Commercial Art 101 - Getting Started!

The first three posts in this series were an overview of the Commercial Art profession.  What it is, what it entails - and things that you need to be aware of - but maybe haven’t thought about. All of these issues will need to be addressed should you decide on such a career, and some will be addressed in more detail in following posts.

                  This post however, is specifically aimed at the new comer - the person who wants to build a career in Commercial Art but is not quite sure how or where to begin. 

As a general disclaimer: There really is no set of directions to follow; no specific instructions that must be adhered to; no checklist of steps to work through. You can go about it anyway that seems right to you. I have been in this business more than a quarter century, and I’ll tell you what I’d do if I were you.

It’s important to understand that there are many categories of Commercial Art. Most of them can be done in many different styles. You can change or add to the categories you want to work in, and work in as many styles as you wish, but it’s useful when starting out to target one or two specific categories and develop one or two styles that suit those categories.

So what are some categories?

• Technical  Illustration
• Medical Illustration
• Botanical & Wildlife Illustration
• Architectural Illustration
• Product Illustration
• Editorial Illustration  
• Nautical Illustration
• Fashion Illustration
• Comic Illustration
• Cartoons
• Sports Illustration
• Caricature illustration
• Book Cover Illustration
• Children’s Book Illustration
• Text Book Illustration
• Maps
• Sci-Fi & Fantasy illustration
• Aeronautical & Space illustration
• Automotive illustration

There are doubtless other categories, but most illustration work will fall into one of the above. Some of the categories overlap and many of them have numerous subcategories.

Here are some brief descriptions of some of them.

Technical illustration has many sub-categories. Everything from the line art used in catalogs, diagrammatic flowcharts used in instructional applications, to full color cut-a-ways of complex mechanical devices. Categories like Automotive and Aeronautical illustration could actually be considered sub-categories of technical illustration – but there is so much work being done in these areas that they constitute their own categories. Some artists have built entire careers doing work exclusively in these fields.

Medical illustration can be anything from anatomical illustrations of the human body to cut-a-way sections of blood vessels and organs. Medical illustration at its highest level may require specific instruction, and perhaps a college degree. It is critical to understand the science involved in order to execute this extremely complex art.

Comic Illustration and Cartooning are not the same things.  Comic illustration is the artwork you see in comic books – such as Marvel Comics.  Work of this type requires a thorough understanding of human anatomy. Cartooning can be anything from the work you see in comic strips used in newspapers, to the single panel cartoons – such as political cartoons – seen in magazines and newspapers.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Illustration is used a lot in the gaming industry.  It requires a thorough understand of human and animal anatomy – and a great imagination!

Product illustration usually requires very photo realistic work by the artist. Often the artist works from engineering drawings, photographs and sometimes prototypes of the actual product.

Editorial Illustration can be nearly anything. The imagery is often based on commonly recognized concepts or cliches' A lot of stock illustration has flooded the market over the years, and this field has suffered as a result.

Architectural Illustration can be anything from architectural renderings such as illustrations of houses and buildings and their environments - to architectural products.  These could include building panels, doors, windows, etc., and this work could be considered a sub-category of Product Illustration.

Maps can be anything from highly diagrammatic and stylized images of subway and bus routes to very realistic depictions of housing developments, boat marinas and college campus layouts. In some projects, this work is often close to Architectural Rendering.

Book Illustration is another large category. Books aimed at adults usually have only a cover illustration.  Children’s books are typically filled with illustrations of a more light and whimsical nature. Textbooks may use a lot of illustrations depending on the subject and the target age of the reader.

Fashion illustration tends to be more abstract and requires a strong sense of design.  An understanding of human anatomy is also valuable, although usually not to the degree required of a medical illustrator.

I’ve really only lightly touched on various categories here. There are certainly more. Within just the categories listed however you will see many styles of illustration employed.

So what are some styles?

• Realism
• Photo-Realism
• Painterly – loose and tight
• Line
• Graphic
• Abstract

While there are fewer General Styles than Categories, each artist inevitably tends to develop his or her own Personal Style over time. Because each artist is different, there is no end to the number of styles. A hundred artists working within the same style, on the same subject matter to illustrate, and - with the same reference material - will produce 100 different works!  No two images will look the same! That’s the good news. That’s what you bring to the table.

It would be wise for you – as a beginner - to focus on one or two categories of art that interest you, and develop several pieces of artwork in styles that you feel the most comfortable working in. When starting out, it’s better to be very good at one or two things, than it is to be mediocre at many.

Curt