This Applied Arts Illustration Diploma Program is a one-year comprehensive program that prepares students for a career in illustration. The program utilizes both analogue and digital techniques, allowing each student to hone their unique skill, develop a marketable style, and strengthen their creative voice while learning the ins and outs of the illustration industry and how to thrive in it.
Through hands-on studio courses paired with theory, history, and business seminars, this diploma in art illustration will teach students technical, conceptual, and professional methods necessary to navigate a variety of illustration fields, including editorial art, picture books, comics, graphic novels, and concept art. This program has been reviewed and approved by the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
The illustration courses in this program are designed in such a way that people can also enroll in it while living in any territory of Canada. This means you can take this course online from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
Conventionally, illustrators are typically employed by book publishing, fabric design, marketing and advertising firms, periodicals, the film business, animation-related companies, internet and digital distribution, etc. This diploma also prepares students to use different kinds of software to produce different kinds of work.
At the end of this Applied Arts Illustration One Year Diploma, students will be able to:
• Able to communicate that illustration is a technical rendering process as well as a conceptual process.
• Identify some of the myriad fields that illustration is connected to, including picture book art, sequential art, visual development art, editorial art, and alternative practices.
• Develop the ability to take risks, innovate, and experiment with materials and substrates.
• Demonstrate not only artistry but also critical thinking, networking, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and developing steadfast business practices.
• Demonstrate the drawing, painting, and digital application skills and develop a portfolio of finished artwork that they can use to secure a job in their field.
Illustration is one of the most creatively expansive and personally expressive careers available to visual artists — and one of the most diverse in its commercial applications. From the pages of children’s picture books and editorial magazines to the concept art pipelines of video game studios and animation companies, illustrators contribute to an extraordinary breadth of industries, media, and storytelling traditions. The Applied Arts Illustration diploma at Edison College is built around this breadth — preparing graduates to navigate multiple illustration fields simultaneously, rather than locking them into a single narrow market.
In British Columbia, illustrators work within the NOC 52120 occupational group alongside graphic designers. Graphic designers and illustrators in B.C. can expect approximately 6,770 job openings between 2025 and 2035, with average annual earnings of $66,420. WorkBC Illustrators may specialize in children’s books, advertising, editorials and humour, medical, scientific and technical illustration, as well as multimedia and digital design WorkBC — each of which represents a distinct professional community with its own client relationships, commission structures, and career pathways.
Illustration as a profession is largely self-directed and portfolio-driven. Freelance illustrators negotiate an hourly rate or a flat fee for each project, depending on factors including the type of client, the reputation of the illustrator, the scope of the project, and the type and length of use of their work. ALIS Advancement generally results from building a portfolio and a reputation — with these, a freelance illustrator can attract a larger client group over time. ALIS This reality is embedded in every course of this program, culminating in the Thesis I and Thesis II portfolio sequences that form the graduation requirement.
It is worth noting honestly that illustration is a competitive field. The Job Bank reports a “Limited” employment outlook for this broad occupational group in B.C. for 2025–2027 and a strong risk of labour surplus nationally — reflecting the large number of visual artists competing for a finite pool of commissioned work. Success in illustration depends less on the diploma alone and more on portfolio quality, professional network, and the ability to pursue multiple income streams across illustration’s many sub-fields simultaneously. This program’s Business of Illustration and Professional Practices courses address exactly this reality.
This program is available online across Canada and in-person at Edison College’s Victoria campus — and the illustration career itself is inherently location-independent, with client relationships built digitally and work delivered remotely across national and international markets.
Sources: WorkBC — NOC 52120 | Government of Canada Job Bank — Illustrator BC
Graduates of the Applied Arts Illustration diploma are prepared for a wide range of illustration fields — with the program’s multi-topic curriculum deliberately designed to build competency across several distinct markets simultaneously, increasing the range of viable income streams available to each graduate:
Editorial Illustration:
Children’s Books & Publishing:
Comics & Sequential Art:
Entertainment & Concept Art:
Textiles & Product Design:
Independent Practice:
Illustrators work for advertising and graphic design firms, large organizations with marketing and communications departments, and digital production companies — and many operate their own businesses, working alone or collaborating with agencies across the world. WorkBC
The program’s coverage of both analogue (drawing, painting, life drawing) and digital (Adobe Photoshop, Procreate) techniques means graduates are equipped for the full range of client expectations — from traditional publishing clients who value hand-crafted aesthetics to digital platforms and entertainment studios that require software proficiency.
Illustrators work in some of the most independent, self-directed, and creatively fulfilling professional environments of any visual arts career — with a strong cultural tradition of remote and freelance practice:
Publishing Houses & Book Publishers: Editorial and children’s book illustrators work with Canadian and international publishers through agent representation or direct commission relationships. Canada has a strong children’s book publishing community — with publishers including Groundwood Books, Annick Press, and Orca Book Publishers (based in Victoria) actively commissioning Canadian illustrators. Victoria’s Orca Book Publishers in particular makes the Greater Victoria area a genuinely relevant local anchor for aspiring picture book illustrators.
