Visual and Digital Arts
Program Overview
Humber’s Visual and Digital Arts diploma program offers you the opportunity to develop a well-rounded skillset applicable to a broad range of visual arts disciplines. At the Art Commons, Humber’s dedicated studio facilities, you will learn to plan and produce effective visual material and facilitate modes of interactive expression and communication.
Fusing traditional media and current digital tools, including Adobe Creative Cloud, you will develop skills in painting, drawing, illustration, digital art, photography, video, installation and interactive art. While honing your creative potential and expanding your artistic network, you will gain knowledge about anatomy, colour, composition, figurative expressions, art history and social collaboration. In studio practice and special topics courses, you will ideate and collaborate on critical issues in art and society including a range of social justice, access and equity-oriented projects. Throughout the program, you will participate in collaborative, interdisciplinary projects with your peers and industry partners while gaining opportunities to exhibit your work, take part in special projects, and join in critiques. With its focus on experiential learning and critical thinking, this program is an excellent launching point for more advanced creative pursuits.
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
Produce creative life and representational drawings and paintings, illustrating volume, proportion, perspective, mass and texture with descriptive lighting.
Create representational digital drawing, paintings and illustrations, using application software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Painter.
Assess the artistic merit of artwork using an analysis of the creative application of established principles of design and composition.
Construct pictorial compositions using visual perspective to achieve accurate proportional relationships.
Light compositions to reveal three-dimensional form.
Create figurative pictorial compositions, using principles of human and comparative anatomy.
Critique technical principles of composition in representational drawing, painting and illustration, through analysis of rendering.
Prepare and present a traditional and creative art portfolio containing both original work and computer generated reproductions.
Research and create reference materials to support successful completion of a work of art.
Reproduce, with fidelity, colour as encountered in nature, mixing traditional and digital media.
Develop a career plan and self-promotion skills suitable to the digital media industry, using materials such as a résumé, cover letter, contact list, e-portfolio.
Develop and present a digital art project proposal and manage the project, using effective oral and written communications skills.
The Humber Advantage
The newly constructed Humber Art Commons was designed to foster creative collaboration and experimentation. The flexible space allows Art Foundation students to conceptualize, create, and exhibit work all in the same place.
Launched as a live lab, the Art Commons building provides students with a creative space to explore and discover new techniques. Located at Lakeshore Campus on Lakeshore Blvd, the building acts as a hub for art students. The open concept allows for a modern studio space flooded by natural light. The space has been modelled on the general concept of transformability. Four large multi-purpose rooms on two floors can be turned into any kind of collaborative space depending on need.
Take a 360 degree tour!
For mobile and tablet users, open the video in the YouTube app. For optimal viewing experience use Firefox or Chrome. Currently Safari does not support 360 videos.
Watch the video and discover how Noni Kaur inspires her students to think outside the box and create more than what they think they are capable of.
Watch the video to find out how Humber prepared Mac for the professional aspects of being an artist.
Watch the video to discover how the Visual and Digital Arts program at Humber helps students explore their creativity and express their ideas.
Watch the video to see how the In Situ event was an immersive and interactive evening that showcased music, photography, performance, dance, improv, mime, spoken word, mural and graffiti art, installation art, design and more by some of the GTA’s best emerging artists!
Expert Faculty
Steven Cober
Steve Cober is a multidisciplinary designer and technologist. With a background in media arts, his experience spans product, experience, environmental and game design for clients such as Kellogg's, Visa, Nintendo and Disney. Steve co-founded Magic Pony, a creative hybrid synthesizing the signature elements of a retail store, exhibition space, and design studio to create a cultural hub and creative incubator in Toronto. In partnership with artists, corporations and cultural institutions, Magic Pony collaborated on over 100 art exhibitions, culminating with This Is Not a Toy, a retrospective of designer toy culture co-curated by Pharrell Williams. Most recently, he joined Secret Location as creative director for Waking Wonderland, a large-scale immersive entertainment project based on the works of Lewis Carroll.
His research explores the intersection of emergent narrative, participatory art and innovations in digital-physical technologies. He lectures in entrepreneurship, illustration, interactive design, using prototyping and ideation as the catalyst for learning and collaboration.
Marc Colangelo
Marc Colangelo is a visual artist specializing in representational works of portraiture, figurative compositions and dream imagery. Areas of instruction and expertise are figure drawing and painting, artistic anatomy, and composition.
Eva Kolcze
Eva Kolcze creates short films and video installations that investigate themes of landscape, architecture, and the body. Her work has screened at venues and festivals including the National Gallery of Canada, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC), MOCA Toronto, the Gardiner Museum, Nuit Blanche, Cinémathèque québécoise, Birch Contemporary, and the Images Festival. She currently teaches filmmaking at Humber College and OCAD University. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCAD University and a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from York University.
