5 Illustration Jobs you should know
As an Illustrator, you take your artistic and technical skills and build a portfolio of designs and artwork that are completely your own. Your options within this career field span a wide variety, and leave you with quite a few avenues to take.
1. Book Illustrator — If you’re an Illustrator for a book, whether it’s a serious novel or a lighthearted children’s story, your work requires a great deal of understanding of literature, the skill to interpret words into art, and the ability to collaborate with a Writer so you can translate their original intent for the accompanying illustrations of their book into actual drawings.
2. Architectural Illustrator — Your love of buildings, construction, and design, mixed with your ability to draw with precision and accuracy, make you a perfect candidate for architectural illustration. You work with Architects, bringing their ideas to life and creating something concrete rather than conceptual to show to investors and developers.
3. Fashion Illustrator — What’s better to you than clothes, style, and fashion? How about drawing all those beautiful creations and coming up with the styles to begin with? As a Fashion Illustrator, you may work for a Fashion Designer, helping them put their ideas on paper, and decide on the best cuts, patterns, and colors for production.
4. Medical Illustrator — You aren’t just an artistic thinker; you also know your biology and anatomy. With medical illustration, you combine your two very different loves—art and science—to create visual representations in medical books and journals for students and Physicians alike. You magnify and dissect images that would otherwise be impossible to view and understand.
5. Cartoonist — Do your drawings have a tendency to come to life and take on personalities of their own? Perhaps you have a funny perspective on life, and a witty way of telling it. Consider becoming a Cartoonist. You could get your own comic strip, try freelancing for the New Yorker, or parlay your talents into video game or animated film illustration.
Careers You May Like
2D Animator
Make 2D images move using hand drawings or computer software.
3D Animator
Bring illustrated objects to life for movies and video games.
3D Modeler
Create digital models that can be viewed from all angles.
Accessory Designer
Produce fashionable accessories like hairbands or jewelry.
Animation Supervisor
Oversee the work of a team of Animators.
Animation Technical Director
Lead an animation team in creating high-tech graphics for a film.
Animator
Make illustrated objects come to life using artistic and technical talents.
Architectural Technologist
Make sure proposed building designs are functional and realistic.
Cartoonist
Create comic strips.
Character Designer
Create the appearance of complex animated characters.
Cinematic Artist
Produce graphics that make video games flow like a movie.
Comic Book Artist
Illustrate high-impact pictures for comic books.
Commission Painter
Create beautiful paintings on a contract basis.
Compositor
Put animation and real film footage together to make one amazing movie.
Concept Artist
Think up characters, objects, or environments for films or video games.
Costume Designer
Create costumes for movies, TV shows, or stage plays.
Courtroom Sketch Artist
Draw images of court cases when photographs are not permitted.
Couture Designer
Produce luxurious, made-to-order clothes for select clients.
Dance Costume Designer
Put together showy outfits that Dancers can move in.
Environment Artist
Design the scenery of a video game.
Fashion Designer
Set trends with your beautiful clothing designs.
Fashion Director
Design and manage the image of a fashion magazine or store.
Fashion Illustrator
Translate a Fashion Designer’s ideas into drawings.
Fashion Stylist
Choose clothes and accessories for celebrities.
Flash Designer
Create animated, interactive web pages using Flash.
Forensic Sculptor
Construct sculptures to show what crime victims look like.
Gallery Painter
Create paintings for display in art galleries.
Handbag Designer
Dream up the hottest handbag of the season.
Illustrator
Create images and pictures to enrich stories.
Infographic Artist
Use graphics to express ideas, facts, and information.
Interaction Designer
Make gadgets user-friendly.
Lingerie Designer
Sew and sell sexy underwear.
Maternity Fashion Designer
Make flattering and comfortable clothes for pregnant women.
Matte Painter
Make backdrops for movies.
Menswear Designer
Put a new spin on classic men’s clothing.
Modeling Supervisor
Lead the process of turning rough drawings into digital models.
Multimedia Artist
Show your art in a variety of channels, like digital, film, and video.
Muralist
Paint massive pictures on walls and other large surfaces.
Painter
Adorn canvases with colorful paint.
Police Sketch Artist
Draw portraits of crime suspects to help investigations.
Printmaker
Stamp prints on paper using wood or metal carvings.
Restoration Artist
Help bring back the original look and splendor of a piece of art.
Scientific Illustrator
Create highly accurate drawings for students and scientists.
Sculptor
Carve art work out of clay, wood, or other materials.
Shoe Designer
Create stylish shoes for every occasion.
Stop Motion Animator
Make animated films or shorts using the stop motion technique.
Storyboard Artist
Create a series of drawings showing the flow of a movie or ad.
Technical Artist
Design awesome game graphics that won’t cause computers to crash.
Texture Artist
Draw the details that make games and animated movies look more realistic.
Video Game Technical Artist
Animate game art by writing its computer code.
Visual Development Artist
Help develop the visual world of an animated film.