Faculty of Design
Department of Illustration Motion Illustration course モーションイラスト専攻

Add New Value to Your Illustrations Through Motion

Today, digital media and video is becoming increasingly diverse. Our Motion Illustration Course, set to launch in 2025, focuses on the art of drawing digitally and the craft of bringing those drawings to life through digital animation. We aim to expand our students’ realms of illustration expression by allowing them to master digital techniques pertinent to these media. The course is designed to develop creators who can fully utilize the advantages of digital expression, creating and sharing their own new and contemporary modes of expression. Let us transform your curiosity for digital expression into future possibilities.

What You Will Study

  1. 1STYEAR

    Developing sensibilities and drawing abilities

    Students will learn a wide range of creative potential with a focus on drawing by hand.

  2. 2NDYEAR

    Expanding your creativity

    Students here pursue much more than just the power of expression. We prioritize output through digital media, learning expression techniques unique to digital realms, such as 3D computer graphics and video expression for animating images in ways that can only be done digitally.

  3. 3RDYEAR

    Exploring the Expression of the Self

    We aim to train intuitive creators equipped with artistic sensibility and technical digital prowess, motion illustrators who understand the unique characteristics of digital media and explore new possibilities in communication via digital expression.

  4. 4THYEAR

    Making artwork for the real world

    Students choose a research theme for a capstone art project they produce as the culmination of four years of study. The goal is to find new and contemporary modes of expression to present to the world.

What You Will Learn

  • A rich sensitivity and imagination
  • The ability to wield digital techniques to animate images
  • The ability to grasp the nuances of digital media to express yourself

Facilities

Each student has their own desk in the studio where they can immerse themselves in their work.

PICK UP!

  • Class in the studio

  • Printer room for printing large posters

Photo Gallery

Academic Faculty

Careers

The highly specialized studies that begin in a student’s third year are directly linked to their future career path.Students learn to harness their creativity and work in various fields, including freelance illustration, picture books, art writing, and as designers or other corporate creators.The Faculty of Design also boasts a high general employment rate for its graduates’ communication abilities.

  • Building a career as an illustrator
  • Publishing works as a picture book author
  • Presenting artwork to the world as a visual artist
  • Graphic design for advertisements and magazines

Voice

  • HARADA Natsuki Current Student

    I discovered new forms of expression in an environment where I was free to explore.

    Ever since I was young, I loved drawing, but I was overwhelmed by the number of choices when it came time to go to university. Ultimately, I chose Kyoto Seika University’s Department of Illustration because of its liberating atmosphere, which allowed me to apply my style to a broad range of creative activities. I was drawn to the way students with different styles and nationalities all respect each other's personalities. It felt like a place where I could challenge myself in what I wanted to do.
    Lately, I’ve been working with 3D computer graphics and painting software. While the functions of painting software alone are complex enough, it was my quest for unique textures and world building that led me to combine that with 3D computer graphics. Adding this depth to my compositions has allowed me to realize the worlds I envisioned. I believe that the technology behind 3D computer graphics, which has enabled new possibilities in illustration, will likely become even more prevalent in the future.
    After graduation, I plan to work as an illustrator, building new worlds and characters for a game company. I’d like to create new ways of communicating through my art, always challenging myself to try new things without limiting myself to any one technique.
  • YONEZU Tomoyuki Academic Faculty

    Delivering inspiration to the world through a new generation of expression

    The biggest appeal of the Motion Illustration Course is the ability to see your illustrated works come alive as you share them on social media, YouTube, and other popular platforms. Digital media also has the ability to instantly transcend national boundaries. By turning your ideas into moving images and sharing them online, you can overcome barriers of language and location and deliver inspiration to people anywhere at any time. At a time when technologies like 5G and 6G are only getting faster, there will be a need to reach people’s hearts and minds not just through their screens but on entirely new devices. The Motion Illustration Course equips you with a wide range of digital techniques necessary to articulate your creations.
    Combining the modest act of drawing with digital technology extends your world from the confines of your desk to a world beyond borders. We aspire to educate students who wield the power to touch people’s hearts around the world to create a future full of joy and dreams.