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Illustrator

 
Illustrator

 
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An illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing writing
Writing

Writing is the representation of language in a textual Media through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and the recording of language via a non-textual medium such as Magnetic tape sound recording....
 by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content
Content

Content or contents, is something that is contained. The term may refer to:* Content , the highest common factor of the coefficients of a polynomial...
 of the associated text. The illustration
Illustration

An illustration is a Information graphic such as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate textual information by providing a visual representation....
 may be intended to clarify complicated concepts or objects that are difficult to describe textually, or the illustration may be intended for entertainment
Entertainment

Entertainment is an activity designed to give people pleasure or relaxation. An audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games....
, as in greeting card
Greeting card

A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling....
s, or cover art
Cover art

Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book, magazine, comic book, product package, video game, DVD, Compact Disc, videotape, audio album, manual or brochure....
 or interior art for book
Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side....
s and magazine
Magazine

for quarterly in Heraldry see Quartering Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of Article , generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscription, or all three....
s, or for advertisement, as on poster
Poster

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both typography and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly textual....
s.

Most contemporary illustrators make their living creating artwork for use in children's books, advertising
Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
, newspapers and magazines.






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An illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing writing
Writing

Writing is the representation of language in a textual Media through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and the recording of language via a non-textual medium such as Magnetic tape sound recording....
 by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content
Content

Content or contents, is something that is contained. The term may refer to:* Content , the highest common factor of the coefficients of a polynomial...
 of the associated text. The illustration
Illustration

An illustration is a Information graphic such as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate textual information by providing a visual representation....
 may be intended to clarify complicated concepts or objects that are difficult to describe textually, or the illustration may be intended for entertainment
Entertainment

Entertainment is an activity designed to give people pleasure or relaxation. An audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games....
, as in greeting card
Greeting card

A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling....
s, or cover art
Cover art

Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book, magazine, comic book, product package, video game, DVD, Compact Disc, videotape, audio album, manual or brochure....
 or interior art for book
Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side....
s and magazine
Magazine

for quarterly in Heraldry see Quartering Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of Article , generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscription, or all three....
s, or for advertisement, as on poster
Poster

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both typography and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly textual....
s.

Most contemporary illustrators make their living creating artwork for use in children's books, advertising
Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
, newspapers and magazines. Pen and ink
Pen and ink

Pen and ink refers to a technique of drawing or writing, in which colored ink is applied to paper using a pen or other stylus. It may be used as a medium for Sketch es, or for finished works of art....
 and airbrush
Airbrush

An airbrush is a small, Pneumatics tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush....
 artists traditionally dominated this realm.

Computers dramatically changed the industry, and today computers are used to produce most of the commercial illustrations.

However, traditional illustration techniques are still popular, particularly in the field of book illustration. Watercolor, oil painting
Oil painting

Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil ? especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil....
, pastel
Pastel

Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
s, wood engraving
Wood engraving

Wood engraving is a relief printing technique, where the end grain of wood is used as a medium for engraving, thus differing from the older technique of woodcut, where the softer side grain is used....
, linoleum cuts
Linocut

Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed....
, and pen and ink
Pen and ink

Pen and ink refers to a technique of drawing or writing, in which colored ink is applied to paper using a pen or other stylus. It may be used as a medium for Sketch es, or for finished works of art....
 are some of the traditional techniques also used.

There are no formal qualifications needed to become an illustrator. However, many established illustrators attended an art school or college of some sort and were trained in different painting and drawing techniques. Art Colleges and Universities now offer specific courses in illustration ( for example in the UK, a BA (Hons) Degree
Academic degree

A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as University, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study....
) so this has become a new avenue into the profession.

Many illustrators are freelance, commissioned by publishers (of newspapers, books or magazines) or advertising agencies. Most of the scientific illustration
Scientific visualization

Scientific visualization is an interdisciplinary branch of science, primarily concerned with the visualization of Three-dimensional space phenomena, such as architectural, meteorological, medical, biological systems....
s and technical illustration
Technical illustration

File:Drum set.svgTechnical Illustration is the use of illustration to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be component technical drawings or diagrams....
s are also known as information graphics
Information graphics

Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used where complex information needs to be explained quickly and clearly, such as in information sign, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education....
. 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 on the 1950s and 1960s was casein
Casein paint

Casein paint, derived from milk casein, is a fast-drying, water-soluble medium used by artists. It generally has a glue-like consistency, but can be thinned with water to the degree that fits a particular artist's style and desired result....
, as was egg tempera
Tempera

File:Duccio The-Madonna-and-Child-128.jpgTempera is a type of artist's paint and associated Art techniques and materials that were known from the classical world, where it appears to have taken over from encaustic painting and was the main medium used for panel painting and illuminated manuscripts in the Byzantine world and the Middle Ages...
. 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.

Related links

  • List of illustrators
    List of illustrators

    This is an alphabetical list of illustrators, missing numerous illustrators from earlier lists. See, e.g., first list in this one's History.#A #B #C #D #E #F #G #H #I #J #K #L #M #N #O #P #Q #R #S #T #U #V #W #X #Y #Z...
  • Cartoonist
    Cartoonist

    A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. Traditionally much of this work was, and still is, humorous, and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes....
  • Graphic designer
    Graphic designer

    A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design....
  • Painter
    Painting

    Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
    s
  • Visualizer
    Visualizer

    Visualizer may refer to:* Visualizer , a special position in advertising to assist Art directors, in producing quick and good quality Visual arts for presentation....
  • Marker rendering
  • Airbrush artist
  • Storyboard artist
    Storyboard artist

    Storyboard artist is a profession specialized in creating storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.A storyboard artist is able to visualize any stories using quick sketches on paper at any moment....
  • Architectural illustrator
    Architectural illustrator

    An architectural illustrator is an artist who creates imagery for the design professional that accurately portray the details of an architectural project....
  • Fashion illustration
    Fashion illustration

    Fashion Illustration is the communication of fashion that originates with illustration, drawing and painting. It is usually commissioned for reproduction in fashion magazines as one part of an editorial feature or for the purpose of advertising and promoting fashion makers, fashion boutiques and department stores....
  • Archaeological illustration
    Archaeological illustration

    Archaeological Illustration is a form of technical illustration that records material derived from an archaeological context graphically. ...
  • Pictorial maps
    Pictorial maps

    Pictorial maps are a category of maps that are also loosely called illustrated maps, panoramic maps, perspective maps, bird?s-eye view maps and Geopictorial maps amongst others....


Societies and organizations

  • Graphic artists guild