A Complete Guide to BVA Specialisations, Skillsets, and Top BVA Colleges in India
A Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) is an undergraduate degree designed for students who wish to build a career in the visual arts and bring out their creativity. Whether you are interested in painting, sculpture, photography, animation, or design, a BVA course allows you to pursue your artistic passion in a formal and professional setting. To help you learn more about BVA, we have listed down the BVA specialisations and top colleges in India offering those specialisations.
BVA courses integrate studio practice with theory, enabling students to develop their technical skills, visual storytelling abilities, and creative thinking. Students learn to communicate their ideas visually by working practically, exploring art history and contemporary trends, and receiving regular feedback. In this blog, we discuss the various BVA specialisations and skills you will gain by pursuing those specialisations.
1. Traditional Arts
Emphasis on the traditional, material-based methods that underpin visual arts.
Painting
Learning various types of painting, such as oil, acrylic, watercolour, and digital painting. The course cultivates creative expression, knowledge of colour theory, and visual communication of ideas. The students examine both conventional and contemporary painting methods.
Skills Acquired:
- Colour Theory: Knowledge of colour mix, contrast, and emotional effect.
- Brushwork Techniques: Utilising diverse strokes to achieve depth and texture.
- Composition: Organising visual elements for harmonious, exciting art.
Sculpture
This specialisation deals with the production of three-dimensional objects from materials such as clay, wood, stone, or metal. In the Sculpture specialisation, students are taught historical and modern sculpting techniques as they investigate abstract and representational forms. Form, texture, and space are the primary focus.
Skills Acquired:
- 3D Form Production: Developing solid forms with volume and proportions.
- Material Handling: Safe working with clay, plaster, wood, and metal.
- Spatial Awareness: Visualising and conceptualising objects in three dimensions.
Printmaking
Students acquire the skills of creating art using various print processes, including etching, lithography, woodcut, and screen printing. Printmaking allows students to experiment with texture, layers, and mass reproduction of artworks. It intertwines technical skill with design thinking.
Skills Obtained:
- Etching Skills: Employing tools and acid to engrave intricate designs.
- Screen Printing: Image transferring through mesh and stencils.
- Ink Application: Controlling ink flow, pressure, and surface.
Pottery & Ceramics
This specialisation explores the aesthetic and utilitarian aspects of working with clay. Students learn hand-building, wheel-throwing, glazing, and firing techniques to create ceramic sculptures and functional pieces, such as bowls and vases.
Skills Acquired:
- Wheel Throwing: Shaping clay objects on a potter's wheel.
- Glazing Techniques: Adding colours and finishes to fired ceramics.
- Kiln Firing: Controlling temperature and duration for ceramic durability.
- 2. Applied Arts
- 3. Digital and Multimedia Arts
- 4. Performing Arts and Theatre
- 5. Visual Storytelling and Communication
- 6. Cinematics and Visual Media
- Top BVA Colleges in India
2. Applied Arts
Applied arts use art forms in functional design and practical visual communication.
Industrial Design
Industrial design covers artistic skills with business applications, including advertising, product packaging, and print design. Students learn to address real-life issues through visual creativity and design thinking. This discipline merges aesthetics with functionality.
Skills Learned
- Visual Communication: Communicating ideas in visual forms.
- Design Thinking: Solving problems through innovative design approaches.
- Client-based Design: Building art according to brand or market requirements.
Graphic Design
Graphic Design encompasses typography, layout design, logo design, and branding, both by hand and through computer applications. Students are taught to design for web, print, and digital interfaces, prioritising clarity and visual impact.
Skills Gained
- Typography Design: Developing legible and expressive letterforms.
- Logo Design: Creating symbols that express brand identity.
- Software Proficiency: Utilising software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
Illustration
Illustration focuses on drawing images that narrate or describe an idea. Students learn editorial illustration, children's book illustrations, comic art, and digital art techniques. The course builds a personal aesthetic and visual storytelling.
Skills Learned
- Character Drawing: Designing expressive characters for narratives.
- Storyboarding: Pre-visualising sequences for media or animation.
- Media Versatility: Working with ink, watercolour, and digital media.
Textile Design
Textile Design involves creating prints, patterns, and textures for fabrics used in fashion and interior design. Students try out methods of weaving, block printing, and digital textile design.
Skills Gained
- Surface Pattern Design: Creating repeat patterns for use on fabric.
- Fabric Knowledge: Grasping weaves, textures, and materials.
- Colour Application: Applying dyes, paints, and digital media creatively.
3. Digital and Multimedia Arts
Merges art with digital technology and multimedia resources to create contemporary expressions.
Digital Arts
This specialisation delves into digital art, motion graphics, image manipulation, and interactive design. Students learn to channel creativity through software, tablets, and new technologies such as AR/VR Integration.
Skills Gained
- Digital Illustration: Painting and drawing with graphic tablets.
- Motion Graphics: Animating images and text for media.
- Creative Coding: Creating interactive visuals using code.
