For first-year student, Jamie Kusack, life at Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design has really helped her feel invigorated about her work and excited to create more art. She found the oil paint self-portrait assignment (shown above) incredibly daunting but absolutely fell in love with the medium after the first day using it.

Read Jamie’s story for a glimpse into IDEA School of Design at Capilano University—a 4-year degree program with an enduring reputation for industry-prepared graduates. Late Applications for Fall 2020 open Feb 14, 2020!

by Jamie Kusack (IDEA Grad 2023)

The IDEA program (Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication) is a good time. It’s challenging, fun and a lot of hard work; a big wave at first, but if you can ride it you’ll do fine. I’ve learned a crazy amount in such a short amount of time and have never had so many personal projects on the side. This program has really helped me feel invigorated about my work and excited to create more art.

That oil paint self-portrait (shown above) was for Jeff’s Survey Illustration I class (IDES 131 Survey and Principles of Illustration I). I had never used oil paint before because I found it incredibly daunting, but absolutely fell in love with the medium after the first day using it. Fantasy is my favourite genre, so I try and incorporate it into projects anyway I can.

This one is an acrylic painting of my dad I did also for Jeff’s Survey Illustration class. I didn’t follow the brief very well but he seemed to like it regardless. I love playing with dynamic lighting and have a flair for the dramatic, which I try to bring out in my work.

Trigger Warning for this one: Fake Blood. This is a self portrait I did for Jay’s photography class (IDES 133 Visual Studio). It was a lot of editing in post and really challenged my skills (and my carpet. Fake blood does not come out easily). I’m a very passionate person and sometimes that can be my downfall, and I wanted to show that in this piece.

This last one is also a self portrait, done as a small piece for Judy’s yearbook spread assignment (IDES 141 Survey and Principles of Design I).

The pose was inspired and derived from a photo shoot Amanda Palmer did in promotion for her latest album “There Will Be No Intermission”. She is one of my favourite musical artists. The colours used within it are my favourite to work with. I enjoy doing self portraits, can you tell? It’s a lot easier to mess with your own face rather than somebody else’s.

Amanda Palmer is one of Jamie’s biggest inspirations :)

Why did you choose IDEA School of Design over other programs?

IDEA is unlike any of the other programs I found while looking for school. The reason I chose it was the emphasis on employability and practical skills; not everyone wants to be a starving artist. IDEA is hopefully preparing us to go directly into the workplace, and that can be seen in every single project we do. It’s a great combination of theory and hands-on application. All of the other programs I looked at were either not a degree, or only offered theoretical practice which puts students coming out of IDEA at an advantage. It’s also provided a network of teachers and older students that us first-years can reach out too, a lot of them have been super welcoming and helpful.