Introduction to Illustration

Artspan Illustration

Illustration covers so many genres, styles, and purposes that it is difficult to encapsulate them with one definition. Broadly put, an illustration is a visual representation of a subject done through drawing, painting, or photograph. But the more common understanding of illustration falls belongs to free-hand drawing, drawings reproduced as wood-cuts or etchings, and, in recent years, computer illustration.

From the purely practical need for textbook illustrations, steps in manuals, visual advertising, to the more interpretive artist levels like imagining how characters in a story look, illustrations express subtle concepts, themes and emotions in a narrative.

Because illustration tends to be representational, it has often be relegated to the position of a lower art. This may have been exacerbated by its sheer popularity in books and magazines, which hit an all time high during the first part of the 20th century: illustration's Golden Age. The second, shorter Golden Age of illustration occurred in the 1950s and 1960s with hundreds of illustrators working. Magazines and billboards used illustration and in the U.S., the work of Norman Rockwell was embraced as an affectionate reflection of 'everyday folks'.

Illustration's decline came with the rising popularity of photography and design in visual communications. Yet with the advent of personal computer technology taking off in the 1990s, illustrators began to experiment with drawing software like Illustrator and Photoshop. The emergence of computer illustration has added a new dimension to the field, yet students are still trained in the traditional methods of illustration. Fusion illustration is a byproduct of this, crossing the boundaries of the hand-drawn and the computer drawn creating hybrid works that incorporate illustration, graphic design, typography, and photography.

Today illustration still fights for its place as a fine art, with its proponents hoping to help it reclaim a place in magazines and advertising and bring it back from the margins of the public imagination.

 

Artspan Illustration Directory

Illustration Calendarsee all events

Resources

Art Supplierssee all

The Trusted Resource since 1949... 6 Corporate Drive Cranbury, NJ 08512-3616 800.223.9132 6...
Kansas City, MO
PO Box 1267 Galesburg, IL 61402-1267 Toll-free 800-828-4548 Fax 800-621.8293

Associationssee all

Formed in 1971 by a group of Los Angeles based writers for children, is the only international...
Founded at the Smithsonian Institution in 1968, the Guild has grown to become part of the global...
Assert the value of an artist's portfolio as an asset of the creator, not a source of free...
BIS was formed in 1995 by Geoffrey Beare, a collector and Robin Greer, a dealer, each of whom...
In Hebrew.
A non-profit international professional organization of architectural illustrators, whose goals...
NOIS began ten years ago as an informal gathering of Cleveland area illustrators who saw...
Provides a valuable service translating the ideas and concepts of the design professional into...
The Society, founded in 1901, has had a long and distinguished history. It will have an equally...
The society is a professional organization that promotes the interests of illustrators by...

Bookssee all

Creating great illustration work requires specialist skills and knowledge, and in addition to...
Illusive is a collection of contemporary illustration from around the world that addresses the...
A freshly-picked selection of today's hottest illustrators Following the success of Illustration...
Illustration Play explores new trends in handcrafted illustration, each of which lends a welcome...
This guide to the ins and outs of today's dynamic illustration business tells budding...
A unique look at how illustration is taught and learned * Packed with sample syllabi--a...
How do your find an illustrator to create a piece of work? At present, there are a number of...
What if you need someone to draw salad on a plate with a glass of wine next to it? You could go...

Educationsee all

San Francisco, CA
Baltimore, Maryland
St. Louis, MO
Goodlettsville, TN
Lancaster, PA
Providence, RI

Galleriessee all

New York, NY
New York, NY
Daley Illustration Gallery has been owned and operated for 34 years by Bill Daley, a leader in...

Museumssee all

The National Museum of American Illustration (NMAI) was founded in 1998 by Judy Goffman Cutler...
Norman Rockwell Museum is a testament to the life, art, and enduring spirit of Norman Rockwell,...
The Museum of Illustration was invented in 2002 by Quentin Blake when he was Children’s...
London, UK
New York, NY
Brooklyn, NY
North Adams, MA
Worcester, MA
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
New York, NY 10021
1 (800) WHITNEY
212)...

Publicationssee all

The first magazine devoted entirely to the art of illustration. Each issue takes an in-depth look...
Published annually, Black Book Illustration takes readers inside the worlds created by some of...
ILLUSTRATION is a beautiful, educational, and scholarly magazine devoted to the history of...