Creative Art and Design (15–18 years)

Ages: 15–18
Term: Summer
Length: 2 weeks

Creative Art and Design

Explore. Experiment. Create. Find your inspiration.

Are you passionate about art and design but not sure which creative direction is right for you? Want to try new things, make new friends and experience what life at an arts university could be like?

The AUB Academy Summer Creative Art and Design programme is an exciting, hands-on, two-week experience for 15–18-year-olds who want to get creative, explore a variety of art and design disciplines, learn new skills and techniques, and build a portfolio of work along the way.

Bookings for this course will open soon. You can also sign up to our newsletter for summer course updates.

What you need to know

Summer 2027

Monday 2 August – Friday 13 August 2027 (including Saturday)

09.00–17.00 weekdays (Monday – Friday)
10.00–16.00 Saturday 7 August

Accommodation

12.00 Sunday 1 August – 10.00 Saturday 15 August

Teaching times

09.00–17.00 Monday – Friday

10.00–16.00 Saturday 7 August

Age

All students must be aged between 15–18 years at the time of attending the course. 

Experience or qualifications required

There are no formal academic entry requirements or qualifications needed to study this course. We only ask that you come with a passion for creativity and plenty of enthusiasm to develop your knowledge and skills!

English language

This course will be taught in English. We don't require you hold an English language qualification; however, we recommend you have an intermediate level of English to benefit fully from your experience and be able to communicate with your tutors and fellow students. 

If you'd like to discuss if this course is suitable for you, get in touch with us: academy@aub.ac.uk or call via +44 (0)1202 363222.

Package	Price	25% deposit
Course fee only	£1,899	£474.75
Course fee, accommodation and catering	£2,825	£706.25
Course fee, accommodation and catering plus airport* taxis	£3,160	£790.00

*Applies to London-based airports only.

Optional extras

You can choose to add the following optional extras to your course fee:

Accommodation and full-board catering
Accommodation and full-board catering plus private return taxi transfer to/from any London airport

The residential package includes full board catering, offering an engaging environment to learn, collaborate and thrive in a multicultural and international setting.

See below for further details about our residential package.

Deposit

You can secure your place on the course today with just a 25% deposit of your total fee. Choose this option when you book your place. Refer to the table above for prices. 

A camera or mobile phone to record evidence of personal work
Suitable clothing for creative activities
Notebook and pens/pencils to take notes
Plenty of warm clothes (it's the UK and although it’s the summer, it can still get cold) – there will be outdoor activities throughout
We advise bringing any personal portfolio work you may wish to be reviewed by AUB tutors
You'll receive a welcome pack containing more detail of what to bring if you're a residential student

Residential packages for 2-week summer courses (15–18yrs)

Experience life as an AUB student by booking a residential package as part of your Summer Course. You can even stay in AUB accommodation...

Six lengths of fabric of different patterns and colours hanging next to each other.

FAQs for 2-week summer courses

These FAQs have been carefully curated to answer any questions you may have about studying a creative summer course with us here at AUB.

Man kneeling on beach at sunset, holding a flaming torch above his head as a light shines down on him from the sky.

Terms and conditions for 2-week summer courses (15–18yrs)

Please read our terms and conditions before booking a summer course and contact us if you have any questions.

Safeguarding and student support on summer courses

At AUB Academy, we aim to provide the best possible experience for all students.

About this course

Based at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), you’ll spend two weeks immersed in a creative university environment, working alongside other young artists and designers from around the world. You’ll take part in practical projects and mini workshops to give you the chance to try something different every day and discover the areas of art and design that excite you most.

This is your chance to experience a little bit of everything. From drawing and illustration to graphic design, fashion, photography, printmaking and 3D design, you’ll work with different materials, techniques and ideas while developing your own style.

Over two weeks, you’ll explore a mix of art and design disciplines through practical projects, creative challenges and short, focused workshops. You’ll work on both individual and group projects, giving you the chance to develop your own ideas while collaborating with other students. You’ll be encouraged to experiment, try things you haven’t done before and learn from the people around you.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work in AUB’s specially designed CRAB Drawing Studio, as well as experience working in specialist creative spaces across the campus. It’s a chance to experience life studying at a world-leading specialist arts university, while having fun and getting stuck into creative projects – as well as making memories along the way!

