perspective, painting, exhibition preparation, professional practices and the use of various artistic and illustration techniques.