Visual artist Andrea Draper teaches within the graphic design program at Melbourne Polytechnic. Andrea specialises in illustration and loves to investigate both the digital and hand-rendered realms.
Andrea has created artwork for businesses and institutes, from small greeting card companies to large international organisations like UNESCO. Students benefit from Andrea’s hands on approach and broad industry experience and can expect to explore & experiment with watercolour, fineliners, stencilling, paper engineering, collage, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Andrea is well versed in traditional and new media and engages the student by teaching practical skills that are industry relevant in a playful and innovative manner. She introduced motion graphics to Advanced Diploma students using Adobe After Effects, where they successfully created kinetic type synchronised to sound and music, a technique that can be transferred into many areas of the graphic design industry. Teaching students is Andrea’s favourite task at Melbourne Polytechnic. Seeing students’ confidence grow as their visual and technical skills evolve is ridiculously rewarding for her. Also communicating with Graphic Design Alumni and finding out the range of design areas that her graduates have entered and excelled in makes teaching very satisfying.
Andrea has wide ranging experience in visual arts and has successfully completed a Bachelor of Arts in Painting and Printmaking at RMIT University, a Diploma in Graphic Design at CSIT, Queensland and Photography and Digital arts at the University of New Mexico. Andrea is currently undertaking her Master’s of Creative Industries at Melbourne Polytechnic. Her paintings and digital Illustrations have been exhibited in the UK, USA and Australia.