Studying Cartoon and Comic Arts

Meet your course leader!

Gareth welcomes you to Cartoon and Comic Arts
Back to the Future aficionado, chocolate enthusiast and fan of all things Calvin & Hobbes, Gareth has taught on the BA (Hons) Cartoon and Comic Arts degree since its inception and is now the Course Leader. 

He continues to build up industry links, with ongoing collaborations with The Cartoon Museum, and Anorak Magazine.

Alongside his academic role, he writes and draws comics about speech, language and sibling loss. His comic about bereavement called The Hiraeth Club was a finalist in the 1st Graphic Novel competition run by SelfMadeHero in 2023, and whilst this might sound depressing, he assures us that it’s not, because ‘it’s got a flying bed in it’.

Gareth and the rest of the Cartoon and Comic Arts team can't wait to welcome you to the studio!

 

Student highlights from this year across Cartoon and Comic Arts!

Congratulations on your offer to join our vibrant and exciting Cartoon and Comic Arts course within the department of Creative Industries at University of Staffordshire.

We wanted to share some of the amazing projects that our students have been working on so far this year.  From selling their work across cons and our very own campus Winter Fair, to pitching to the editor of The Beano, CCA students from across all years of study have been producing top work.

Explore more highlights and some of the great work by our students below.

Read more

Hear from our students

I first heard about the course in 2017 when a friend of mine moved up to Stoke to take it.   After they moved I had so many updates on what they got up to, and I felt so envious of what they were doing! 

I loved that we were able to express our creativity through drawing on the walls and really making the studio our own, as well as how friendly all of the lecturers are.  Despite them being my lecturers, I feel like they're my friends.  

Walking up to the studio for the first time was magical, there's this huge cartoon and comic arts sign above some double doors that lead into the whole section of the building that belongs to the course, and walking through them felt like I had found a place that I belonged.

Through cartoon and comic arts I have found family, home and newfound confidence.  I asked my course-mates not too long ago for pictures of when they started the course to pictures of them now, and the confidence we have all grown is so visible.  This course has given me the confidence to build my own art business with experience from our MCM trip, confidence to put myself out there and the bravery to show the world all the things that make me me.

Thank you Cartoon and Comic Arts!

Theo Nicol, 24, from Weston-Super-Mare
Final Year Cartoon and Comic Arts student

Teaching staff

Gareth Cowlin

Lecturer

Gareth has regularly produced illustrative work for a range of magazines and newspapers, including: Private Eye, Punch, The Sun, The Bookseller and The New Statesman.

Gareth's profile

Adrian Tooth

Course Director

Creating things and bringing them to life has always been a passion of Adrian's. He's been an animator and freelance illustrator/cartoonist amongst a range of other jobs, which include the manager of a pottery decoration department.

Adrian's profile

Jason Brindley

Lecturer

Jason’s work covers comic books, illustration, and fine art. Using traditional, digital, and CGI techniques, he has produced work for 2000AD and several independent publishers and has exhibited nationally.

Your next steps

  1. Accept your offer

    An exciting new chapter awaits you here at University of Staffordshire - we can't wait to meet you. Before you can progress with finance or accommodation choices, you'll need to confirm your offer via UCAS.

    Accept your offer

  2. Apply for student finance

    It's best to arrange your student finance before starting University. You can learn more about student finance and make an application at www.gov.uk/student-finance. Our support team is here to help, get in touch if you have any questions about student finance.

    Enquire about finance

  3. Apply for your accommodation

    We have a range of accommodation to choose from to suit all lifestyles and budgets, including en-suite and accessible rooms. Browse rooms and find out how to apply.

    Browse University accommodation
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Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

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Research Excellence Framework 2021

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