The leading school of drawing
An independent school since 1984, we train artists for Comics & Illustration, animation, storyboard, and video games.
Graduation Projects Showreel
Discover the work of our students in Animation, Video Games, and 3D Drawing.
Celebrating 40 Years of creativity and talents
For 40 years, Émile Cohl School has been training well-rounded artists by combining classical drawing with modern technologies. True to its independence and creative values, the school continues to evolve with the times while remaining a cornerstone of illustration, animation, and video games.
The School Artbook
Nearly 150 alumni reunited!
Our programs
Drawing
Foundation
Year
Drawing Foundation year : The goal of this Preparatory class is to acquire the fundamentals of drawing, to spark curiosity, and to confirm the decision to pursue art studies. Our foundation drawing classes are offered at both our Lyon and Angoulême campuses. Drawing & French Foundation Year : une formation artistique et linguistique en un an pour les étudiants internationaux non francophones.
learn moreBachelor’s
degree
Drawing artist program : Our Drawing Artist program is available at both our Lyon and Angoulême campuses. It provides students with a strong command of representational drawing and a solid foundation in art history and visual culture, before they specialize in their chosen field (state-accredited Level 6 qualification). 3D artist program : Our 3D Artist program combines traditional and digital drawing training, preparing students to join a creative studio in animation or video games (state-accredited Level 6 qualification).
learn moreMaster’s
degree
Three Master's degree tracks to design and lead artistic projects: Artistic Designer –Comics & Illustration, Artistic Designer and Director in Animation (RNCP-certified, Level 7), or Artistic Designer and Director in Video Games (RNCP-certified, Level 7).
learn moreStoryboard et layout
Program
Since 2021, the school has been offering a two-year program in Storyboard and Layout in Angoulême.
learn moreVirtual campus tour
A guided 360° tour of our classrooms.
Step into daily life at Émile Cohl School.
Talent
starts here
Émile Cohl School is a committed art school. Founded in Lyon in 1984, it was born out of a determined mission: to counter the disappearance of drawing from visual arts education and to restore the representation of the world through drawing to its rightful place.
From the beginning, the school made a bold choice — to bring drawing back to the forefront. This meant teaching academic drawing from life, the same training that shaped all great figurative artists, alongside instruction in emerging media: comics, illustration, animation, and computer graphics — all practiced with skill by the school’s first instructors.
A pioneering institution, Émile Cohl School is now recognized as a leading reference in the fields of animation, digital painting, and 3D production for video games. Its pedagogical model is renowned in France and abroad.
Studying at Émile Cohl School means learning to develop your eye, master your hand, and embrace both traditional disciplines and 2D/3D drawing software. It also means growing into a specialization and developing a personal, author-driven artistic voice.
It’s also about learning how to become autonomous. Whether working as freelancers, intermittents, or full-time employees, Émile Cohl graduates — known as Cohliens — acquire the skills to access top professional opportunities. They go on to work as concept artists, character designers, animators, illustrators, modelers, or graphic designers, either independently or within studios. Many also build their own creative paths as author-illustrators, digital book designers, art directors, or directors.
Émile Cohl School is a private institution of higher education in the arts, officially recognized by the French government. It delivers two Level 6 degrees accredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, as well as two Level 7 RNCP-certified titles.
In 2021, the school was awarded Qualiopi certification for its training programs and for the validation of prior learning (VAE). This certification was renewed with zero non-conformities in July 2023, and again in November 2024 for the next three years, covering both campuses: Lyon and Angoulême.