Cole Swanson
Cole Swanson (BA Studio Art, MA Art History) is an artist and educator based in Toronto, Canada. He has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across Canada and throughout international venues in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He is a two-time national fellowship winner through the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute for his research on miniature painting, fresco, and natural pigment production in Jaipur, India. His current artistic practice includes a multidisciplinary study of the complex relationships shared between humans and other organisms. Working in painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, and sound art, Swanson has created exhibitions in partnerships with scientists, ecologists, community groups, and social activists in order to confront critical questions in art, nature, and society today.
Swanson has performed many professional roles within the arts and has held positions in curatorial work, museum and gallery administration, and post-secondary education. As full-time professor and program co-ordinator for the Art Foundation and Visual & Digital Arts programs at Humber College, Swanson has developed and taught courses in painting, material methods, art history, collaborative and experimental art, and professional practice. Alongside Professor Anne Zbitnew, Swanson is a founding member of Art in Access, a research initiative that seeks to expand opportunities for community members faced with physical, social, and cultural barriers to art education. Swanson also held sessional teaching positions in the Faculty of Art, Ontario College of Art and Design University in painting, colour theory, and material processes.
Swanson has appeared as author and subject of numerous publications and catalogues, and has guest lectured at academic and arts institutions throughout Canada and abroad. He has been featured in print, video, and academic publications, and his recent work on Toronto's double-crested cormorant colony was profiled on The Nature of Things with David Suzuki (2020).
Swanson has received financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, the Musagetes Foundation, and the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute. His work appears in private and public collections throughout Canada.
Carolyne Topdjian
Carolyne Topdjian is an interdisciplinary writer and educator whose work explores existential issues of aesthetics, consciousness, and identity. With a background in visual art theory and practice, she received her PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University and has since published numerous scholarly essays and stories. Her latest novel, The Hitman’s Daughter, is forthcoming from Agora Books in January 2022. You can find her at carolynetopdjian.com.
Your Career
Although the Information Age has created an explosion of career opportunities for visual and digital artists, the competition is keen. It is an exciting career that encompasses creativity, challenges, new insights and dynamic ways of critical thinking. But employers agree: professional drawing and painting skills reinforced with fine art principles and critical-thinking skills will distinguish an applicant from the crowd.
Enjoy exciting entry-level positions in the visual, graphic and media arts industry with your newly acquired skillset. Use your creative and technical skills as an illustrator, contemporary artist, concept artist, advertising layout artist, storyboard artist, digital illustrator, visualizer, artist representative, gallery or artist supply assistant, graphic artist, photographer’s assistant, or art teaching assistant. Be self-employed as a freelance artist, illustrator or art instructor in an arts and crafts association or organization. Many of our graduates also pursue higher education within media studies and the visual arts, given that they will be equipped with a comprehensive portfolio to showcase their acquired skills.
Related Programs
Program Availability
News Feed
From classroom to boardroom: Humber student launches eco-friendly business
Thu, April 15, 2021
Xana Mills is a graduating Bachelor of Digital Communications student. We caught up with Xana via email to hear more about her business and how it developed over her time at Humber.
Grad Feature: Alfredo Films - Alexander, Holly and Shivam
Wed, April 07, 2021
Alexander Henry, Holly Rowden, and Shivam Pandya graduated from the Bachelor of Film and Media Production in 2016.
No news at this time.
News Feed
Senior Dean Update: Media & Creative Arts Anti-Racism Action Plan
Fri, October 15, 2021
In June 2020, I committed the FMCA to seven action items to address the attitudes, behaviours and structures that act as barriers for students from Indigenous and equity-deserving communities.
Update: Humber Music Solidarity One Year On
Fri, October 15, 2021
In June 2020, Humber Music faculty pledged to address systemic racism and gender discrimination in the music programs by working with students, alumni, administrators, and industry experts
No news at this time.
Every attempt is made to ensure that information contained on this website is current and accurate. Humber reserves the right to correct any error or omission, modify or cancel any course, program, fee, timetable or campus location at any time without prior notice or liability to users or any other Person.
On October 21, 2019, the Provincial Government of Ontario announced the renaming of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). Both names may appear on this website.
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HOW TO APPLY
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
EQUIPMENT & DEVICE REQUIREMENTS
FEES & SCHOLARSHIPS
PATHWAYS
CONTACT US
Post-Admission Requirements
Once you have been accepted, and have confirmed your offer, you may need to complete a further set of requirements related to your program (Post-Admission Requirements).
