It’s no secret that working in illustration can be tough and competitive, and making a living doing it takes a lot of hard work and patience. Illustrators with the goal of quitting their day job may have work that fits well in other fields of illustration – and many must venture into multiple fields to pay the bills. For example, did you know that making a living solely off of picture book illustration is very rare unless you’re a top-selling award-winning illustrator? I didn’t know that when I started. So until we get there, consider incomes from other fields that employ illustrators.
Here’s a general list of some other markets for illustrators:
Advertising Illustration – includes art for print ads in magazines, brochures, displays, outdoor ads, and animated TV commercials
Advertising Illustration – includes art for print ads in magazines, brochures, displays, outdoor ads, and animated TV commercials
Editorial
Illustration – art for magazines and newspapers
Animation/Film Storyboards
– art for animatics, storyboards, TV programming, animated films (includes
concept art, character design, visual development, background art and more)
Trade Book
Illustration - book covers, black and white interior art in novels (for chapter books, MG, YA and adult books), picture book art
Educational
Illustration – art for books, products and materials used in the classroom
Licensing
Illustration – art for retail products; greeting cards, packaging, gift
items, textiles, apparel, toys, games, housewares, etc.
Fashion Illustration
– drawings of clothing and accessories for fashion designers, magazines,
retailers and advertisers
Medical/Scientific/Architectural/Technical
Illustration – drawings for these markets used by companies or institutions
for training and education, books, advertising, research, exhibits, museums, project
guides, manuals, presentations, etc.
Cartooning/Comics
– art for cartoons used in magazines, newspapers, comic books, licensing and
merchandising, and online
Digital Media –
art used for Web content; online games, apps, advertising, etc.
Gallery Work – original
illustrations and prints produced to display and sell in galleries or online
Teaching- educating future illustrators in schools, universities, conferences, workshops and online
Keep in mind that each field requires its own expertise
(both in a creative and business sense), a complete and cohesive body of work,
and often-times education specific to that trade. And of course, each requires
a lot of time and commitment to pursue, learn, and master each trade.
To learn more, a great resource for artists and designers is the Graphic Artists Guild HANDBOOK: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. This guide is chalk full of useful information about creative fields, pricing, contracts, rights, etc.
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Eliza Wheeler illustrates and writes for picture books and middle grade novels. See her work at www.wheelerstudio.com.
Very, very helpful post, Eliza. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Eliza. And CONGRATS on receiving the F&G's for MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS!!!! They look fantastic!!! (to others who haven't seen the photos yet: http://wheelerstudio.com/2012/11/29/miss-maples-seeds-fgs/). Can't wait to buy a copy next April!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on winning...challenges always pay for your creativity...
ReplyDelete