Illustration Schools and Programs in Spain

Illustration Studies in Spain

Illustration is the craft of making images that tell or explain something: drawings for books and the press, posters and advertising campaigns, comics, scientific illustration, and concept art for animation and video games. Students learn artistic drawing, traditional and digital techniques, composition and visual storytelling, and the whole process of a commission, from the first idea to delivery in print or digital form. Spain has a specific official vocational qualification in illustration, a few official bachelor's degrees and a wide range of courses at private schools. Madrid has the most schools in our directory for this subject, followed by Barcelona, Valencia and Oviedo.

How illustration studies are organised

There are four main routes, and they lead to very different qualifications:

• Higher vocational cycle in Illustration: the most direct official route. It leads to the title of Técnico superior de Artes Plásticas y Diseño en Ilustración, in the professional family of graphic and audiovisual communication, and lasts 2,000 hours in total, including a period of practical training in companies, studios or workshops (Royal Decree 1433/2012).
• University bachelor's degrees (grados): the Ministry's register of official degrees (RUCT) lists three illustration degrees, all at private universities: Illustration and Visual Development and Audiovisual Design and Illustration at the Universidad Camilo José Cela, and Audiovisual Design and Illustration at the Universidad de Diseño, Innovación y Tecnología (UDIT). Under Royal Decree 822/2021, a bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits, normally four years.
• Higher artistic education in design: the Técnico superior in Illustration gives direct access to these degree-level studies, for example in graphic design.
• Courses and school-own qualifications: private schools teach courses in editorial, digital or comic illustration, as well as multi-year programmes that lead to the school's own qualification. These are not official degrees.

What the vocational cycle covers

The higher cycle is taught at public schools of art (escuelas de arte) across Spain. At the Escuela de Arte de Oviedo, the cycle aims to teach students the techniques, styles and creative processes of illustration so that they can produce professional work for different media, both print and digital. In the final period of the last year, students do real work placements in companies.

Where to study illustration in Spain

Most of the schools in our directory for illustration are in Madrid, with others in Barcelona, Valencia and Oviedo. Some examples:

• Escuela de Arte de Oviedo: a public school of art and design in Asturias that teaches the higher vocational cycle in Illustration within its graphic and audiovisual communication programmes.
• ESDIP - Escuela Superior de Dibujo Profesional: a private art school in Madrid specialising in animation, illustration, comics and video games, with its own illustration courses.
• Idep Barcelona: a private school of visual communication whose four-year Carrera de Diseño y Dirección de Arte includes illustration among its areas of work.

Admission and language

For a higher vocational cycle in Plastic Arts and Design, you need the Bachillerato (the Spanish upper-secondary qualification) or an equivalent, and you must pass a specific entrance test. At the Escuela de Arte de Oviedo, for example, pre-registration usually takes place in May and the specific entrance tests are held in June; students with the arts track of the Bachillerato can apply for direct access, with a limited number of places.

To enter a university bachelor's degree with a secondary-school qualification from another country, most students first apply to UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' records and runs the tests needed to enter Spanish bachelor's degrees, and then apply to each university. Private schools that award their own qualifications set their own admission process.

Recognition and careers

The Técnico superior in Illustration gives access to university studies. At the Escuela de Arte de Oviedo, it gives access to university degrees in arts and humanities and in engineering and architecture without taking the university entrance exam (EBAU). The education authorities also recognise credits from the cycle in higher artistic studies. If you already hold a foreign university degree, the Ministry distinguishes between homologation (homologación), which allows you to practise a regulated profession in Spain, and a declaration of equivalence, which certifies the academic level of a degree (bachelor's or master's).

According to the regulation that sets up the qualification, graduates work as freelance illustrators or as specialist illustrators within teams in visual communication, graphic design, advertising and audiovisual media, at advertising agencies, publishers, design studios, newspapers and television. Many also carry out their own projects as independent artists.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the higher vocational cycle in Illustration?

The higher cycle in Plastic Arts and Design in Illustration lasts 2,000 hours in total, including a period of practical training in companies, studios or workshops.

Are there university degrees in illustration in Spain?

Yes. RUCT lists official bachelor's degrees in Illustration and Visual Development and in Audiovisual Design and Illustration, taught at private universities. A bachelor's degree normally has 240 ECTS credits.

Is an illustration course at a private school an official qualification?

No. Courses and school-own qualifications are not official degrees, although they help to build a portfolio. The official qualifications are the higher vocational cycle, higher artistic education titles and the degrees listed in RUCT.

Can I go to university after the higher cycle in Illustration?

Yes. The Técnico superior title gives access to university studies and direct access to higher artistic education in design, where credits from the cycle can be recognised.