Equipment & Device Requirements
| Details and Specifications | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
| Processor | Laptop - Intel i5 (Quad 4) | Laptop - Intel i7 (Quad 4 or higher) |
| OS | Windows 10 or Mac OS | |
| Memory | 16GB RAM | |
| Storage | Hard drive 250GB | SSD (Solid State Drive) preferable |
| Other | Tablet, Creative Cloud software licensing, Art Supplies - Cole Swanson working with supplier to see if a kit can be created for purchase |
Contact Information
If you have questions about these Equipment & Device Requirements contact:
Cole Swanson, program co-ordinator
416.675.6622 ext. 3505
cole.swanson@humber.ca
Fees
The 2021-2022 fee for two semesters was:
- domestic: $6,579.82
- international: $16,414.00
Fees are subject to change.
Fees by Semester
Domestic Fees International FeesAdditional Costs
Approximately $750 - art supplies; $230 – $350 - digital tablet (for third/fourth semesters); access to a digital camera (third semester).
Scholarships
Humber Scholarships
Find out more about scholarships and bursaries that you may be eligible for, visit Student Scholarships. International students can visit International Student Scholarships.
Humber Bursaries
Bursaries are available for Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs primarily based on financial need, visit Humber Bursaries.
External Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships
Find out more information about external scholarships and bursaries, visit External Awards.
Indigenous Student Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships
Humber offers a variety of bursaries and scholarships for Indigenous students, visit Indigenous Student Awards.
Pathways
Pathways are academic routes that students can take to move from one credential to another.
PATHWAYS OUT TO ANOTHER PROGRAM:
TO A PARTNER INSTITUTION
Bachelor of Applied Management
Graduates of any two-year diploma program at Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, who have attained a cumulative grade point average of 70% or greater will be eligible to enter year three of the four-year Bachelor of Applied Management (BAM) at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John.
Depending on the diploma program, students may be exempted from study in certain courses and therefore, requested to take alternate courses offered by the Faculty of Business.
Please note: Admission to the academic programs listed is at the sole discretion of the partner post-secondary institution. Please contact the institution for detailed admission requirements.
For more information please contact: admissions@unb.ca.
Business Bachelor of Business Administration
Students who complete a 2 year diploma at Humber will be granted 60 credit hours toward the completion of a bachelor degree program at Davenport University. You will need to complete a minimum of 60 credit hours (approximately two years of full-time attendance) to meet residency and program requirements and to complete your bachelor degree program. Students must complete a minimum total of 120 semester credit hours to earn a bachelor degree. The total credit hours will include the completed 2 year diploma classes plus any courses completed through Davenport University.
Admission to the academic programs listed is at the sole discretion of the partner post-secondary institution.
If you still have questions, reach out to the transfer admissions team at info@davenport.edu or 1.800.686.1600.
Honours Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Humber and Seneca Colleges have entered into an agreement that increases student opportunities for degree completion at both institutions. Humber graduates may transfer into Seneca’s Honours Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies with entry into Semester 4, Year 2 of the program.
Admissions:
All applicants to Seneca degree programs are required to have successfully completed the related Humber program with a minimum overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 (70%).
All applicants may apply through the Ontario College Application Service and must submit an official academic transcript for all course work completed at the postsecondary level. The application must be received no later than the stated deadline for the given term being applied for in order to qualify for admission.
For further information, please contact: academic.pathways@senecacollege.ca
Admission to the academic programs listed is at the sole discretion of the partner post-secondary institution. Please contact the institution for detailed admission requirements.
Law LLB
Humber students who have successfully completed a Diploma or Advanced Diploma in any field at Humber College and meet the requirements, will be considered for admission into the University of Gloucestershire's Bachelor of Law LLB program.
International students should demonstrate and must provide evidence that they have attained a level of English equivalent to IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in writing. Alternative acceptable English Language qualifications can be found at: https://www.glos.ac.uk/international/
Students will be expected to attend an Academic Induction preceding entry to the program. Students admitted to the UoG program will pay the appropriate annual tuition fee rate. The definitive fees will be those published here: https://www.glos.ac.uk/international/
Students admitted to UoG from Humber will be eligible to receive the international bursary. This award, and its ruling terms and conditions, is subject to change on an annual basis. For September 2020/January 2021 entry, the applicable bursary is £3,000, and will be automatically applied against tuition for successful applicants from Humber. Please note that the bursary is only available to students who are studying full-time at the UoG on campus in the UK, and completing a full degree (not available for distance learning or master's stage students).
Admission to the academic programs listed is at the sole discretion of the partner post-secondary institution. Please contact the institution for detailed admission requirements.
Contact us for more information:
Shandin Rickard-Hughes
International Marketing & Student Recruitment Manager, Americas
srickardhughes@glos.ac.uk
How to Apply
Applications to Humber are made through ontariocolleges.ca. Be sure to submit your application by the equal consideration deadline of February 1. You may apply after February 1, however, post-February 1 applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis depending on the availability of the space in the program. To check program availability refer to the Campus/Availability listing on Humber's program pages or ontariocolleges.ca.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.
