Illustrator
On this page
- What's it like to be an Illustrator?
- How to become an Illustrator
- Top skills and experience for Illustrators
What's it like to be an Illustrator?
Illustrators draw pictures for publishing, corporate, advertising, cultural, entertainment, and other organisations. They are responsible for meeting client needs with their artwork, creating illustrations for approval, and modifying existing drawings. Illustrators possess artistic talent and are proficient in both traditional and digital mediums for creating artwork.
Tasks and duties
- Creating imagery for concept briefs, stories, characters, and other written media.
- Using mediums such as pencil, charcoal, watercolour, Inkscape and Adobe Illustrator as per client requirements.
- Attending meetings with other creatives in order to align illustrations with project briefs.
- Modifying previous illustrations as directed by clients.
- Meeting deadlines and budgets.
How to become an Illustrator
An Illustrator’s style can be a deciding factor for whether they are hired for a certain company or project. Although many Illustrators are fine arts degree holders, there is an increasing number of self-taught Illustrators who have developed their own unique style. Proficiency in various illustrating software is an advantage, given that the majority of new media is digital.
Graduate with a degree in fine arts, visual communication, graphic design, or another related field.
Complete an internship with a design agency, publishing house, or apprenticeship with an established artist.
Build a portfolio of artworks to show as samples in order to secure jobs.
Consider getting certified in various illustration software such as Adobe Illustrator, Artweaver, or Inkscape.
Establish a distinct illustration style that makes your artwork identifiable and of high value to prospective clients.
