Anglia Ruskin Visit and Applying for an MA

The Ruskin Building, Anglia Ruskin University

For the past years, I've been aware of a course at Anglia Ruskin University. I first found out about it after seeing many artists I followed on Instagram using the hashtag #csacbi, which I later realised stood for Cambridge School of Art Children's Book Illustration. After some research, it was clear that this course was the best and one of the only ones of its kind in the UK. Established in 2001, its ethos is 'To empower each student to develop their unique visual language as an artist, rather than pursue preconceived notions of stylistic appropriateness' (Children's Book Illustration MA degree course - MA - ARU, 2022). Over the years it has produced an incredible amount of successful alumni, including Mariajo Ilustrajo, Matt Robertson and Flavia Z Drago, author and illustrator of 'Gustavo The Shy Ghost' (Drago, 2021). 

Flavia Z Drago, 'Gustavo the Shy Ghost', 2021

The course has a celebrated reputation, with many artists winning worldwide awards such as the AOI World Illustration Awards and the Macmillan Book Prize. When I received my Cheltenham Illustration Annual, I wasn't surprised to find a beautiful entry from Ellan Rankin, a recent graduate of the course. While it's amazing to see the course doing so well, the prospect of actually being on it is quite daunting; being surrounded by people with similar aspirations may feel overwhelming for someone who doesn't have much prior experience in the industry.

Mariajo Ilustrajo, WIA2020 Showcase: Spotlight on New Talent Children’s Publishing Category Winner & New Talent Overall Winner

Campus Tour

I went down to Cambridge with my parents in November because it was important to get a feel for the city and see the campus in person. I've been on the virtual open days for the past two years but I needed to see how I felt being down there as I was worried it was too far away- being quite the home bird! I managed to get onto one of the first campus tours and was shown around by the Ruskin Gallery Events Co-ordinator after being greeted by a receptionist who phoned ahead for us. It was great as she had previously studied a Fine Art Master's so had insights into student life and the event opportunities. 

The art and design building is the oldest on campus but has the most character, being named the 'Ruskin Building' in 2005 after John Ruskin, a famous art critic and writer in the Victorian Era. I was shown around all of the buildings and the Ruskin Gallery in more depth, going into all of the classrooms and print rooms. I loved the print and letterpress rooms and feel they would be where I'd spend most of my time. It was interesting to see how the facilities at the college compared; I love both but the college is more modern and had better access to the Risograph printer with so many more colours. This was one of my concerns as I love having this access to the Risograph printer so I'd have to ask if I was able to get more colours and how much access you have to it. 

Another area I loved was the ceramics room where you could go and experiment with pottery and make characters. This was encouraged by the course for final shows to help bring characters from books to life. Ceramics is something I want to explore further so I feel this would be a great opportunity. Unfortunately, the only room I couldn't go into was the Children's Book Illustration studio as there was a class in session but I've seen it online and it looks amazing, with old fashioned windows and hundreds of books filling the shelves. It would've been a good opportunity to meet the tutors so when they received my application they could put a face to the name. 

Accommodation

After the campus tour, I had a few accommodation options lined up, one at Anglia House and one at Student Castle. After walking to Anglia House I realised it was too far out and not in an area I would have felt as safe walking around on my own. The other option was Student Castle which was slightly further away but the walk was through the beautiful green fields and along the canal. It is used predominantly by postgraduate students as the studios all have their own kitchens and bathrooms, catered for slightly older students who want their own space. This was one of the things I wanted as I'm fortunate to have my own space and need a bigger desk area for all of my art materials so having this extra space for myself will be very beneficial- especially with the change from living at home to living on your own. I think this will be the hardest part as I'm very close to my family and spend a lot of time with them so it'll be hard moving away. I feel like it will push me out of my comfort zone and increase my confidence, but I also want to make sure I'm somewhere I feel safe and there are people to talk to so I'm not too isolated. I loved the accommodation and on-site facilities with plenty of areas to socialise. 

Anglia House

Accommodation is located just over the canal, the walk to Anglia Ruskin would be through Jesus Green and the town

City

The city was beautiful, there were so many Cambridge University buildings in the city centre creating lots of avenues and streets to explore. As for shopping, there was a great mix of independent and high street shops with everything you could need. I liked how the city didn't feel too overwhelming, I didn't want to be in a city that felt too claustrophobic. For drawing purposes, I like that it's surrounded by parks and if I wanted to go and work outside I'd feel safe enough just exploring on my own. 

After visiting I knew I definitely wanted to apply so worked on that over December and submitted an application a few weeks ago. Since then, they have asked for a reference which was supplied by my tutor, so I'm just waiting to hear back from them. If I get an email I will have to go for an in-person interview to show my portfolio so I need to get that sorted and print out any finals from Uni projects. I'm feeling excited and scared for the next steps but I'm glad I got an application in and have the opportunity to go for it. 

SMART Targets for the Coming Weeks:

• Hear back from the university for an interview, pick a slot and plan a trip to Cambridge
• Sort out my portfolio and print off any finals at uni including my book mock-ups and Cheltenham Illustration Award selected entries
• Join the AOI student membership and submit my book to the Commercial Publishing category
• Email Student Castle about studio availability, when to book
• Work on more children's book illustrations for my portfolio

References:

Aru.ac.uk. 2022. Children's Book Illustration MA degree course - MA - ARU. [online] Available at: <https://aru.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/childrens-book-illustration> [Accessed 27 January 2022].

Matt Robertson Illustration. 2022. Matt Robertson Illustration. [online] Available at: <http://matttheillustrator.com/> [Accessed 29 January 2022].

Flaviazdrago.com. 2022. Flavia Zorrilla Drago. [online] Available at: <https://www.flaviazdrago.com/gustavo-the-shy-ghost> [Accessed 29 January 2022].

Drago, F., 2021. Gustavo, The Shy Ghost. Walker Books Ltd.

The AOI. 2022. The AOI - WIA2020 Showcase: Spotlight on New Talent Children’s Publishing Category Winner & New Talent Overall Winner Mariajo Ilustrajo. [online] Available at: <https://theaoi.com/world-illustration-awards-2020/showcase-2020/mariajo-ilustrajo/> [Accessed 30 January 2022].

Aru.ac.uk. 2022. Our history - ARU. [online] Available at: <https://aru.ac.uk/about-us/our-history> [Accessed 30 January 2022].

En.wikipedia.org. 2022. John Ruskin - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruskin> [Accessed 30 January 2022].

Anglia House. 2022. Premium Studio. [online] Available at: <https://yugo.com/en-gb/global/united-kingdom/cambridge/anglia-house/premium-studio-132526> [Accessed 30 January 2022].

Studentcastle.co.uk. 2022. Rooms & booking. [online] Available at: <https://www.studentcastle.co.uk/locations/cambridge-student-accommodation/rooms-booking/?roomType=studios&acYear=2022-23> [Accessed 30 January 2022].