Animation
In the Animation specialisation, students learn to develop motion-based narrative through 2D and 3D animation. Subjects include rigging, character modelling, scene layout, and post-production.
Skills Gained
- Frame-by-Frame Animation: Smooth movement of characters.
- Rigging and Modelling: Getting 3D characters ready for movement.
- Storyboarding: Visualising animated scenes.
Game Design
Game Design includes creating and shaping characters, environment creation, gameplay mechanics, and user experience. Students learn to design interactive games utilising both art and technical proficiency.
Skills Attained:
- Level Design: Construction of fun, playable game worlds.
- User Interaction: Designing intuitive game mechanics and flow.
- 3D Modelling: Building rich assets for gameplay.
Multimedia & Digital Media
Emphasises interactive and audiovisual materials, such as web design, video, and digital installations. Promotes narrative through various formats and mediums.
Skills Learned
- Web Design: Organising accessible, visual web interfaces.
- Video Editing: Combining footage with digital equipment.
- UI/UX Foundations: Enriching digital experiences through design.
4. Performing Arts and Theatre
Live or recorded performing arts that combine imagination with expression and technical accuracy.
Drama & Theatre
Students study stagecraft, performance studies, and dramatic literature. These focus on building presence, emotion, and narrative through physical and vocal training.
Skills Gained
- Voice Modulation: Pitch, tone, and emotion control in speech.
- Character Creation: Creating credible roles for performance.
- Stage Blocking: Actor movement planning on stage.
Acting
Acting specialisation develops skills in movement, voice, improvisation, and acting for stage and screen. Students engage in performances and build confidence performing in front of both audiences and cameras.
Skills Learned
- Improvisation: Acting spontaneously in a given situation.
- Script Analysis: Interpreting and understanding written scenes.
- On Camera Acting: Adapting performance for the screen as opposed to the stage.
Stage Management
Teaches the backstage production that brings a show to life—planning, logistics, and technical application. Time management, team coordination, and equipment handling are skills that students learn.
Skills Learned
- Show Planning: Time and resource management for productions.
- Prop Management: Sourcing and organising set pieces.
- Cue Execution: Coordinating lights, sound, and actor entrances to ensure seamless performance.
Technical Arts
It involves designing and building sets, lighting, and props for stage productions. Brings engineering fundamentals with artistic flair to create engaging environments.
Skills Learned
- Lighting Design: Mood and visibility creation with stage lighting.
- Stage Movement: Building performance environments on stage.
- Technical Drawing: Designing layouts and building plans.
5. Visual Storytelling and Communication
Emphasises the use of text and illustration to communicate meaning, emotion, and information.
Cartooning
Learn to create comic strips, political cartoons, and caricatures in the cartooning specialisation. This specialisation aims at humour, satire, and rapid visual communication.
Skills Gained
- Character Design: Learn how to create unique characters with distinct personalities and backstories.
- Exaggeration Methods: Over-emphasis of characteristics for comic effect.
- Sequential Art: Narrating through image sequence.
- Social Commentary: Tackling themes using humour or criticism.
Calligraphy
Calligraphy specialisation talks about lettering and writing systems that are aesthetically pleasing. Students use materials such as nib pens and brushes to generate expressive text.
Skills Gained
- Stroke Control: Controlling pressure and angles in writing.
- Letter Composition: Composing regular and beautiful forms.
- Ink Handling: Employing traditional materials such as nibs and brushes.
Creative Writing
Creative Writing teaches narrative form, storytelling, dialogue, and print and screen editing. Students write fiction, poetry, and scripts across genres.
Skills Gained
- Plot Structure: Crafting compelling and coherent storylines.
- Narrative Voice: Shaping tone and point of view in writing.
- Editing Skills: Tuning grammar, clarity, and style.
6. Cinematics and Visual Media
Cinematics and Visual Media are forms of art that aim to record static and moving images for narrative or commercial purposes.
Photography
In the photography specialisation, students will learn about composition, illumination, camera skills, and image post-processing. The course combines artistic imagination with technical accuracy for personal or business purposes.
Skills Learned
- Camera Handling: Manual control, focus, and composition.
- Lighting Control: Creative use of natural and artificial light.
- Post-production: Editing photographs for clarity and expression.
Filmmaking
Filmmaking, Video and Film Production covers all phases of production, including writing, directing, shooting, and editing. Students produce short films, documentaries, and experimental video work.
Skills Learned
- Cinematography: Getting high-quality, expressive footage.
- Scriptwriting: Writing engaging screenplays for film.
- Video Editing: Editing scenes and sound for impact.
Top BVA Colleges in India
Listed below are the top BVA colleges in India that offer a specialised degree, along with their respective fees.
| MFA College Name |
Specialisations |
Tuition Fee |
|
|
INR 51,720 |
|
| INR 6,00,000 |
||
| INR 7,16,000 - 9,36,000 |
||
| INR 1,50,000 |
||
| INR 75,000 |
||
| INR 50,000 |
||
|
|
INR 5,20,000 - 6,00,000 |
|
| INR 3,24,000 |
||
| NA |
||
| INR 4,80,000 |
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