Magazines & Editorial Media: Editorial illustrators work with publications across Canada and internationally, creating imagery that interprets written content for magazines, online media, newspapers, and digital platforms. Relationships with art directors at publications are built over time through portfolio submissions and professional networking — skills covered directly in the program’s Professional Practices course.
Video Game Studios & Animation Companies: Concept artists and visual development illustrators work in the pre-production pipelines of game development studios and animation houses — the same B.C. studio community that employs 2D animators. Vancouver and Victoria’s growing game development sector provides accessible local access to this employment pathway for graduates building concept art portfolios.
Advertising & Brand Studios: Commercial illustrators work with advertising agencies, brand studios, and in-house marketing teams to create visual content for campaigns, packaging, and branded materials — typically on a project-by-project freelance basis.
Textiles & Product Design: A distinct and often overlooked market for illustrators — fabric design, surface pattern, toy design, art prints, and ephemera represent income streams that operate parallel to mainstream publishing and editorial work. The program’s Illustration Topic: Alternative Practices course prepares graduates specifically for these adjacent markets.
Independent & Remote Practice: Illustrators work in studios, offices, or from home — with many operating their own businesses, some working alone, and others collaborating with agencies of hundreds of designers in multiple offices around the world. WorkBC The illustration career is among the most genuinely location-independent creative professions available, with client relationships built and maintained entirely through digital portfolio platforms, social media, and professional networks.
Compensation in illustration varies widely depending on the field, the client, the illustrator’s experience level, and the use rights attached to each commission — with freelance practice representing both the primary income model and the greatest range of earning outcomes.
In British Columbia, illustrators and graphic designers (NOC 52120) typically earn between $22.12 and $59.00 per hour Job Bank, with B.C. and Ontario among the higher-paying provinces for creative professionals in this occupational group.
WorkBC reports average annual earnings for graphic designers and illustrators in B.C. of approximately $66,420 WorkBC — a meaningful income target for established illustrators with a developed client base, strong portfolio, and multiple active revenue streams.
Nationally, illustrators and graphic designers typically earn between $20.00 and $52.88 per hour Job Bank across Canada, with compensation reflecting the significant variation between entry-level project work and established professional commission rates.
Freelance illustrators negotiate hourly rates or flat fees based on client type, project scope, and use rights — meaning that an illustrator working across editorial, picture books, and concept art simultaneously can develop multiple independent income streams that collectively exceed what any single employer relationship would provide. ALIS
The freelance and self-employment model is deeply embedded in the illustration profession. About a third of workers in this occupational group in Canada are self-employed Glassdoor, with earnings growth tied directly to portfolio quality, professional reputation, and the breadth of fields an illustrator can serve. Graduates who establish themselves across two or three of the illustration fields covered in this program — editorial, children’s books, and concept art, for example — are in a significantly stronger income position than those who pursue a single market exclusively.
Studying from another province? The illustration career operates across national and international client relationships regardless of where an illustrator is based. Ontario (Toronto) and British Columbia (Vancouver/Victoria) are the largest markets for Canadian illustration employment, but the remote-native nature of the profession means graduates from any province can pursue opportunities nationally and internationally. Graduates are encouraged to consult the Government of Canada Job Bank for current wage data specific to their home province.
Sources: WorkBC — NOC 52120 | Government of Canada Job Bank — Illustrator BC | Government of Canada Job Bank — Canada
Mykle Amon came into this program with a clear and well-developed style, but over the course of the program he has continued to reveal the breadth of his talent by extending his skills as a draughtsman and designer. His work shows care and attention in the design and execution of each line and shape, and he has a natural talent for the complementary interplay of text and image
Applied arts illustration is a creative field, and those who are attracted to it are interested in drawing and creating things with the help of their imaginations.
Our faculty make sure that students not only learn but also demonstrate their illustration skills.
We at Edison College train students so that they learn how to take risks and innovate during their studies. The critical thinking and networking skills that students learn during this program are crucial to making a successful career in illustration.
"Graduating from this program as a Mental Health and Addiction Community Support Worker has been a truly impactful experience. The education I received provided me with both the knowledge and practical skills needed to support individuals facing mental health and substance use challenges in a meaningful and compassionate way.
The instructors were supportive, knowledgeable, and brought real-world experience into the classroom, which made the learning feel relevant and applicable. I especially valued the focus on trauma-informed care, cultural awareness, and building genuine connections with clients.
This program helped me grow not only professionally but personally. I left feeling confident, prepared, and motivated to make a difference in my community. I’m grateful for the foundation it gave me and would recommend it to anyone looking to pursue a career in mental health and addiction support
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"I had a great experience completing my Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant program at Edison College. The course was practical, easy to follow, and really helped me feel prepared to work in the field. I would definitely recommend it to others."
"My experience at Edison College Canada has been very rewarding. The Community Support Worker program, especially the Mental Health and Addiction specialization, has helped me build confidence and real-world skills to support vulnerable individuals in my community. I feel more prepared for my future career."
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