Why is Illustration Important : Discovering the field of illustration
What is illustration?
Illustration assists people’s minds in understanding large and small concepts. Illustrators translate the written word into visuals that are easy to understand. We know from linguistics studies images are quicker for the mind to process than sentences, especially long sentences. Foreign language speakers sometimes use visual aids in learning the English language. Illustrators create these. Illustrators also create work for scientific fields of study and textbooks. These ideas are usually set in motion by a writer, or a marketing manager, or a business with a general idea. In the case of a textbook and scientific illustration, companies provide visual aids in their manuscripts for learners.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
What do illustrators do?
Industries hire illustrators to convey messages via images because they are effective. This brings us to the next question: what is the difference between a designer and illustrator? I discuss this in depth in another blog post “Illustration or Graphic Design” Here is a brief explanation. The emphasis on story is central to an illustrator’s work. Illustrators often incorporate story into their visuals. For example, illustrators work on long-form projects like children’s books. I bet you’ve probably seen the popular children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. If you haven’t, it’s definitely worth a read regardless if you are a young adult or an adult. It’s a great example of a brilliant illustrator’s depiction of a story images can translate without words.
Illustrators use their ability to create images focused on building a story. I use the word “build” instead of “tell,” because stories build upon ideas. Often we focus on the action in a story, rather than the idea that stories build upon ideas. Brilliant illustrators use their abilities to build upon ideas that lead to a result and illustrate a story. They create manuscripts, editorial illustrations, and product graphics. Why are these different projects important? They supply us with the different forms of multimedia we consume today. They question our values and help us develop empathy. Illustrators create a lot of the visual things we consume on social media, in books, magazines, and on tv. They even create the patterns that go on our clothing. Life would be a lot more boring without illustrators.
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
Why is illustration important?
Illustration provides us with a more colorful and richer environment. Illustrators also create wall art. As said in this article, mural art and illustrations create “a sense of community.” (link) Often people think of illustrators just in relation to children’s books. This is not the only place illustrations can be found. Cartoon artwork, products with cute images of animals and flowers, and even murals in big metropolitan areas are classified as illustration. However, there has been a surge of environmental art in recent years where muralists create beautiful work on walls, spaces, homes, and in urban centers. Illustration creates a sense of story in spaces that would be blank. The most important purpose of illustration is to fill spaces with inspirational visuals and tell a story of the human condition.
Where do people experience illustration?
Illustration began with a utilitarian need for visual solutions and turned into an experience. Today illustration spans many fields and provides visual resolution for many things. In one capacity, it allows us to view the world as more colorful, more enjoyable, and through the lens of imaginative reality. This lens created a new way to experience illustration. No longer does magazine production dominate adult and young adult consumption of visual stimuli. Virtual graphics, metaverses, and digital spaces are a new place for illustration to live. Now illustrations are sold as NFTs, traded and bought, created for virtual spaces, and experienced in virtual spaces. If you’d like to learn more about what NFTs are and why they are popular today, you can read more about that here.
How to become an illustrator
Many illustrators go to school to learn how to become a professional illustrator. During the early 1900’s this career was viewed more as a trade where artists study under other artists or join artist guilds. Today, universities offer programs to learn illustration. However, this will not give you the working skills to be a successful artist in the field. Business skills help illustrators to work with clients, manage their finances, and learn professional skills to continue with their career. Skillshare is a great platform to learn the introductory skills needed to become an illustrator. Here is a referral link if you’re interested in trying out Skillshare. Although, Skillshare is not something you can list on your resume for getting a job, it’s a great introduction to the field of design.
Photography by Michael Burrows
Certificate programs at local community colleges cost less than a 4 year degree and provide you with all of the basic training to become an illustrator. You’ll learn all of the basic skills in design and build on a foundation that leads to a good portfolio. I went this route and learned all of the foundational skills for graphic design and illustration before continuing on. Youtube is a great source of information for learning design, but may not be reliable. Many designers on Youtube are self taught and possibly were not exposed to formal training in design. I highly recommend considering this and considering at least a certificate program. Graphic design and illustration are both complex fields and Youtube will not prepare you for a career in the field.
After you have built some foundational skills and started to form a portfolio, you will be prepared to send out your portfolio. Depending on what you want to do with a career in illustration, there are many different paths you could take. I personally took the path of being a surface pattern designer. I license my designs with independent companies and then get paid royalties when those designs sell. I highly recommend the program Leverage Your Art by Stacie Bloomfield as a great place to learn how to take your art and make money from it. She does a phenomenal job of breaking down the process of taking your work and licensing it in order to build a career in illustration. Enrollment opens once a year, so if you’re interested sign up for the newsletter to get notified when she opens her course up.
Stay inspired and keep your dreams alive. I’m a firm believer that if there is a will there is a way.
You can see the brilliant work of many illustrators on Behance. That is one of my favorite platforms to find inspirational work or illustrators to hire. If you’d like to hear more about the topic of illustration and graphic design, I discuss it on my Youtube channel. I’ll see you there.
If you’re interested in becoming an illustrator and want to learn more about the field, basic skills of how to become an illustrator, and how to start your career, I’ll be releasing an introductory course at the start of the year. You can sign up to receive an email here.