For over ten years, the Masters in Illustration program at The Glasgow School of Art has developed critical reflective methods to inform students' studio practice. The program requires students to identify their position in communication design practice within a broader historical, social, and political context. The program has been transformational in helping students identify and locate their practice in this landscape, resulting in graduates pursuing careers as practitioners, researchers, curators, and art activists. I will reflect on the range of approaches employed by the team over this period, their effectiveness in supporting students to reflect critically on their studio practice, and how the program has enabled students to transform their practice. Examples of student work will provide context alongside graduate feedback on how the critical reflective methods have informed their studio practice. Keywords: Illustration research, authorial practice, critical reflective methods.