What Are My Career Options in Illustration?
If you have the talent to thrive in the competitive fine arts field, several career opportunities are available in illustration. You could work in the advertising, publishing, medical and scientific industries. Read on to learn more about career options in this field.
Career Overview
Illustrators often find employment in advertising, publishing, medicine, and science. Illustrators are fine artists who use traditional media and digital programs to create original artwork used for a variety of purposes. Greeting cards, calendars, advertisements, video games, children's books and wrapping paper use illustration. As an illustrator, you may have a full-time career in places such as an advertising agency, video game company, publishing house or computer systems design firm. You may also perform freelance work. With a strong portfolio and client base, you can work exclusively as a freelancer. Some industries that employ these professionals include advertising, publishing and the medical and scientific industries.
Important Facts About This Field
| Craft/Fine Artists | Graphic Designer | |
|---|---|---|
| Similar Occupations | Fashion designer, art director, photographer, woodworker | Desktop publisher, drafter, web developer, industrial designer |
| On-the-Job Training | Internships and apprenticeships are available | Internships and apprenticeships are available |
| Required Education | Typically a bachelor's or master's degree in fine arts | Typically a bachelor's degree in graphic design or something similar |
| Key Skills | Creativity, customer service, interpersonal, and business skills | Analytical, communication, time-management, and computer skills |
Advertising Illustrators
Advertising agencies hire or buy the work of many types of illustrators, including product illustrators, storyboard illustrators, and animators. Product illustrators use precision and drafting skills to render realistic drawings and paintings of products. As a storyboard illustrator, you create finished drawings from rough drafts to illustrate commercials or industrial films sold to clients. Many companies create animation for advertising purposes, which provides opportunities for illustrators who work with digital tools.
Publishing Illustrators
While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted an increased demand from 2016-2026 for illustrators who work with digital media, declining opportunities are predicted for illustrators in publishing over the same period (www.bls.gov). Nevertheless, magazines, newspapers, and books provide traditional outlets for illustrators. As an illustrator in publishing, you may create art for children's books, graphic novels or editorial cartoons, among other options.
Medical Illustrators
If you excel in precise, realistic renderings, you may consider a job in medical illustration, a career in which you produce illustrations for medical journals, books, and research. Medical illustrators are required to complete training programs, typically at the master's degree level, that combine medical studies with art training. The BLS reported that four accredited graduate programs in the medical illustration were available as of January 2019, and growth in medical research is fueling increased demand for this profession.
Scientific Illustrators
If you have a science background, you could work in scientific illustration. Using your knowledge in a field such as chemistry, biology or geology, you could create drawings for educational publications, such as textbooks, or for scientific publications. You could also create scientific illustrations that would be used in court cases.
Employment Outlook & Salary Information
Craft and fine artists, including painters, illustrators, and sculptors, are predicted to experience an employment increase of 6% over the 2021-2031 decade, according to the BLS. In addition to experiencing growth that is slower than average, illustrators will face strong competition when they seek jobs in the field. To have the best prospects, you should focus on digital media rather than print media, since there will be a better demand for computer illustrators. Demand for print illustrators is declining, according to the BLS. The annual median wage for fine artists, including painters, illustrators, and sculptors, was $60,820 in May 2021. Those employed in employment services industry earned the highest mean salary of $87,930 in that same year.