What is illustration?

What is illustration and who creates it?

An illustration is a visual representation of an idea, concept, or digital process either painted or digitally created. Illustrations are created by artists and designers for clients, personal projects, and corporations. These visual representations of ideas add meaning or clarity to a concept so it is easier to understand.

Photo by Anthony Shkraba from Pexels

Illustrators deploy both digital art skills or traditional pen and ink with a variety of mixed medias to create illustrations. Illustrators have made a career of working on illustrations for clients or companies.

Do you need to go to school to become an illustrator?

The answer is no. Anyone can become an illustrator. However, attending a university to learn illustration will provide a traditional and formal education in the art fundamentals needed to succeed as a commercial illustrator. There are many other options for artists who want to learn illustration. Typically a 4 year degree in fine art or design can lead to a successful career in illustration. Graphic design skills are required for most illustrators to succeed in the field. The basic graphic design skills needed to become an illustrator can be learned at a community college in a certificate program.

I did this before transferring to a university for my 4-year degree. It gave me skills before entering college, and I was able to get a job before college. I felt like I was ahead of many of the students who were looking for work in their fourth year of college. I already had a full-time job.

Most universities do not have an illustration program. These programs consist of fine art degrees with an emphasis in illustration or graphic design with illustration modules. MA and BA degrees in illustration are extremely expensive. Usually you have to attend a private school. I also went to a private college, the Art Institute of Orange County, and this school was a complete scam. The mistake of going to a private university cost me $30,000 in tuition and I didn't end up with a degree that was transferrable or usable. Make sure to do your research before attending a private college.

Illustration now has it’s own track academically. The reason for this is because illustrations fulfill a commercial need. Illustration is a commercial term. Most programs at university focus on graphic design skills, or skill-based learning. Social media drew attention to the career of illustration as it’s own identity outside of graphic design. Typographers during the early 1900’s were illustrators. Illustration as a term refers to visual representation and this encompassed magazine spreads, typography, typesetting, and many other fundamental parts of graphic design.

How is illustration different from fine art?

Often these two terms bleed together. A fine artist might call themselves an illustrator and an illustrator might be referred to as an artist. How are illustrators and fine artists different? The answer is simpler than you might think. Illustrators tell a story and incorporate design fundamentals into their process. For example, children’s book illustrators create visual imagery for an intended audience. A fine artist, on the other hand, might create art for a general audience or a hypothetical one. A children’s book illustrator will design the panels in relation to one another so the book is functional and attracts a child to it. A fine artist will attract any viewer for the purpose of visual pleasure. However, they do not necessarily tell a story.

There is no expectation with fine art that it HAS to fulfill a purpose or market need. Children’s book illustrators design their book with the idea that the market has a need for that book. There is a child who might need to read their book. Everything is relational with illustration. Illustrators even form a style based on the need of the market. Individualism for the illustrator is based on commercial need.