Editorial illustrators work to combine their artistic skills with societal issues thus speaking to readers through pictures. Their work mainly features in publications such as newspapers and magazines. Over time, they have moved their pieces to online spaces to reach a bigger audience. More details are available in our article: Illustator Job: What does an illustrator do?

As an editorial illustrator, you seek ways to communicate about pressing societal challenges with few or no words. You can work for advertising companies, magazines, colleges, newspapers as well as any other entities in need of your services. You choose your working hours in this field in that you can work part-time with a company or go entirely freelance.

Nature illustrators demonstrate what goes on in nature in the form of images. Their work is mainly present in greeting cards, art as well as calendars. They also work with publishing companies.

To get into this field, you should possess a strong set of drawing skills that will help you capture nature in two dimensions. Though most illustration jobs call for formal training, this is not the case with this career. However, if you feel that your skills are not up to par with what clients demand, a degree in illustration will do you good. In this way, you can gain skills on how to gauge space, depth, and proportion on paper, thus helping you be great at what you do.

Cartoonists come up with compelling images for various publications. They have the freedom to choose the nature of their work, depending on the audience they wish to reach. They often have a small segment in which they can express their ideas, and it is thus essential that their images jump out at people for their work to stay relevant in the industry.

As is the case with nature illustrators, you can get into this career without formal training. However, you should consider that you may have to take some classes to sharpen your skills regarding perspective and depth. It will also aid you to find new ways in which you can create cartoons, thus increasing your clientele base. From here, you can work on marketing yourself by use of a portfolio. You could also choose to self-publish your work, something which has become simpler over time.

Illustrators can work in two fields: fine arts or graphic design. Choosing a given area enables one to specialize and work on their skills, thus building a client network in the process. To get into these fields, one needs a bachelor’s degree in fine arts or graphic design, depending on the option that one chooses. A career in illustration is an excellent avenue to express your feelings and make some good money out of it. All the best!