The English Plus Art and Design course is ideal for students wanting to combine studying English with developing their own art and design work. Students have included people with a wide range of backgrounds in art and design, ranging from those who just studied it at high school, to those aiming to study an art or design subject at university, to professional artists and designers who want to continue their practice while they improve their English.
At Kings Oxford, the course structure is to study English in the mornings from 9.15am –12.45pm Monday – Friday, and Art and Design on Thursday and Friday afternoons from 1.15 – 4.15pm. Students can also study additional English language related afternoon lessons for free, if they wish, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 1.15 – 3.15pm.
On the Art and Design component the course is project-based, whereby students choose what they want to work on and what skills they want to develop depending on their interests and experience. Typical types of media that students can select from include the following:
- Drawing with pencil, charcoal, chalk pastel, oil pastel, and digital drawing using a tablet
- Painting with oil, acrylic, water colour, and gouache
- Digital Photography
- Computer Aided Design (CAD) using Sketch Up
- Digital creation using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Premier Pro, Animate, etc.
- Fashion and Textiles
- Graphic Design
- Print making: screen printing, lino printing, digital printing, mono printing
- 3D Design (e.g. modelling, construction and design process)
- Sculpture: clay work, plaster work, wood, metal
In the dedicated Art Academy, studios are well equipped with good resources, with all materials being provided as part of the course. The studios are spacious and well lit, there is also a digital and photographic room, a library, and well-stocked materials store room.
Our current students include these four people who kindly agreed to be interviewed: Asumi Ushizawa from Japan, Han-Ni (Nini) Chu from Taiwan, Ami Nakashima from Japan, and Yuta Yashiki, also from Japan.
Asumi (above left) normally works as a digital designer of icons for websites in Tokyo, but has been painting with acrylic paints on canvas for the first time in Oxford. She says “I’m happy to use the canvas and these acrylic materials. We can use a sketch book, and the materials are very convenient”.
Han-Ni (Nini, above right) is very interested in animation and illustration and hopes to become a professional animator. Shas been making short animated cartoons and digital illustrations during her course. She says she enjoys making artwork and for building up her portfolio for future work as an artist.
Ami (above left) normally works for Sega as a character designer in Tokyo, but has been working on a manga style painting in oil paints on canvas in Oxford, something she has not done before. She says she makes art for the pleasure making it brings in itself, and for her work, and has enjoyed learning about using oil paint.
Yuta (above right), also from Japan, is interested in fashion design and concept art. In this picture, he is working on a digital illustration. He enjoys producing work both for fun and to develop skills for his future career. He says “I enjoy expressing my ideas visually; without it, just studying English would be boring. I feel my skills are improving.”
If you feel you would enjoy making your own art and design work while studying English, the English Plus Art and Design course could be just the course for you!
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