You don’t need to know exactly what you want to study in the future. This course is all about trying things out, being curious and finding what makes you tick. Equally, if you already have a path in mind, this course will help you prepare for that journey. It's the perfect opportunity for any young artist who wants progress to an undergraduate course in fine art, painting, illustration, graphic design, modelmaking and more.

Whether you’re already building a portfolio or simply want to spend two weeks surrounded by creativity, this is your chance to make, experiment, meet new people and experience life at AUB. This course is also the perfect entrance into AUB's Foundation Diploma in Art and Design – and you’ll have the opportunity to interview and meet our foundation degree staff during your second week with us. 

You’ll also get to showcase your work in a class exhibition to fellow students, friends and family on the final day. And when you’re not in the studio, you’ll be part of an international group of students, with a full programme of evening and weekend activities giving you the chance to explore Bournemouth, spend time with new friends and experience university life.

Practical art and design projects across a range of creative disciplines
Drawing and observational skills, including sessions in AUB’s famous CRAB Drawing Studio
Sketchbook development and creative idea generation
Illustration and visual storytelling
Graphic design and typography
Photography
Fashion and textiles
Mixed media and printmaking
Modelmaking and 3D design
Mini workshops exploring different materials, techniques and creative approaches
Opportunities to work independently and collaboratively
Portfolio development and presentation
Professional portfolio review and feedback
An introduction to studying art and design at university
An insight into creative careers and future study opportunities
Access to AUB’s specialist creative facilities
A full itinerary of extracurricular evening and weekend activities, including a weekend cultural excursion at no additional cost

This course aims to:

Give you experience in a broad range of art and design disciplines and creative techniques
Help you develop a varied body of work to help you start or add to your portfolio
Strengthen your drawing, observation and visual communication skills
Build confidence in developing and presenting your creative ideas
Provide you with opportunities to try new techniques and discover areas of art and design you may want to explore further
Help you gain an insight into studying art and design within a university environment
Give you the space to receive feedback on your work and take part in a portfolio review
Allow you the opportunity to meet other young creatives from around the world and experienced life at AUB
Give you the chance to spend two weeks creating, experimenting and enjoying the experience of being part of an international creative community

Will I be assessed?

You'll be continually assessed in a variety of ways including practical tasks, observations, assignments, presentations and portfolio work.  

Work produced during the course will be collated into a portfolio and/or digital journal for students to add to their portfolio or for future development.

Your course tutor(s) will offer guidance and support you with your creative applications, as well as feedback on your work and offer advice for your future creative studies.

All students with 100% course attendance will be issued with an official AUB Summer Course Certificate.

Course gallery

Two layered collage portraits on a yellow background, including a large face with green paper strips and a smaller figure with a white horse.

A colourful painting of overlapping cartoon cats with wide open mouths on a canvas, displayed on an easel.

Two colourful paper fashion figures with blue and orange accents are displayed against a brown background.

A textured miniature arch sculpture covered in dark material and supported by wooden sticks, displayed on a brown base with layered cut-out shapes.

Several fashion design sketches of an illustrated woman with red hair are clipped to a line, hanging in an office or studio.

A charcoal sketch of a reclining person on a chaise longue, drawn on textured paper with loose shaded lines.

A fashion illustration of a model in a red jacket, black shorts and high heels, drawn on white paper clipped at the top.

A student is taking a photo of a picture on a desk

Two students are sat at a table crafting with clay

A student is painting a sculpture of a hand

A student is holding a small sculpture and is painting it

A student is pinning a design to a fashion mannequin

Two illustrations featuring everyday objects morphing into other objects

A student crafting a house out of brown clay wearing headphones.

Fashion mannequins wearing screen printed T-shirts

A student is hanging a screen print up to dry

Group of students drawing on large canvas

Beyond the course

This could just be the start of your creative journey! After this course, you could further your creative skills with another summer course or look to the future and explore our creative qualifications that can prepare you to further your current career, enabling you to retrain to an alternative career path or prepare you for future creative arts studies.