Anillustrator is anartist who specializes in enhancingwriting or elucidating concepts by providing avisual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text oridea. Theillustration may be intended to clarify complicatedconcepts or objects that are difficult to describe textually, which is the reason illustrations are often found inchildren's books.[1]
Illustration is theart of makingimages that work with something and add to it without needing direct attention and without distracting from what they illustrate. The other thing is the focus of the attention, and the illustration's role is to add personality and character without competing with that other thing.[2]
Illustrations have been used inadvertisements,architectural rendering,greeting cards,posters,books,graphic novels,storyboards,business,technical communications,magazines,shirts,video games,tutorials,[3] andnewspapers. Acartoon illustration can addhumour to certain stories oressays.[4]
Use reference images to create scenes and characters. This can be as simple as looking at an image to inspire your artwork or creating character sketches and detailed scenes from different angles to create the basis of a picture book world. Some traditional illustration techniques includewatercolor,pen and ink,airbrush art,oil painting,pastels,wood engraving, andlinoleum cuts.
John Held, Jr. was an illustrator who worked in a variety of styles and media, including linoleum cuts, pen and ink drawings, magazine cover paintings, cartoons,comic strips, and set design, while also creating fine art with his animal sculptures and watercolor, many established illustrators attended an art school or college of some sort and were trained in different painting and drawing techniques.
Traditional illustration seems to have made a resurgence in the age of social media thanks to social networks like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.[citation needed] Currently traditional and digital illustration are both flourishing.
Universities and art schools offer specific courses in illustration (for example in the UK, a BA (Hons)Degree) so this has become a new avenue into the profession. Many illustrators arefreelance, commissioned by publishers (of newspapers, books, or magazines) or advertising agencies. Mostscientific illustrations andtechnical illustrations are also known asinformation graphics. Among the information graphics, specialists are medical illustrators who illustrate human anatomy, often requiring many years of artistic and medical training.
A particularly popular medium with illustrators of the 1950s and 1960s wascasein, as was eggtempera. The immediacy and durability of these media suited illustration's demands well. The artwork in both types of paint withstood the rigors of travel to clients and printers without damage.
Computer illustration, or digital illustration, is the use of digital tools to produce images under the direct manipulation of the artist, usually through a pointing device, such as a tablet or a mouse.
Computers dramatically changed the industry and today, many cartoonists and illustrators createdigital illustrations using computers,graphics tablets, andscanners. Software such asAdobe Illustrator,Adobe Photoshop,GIMP, Corel Painter, and Affinity Designer are now widely used by those professionals.
