BA (Hons) Illustration

Sam Rowe is a Senior Lecturer and Joint Course Leader on BA (Hons) Illustration where he leads and team-teaches modules on narrative illustration, professional practice, and independent and contextual research. He also contributes to the postgraduate programme as an MA Subject Tutor. Outside Arts University Plymouth Sam is an illustrator, artist, and designer - creating playful work for big and small organisations around the world including publications, advertising, site-specific spaces, books, products, and branding. He also directs and collaborates on bigger projects and events across the spectrum of arts and culture. Sam has worked with clients including Airbnb, The New York Times, Financial Times, Atlassian, NPR, and Faire.

Since graduating in 2009, Ben has been operating as a Freelance Illustrator, working for clients in New York and Canada, to more local work in Plymouth and Exeter. Ben’s practice consists of regular illustrative work for large-scale publications and advertising, as well as the creation of products, independent printed materials, and exhibitions. All of these recent and challenging experiences have all been directly tied to his career as a lecturer; enhancing his knowledge base as he supports students with similar ambitions to realise their creative potential and begin to operate as professionals themselves. Ben advocates an intuitive led approach to Illustrative Practice; promoting the creation of work that is independent of a single client, operating in collectives and developing a creative community. Ben’s personal work is mainly based in comics and toys, recognising a rich visual history in vintage ephemera, married with contemporary production techniques.

Dedicated to teaching both theory and practice since 1999, Mel began teaching at Arts University Plymouth in 2004. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Arts University Plymouth Teaching Fellow and RSA Fellow. Mel’s skills and experience are consolidated in her role as Assistant Dean and Principal Lecturer, having long since decided that working alongside the next generation of designers and creatives was exactly where she wanted to be. Previously course leader for BA (Hons) Illustration, Mel built a team of dedicated staff to help shape the identity and curriculum of the course, and the Illustration provision at Arts University Plymouth grew from strength to strength Current pedagogic research is focused on play and the role of curiosity in creative learning. Mel has presented papers at conferences across the UK and Europe: Illustr4tio International Conference (‘Illustration as Reparation’ 2019), GLAD Conference (‘Trading Places: Developing a Model for Interdisciplinary Practice’ 2017), HEA Annual Arts and Humanities Conference (‘The Great Editorial Race: the serious business of play’ 2016), ELIA Teachers Conference (‘The Serious Business of Play’ 2015). She is co-author of journal paper ‘Drawing Thinking: Illustration as Pedagogy' with AUP Senior lecturer Jason Hirons. With a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design and MA in Visual Culture from Bath Spa University, in her own practice Mel is obsessed with discarded books and abandoned photographs and seemingly random pieces of ephemera. Through drawing and collage Mel plays with juxtaposition to transform the use, meaning and interpretation of the images she finds and a recurring theme is the plight of lost, broken and damaged things. As part of Mel's role as Assistant Dean, she assists the Dean of Art, Design & Media in the academic and operational leadership of undergraduate Design courses at Arts University Plymouth, driving pedagogic innovation and supporting subject specialisms in Design. She is an active committee member and convenor of the Making Learning research group.In 2026, Mel was appointed as an Associate Professor at Arts University Plymouth, reflecting both her impact within the university and her wider national standing in creative pedagogy, further underscored by her recognition in 2025 as the university’s first National Teaching Fellow.

Philip Trenerry is a Lecturer on BA (Hons) Illustration, where he unit-leads and team-teaches across the curriculum. His teaching often focuses on practice-based research methodologies, authorial practice, drawing and narrative communication. Philip is a Folklorist and Illustrator. His work is concerned with stories relating to Dartmoor and its surrounding edgelands, placing emphasis on tensions between animals, humans and place. The cautionary tale is a recurring motif, which Philip attributes to his consumption of public information films and children’s television from the 1970s and 80s. In 2010 he co-founded Pylon Press, a shared framework for students, academics and practitioners who want to investigate authorial avenues and independent publishing.

Caroline is an illustrator, artist and educator with 27 years’ experience working with international clients. She has illustrated 59 children’s picturebooks, published around the world through co-editions and translated into 27 languages. Her work has been exhibited across the UK and internationally, including the Illustrators Exhibition at Bologna Children’s Book Fair + world tours and CICLA’s Original Illustration Exhibition in China. In 2012, Caroline founded An-ti-dote Press, an independent small press through which she publishes her own illustrated books, exploring new materials, contexts and applications for image-making. Her practice spans picturebooks, theatre and exhibition, and is grounded in drawing, analogue processes and visual narrative. Teaching is integral to Caroline’s practice. She leads art and illustration masterclasses in Cornwall and lectures on the BA (Hons) Illustration course at Arts University Plymouth. Her teaching encourages experimentation, process-led exploration and individual creative expression, drawing on her own authorial practice and commitment to creative autonomy.

Bridgette Ashton is an interdisciplinary artist and part-time lecturer on the BA (Hons) Illustration programme at Arts University Plymouth. She works across sculpture, printmaking, drawing & publications, exploring collecting, collections and the interplay between the real and the artificial. Research, making & interpretation underpin her practice Her work often responds to specific sites, objects, and archives, engaging with their histories, narratives, and networks. She has exhibited in both solo and group shows across galleries and museums in the UK and Europe.

Jack graduated from Arts University Plymouth with a BA (Hons) Illustration in 2015. He later returned and completed an MA specialising in Children’s Illustration in 2025. Previously, Jack has worked in multiple roles within the institution, including pre-degree lecturer, tutor for studentship, Saturday arts, evening short courses and retention officer. Jack currently lectures on BA (Hons) Illustration at Arts University Plymouth and acts as unit leader for 1st year units. Alongside working at the university, Jack focuses on his work as a Freelance Illustrator. He is globally represented by the Bright Agency and is published by Bloomsbury, Oxford University Press, Little Tiger, Penguin Random House and Hachette. Jack uses play as a methodology in his practice and tries to capture elements of nostalgia through storytelling, character design work and bold colours. The work is inspired by cartoons from Jack's childhood, and his practice centres around reconnecting with his younger self. Visit Jack’s website: Jack Viant | Bright Agency