Join our Learn to Illustrate Stories Online Workshop on Sunday, September 8 from 10:30am to 12:30pm Pacific Time. Learn from master illustrator Jose Segura. No prior experience needed, just come and learn and you will be surprised and delighted with the results!
The Inspirational Role of Illustrators in My Artistic Journey
As a child I would love the illustrations in my books so much I would draw all over them until I could sit down and copy them. It drove my mom crazy when she found me scribbling all over her prized first edition of Cinderella illustrated by Arthur Rackam, a famous illustrator of his time. But that is how I learned to draw - copying illustrations in my favorite books all the way up through Gerald Durrell’s hilarious My Family and Other Animals where I learned, through copying the beautiful illustrations, to use pen and ink to draw animals. So I owe a huge debt to these illustrators for inspiring me to draw and, through copying their work, learning how.
Later on in my career I alighted upon my own drawing style, but back then just copying was enough to get me into other art projects, painting and so forth, and I never looked back.
The Power of Illustration in Visual Storytelling
What is illustration? It is a means of visual storytelling. Anything visual can be used to do this: drawing, painting or diagrams using traditional or digital media. It can be used to explain or clarify and visually depict an idea, concept or story or a piece of text.
How does it differ from “Fine Art”? Well that is a philosophical question for philosophers to answer. But I can tell you that most artists will ignore it and simply create what they create. Terminology is unimportant. For example, my paintings often have stories connected to them. Does that mean they are illustrations and not “fine art”? My own opinion is that the fine art designation is used by art dealers to make art scarce so it can be sold as an investment for vast sums of money. The fact is, storytelling plays an intrinsic role in the majority of paintings and other visual media. The exception would be the brief period of experimentation with purely abstract art which aimed to create art without any story connected to it. But even then the art (if good) will evoke some story in your consciousness. In other words it is a very thin line and not one I would choose to pontificate upon.
Let us therefore start examining some history as it tells us a lot.
Throughout history, humankind has used narrative images to tell stories.
The earliest recorded illustrations appear in the cave paintings created in Lascaux, France, ca.15,000 B.C.
In the ancient civilizations of Greece and Italy, illustrations of heroes and festivals, mythological tales and literature, funeral scenes and sporting events were drawn and incised onto ceremonial vessels. Illustrative wall paintings and floor mosaics were created to decorate the homes of the wealthy and powerful.
In the Middle Ages, narrative pictorials appeared in illuminated manuscripts.
Starting In the 14th century, artists of the Renaissance were engaged by the Church and wealthy patrons to paint religious themes and thus educate the masses. Imagine walking into a church and seeing a huge painting of Christ looking down on you!
This period also saw new music, literature, art, and publications that could be mass-produced and distributed due to the invention of a mechanical printing process by Johannes Gutenberg in 1452. The creation and distribution of woodcuts and engraved prints brought images, ideas, and entertainment to a wide audience and provided people outside the upper class the possibility of experiencing art.
With the start of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1700s, printing technology improved rapidly and more publications were distributed and seen. And thus commercial illustration came to the forefront. Many19th century artists also illustrated for a living: Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard et al. The list is long and includes Picasso, Matisse and many 20th century artists.
Illustration became a profession, taught in colleges. Illustrators were hired by advertising agencies and they often joined a design studio with a selection of illustrators. One of my all-time favorites was the work was done by Pushpin Studios in New York in the 1960s (see left Pushpin's Milton Glaser's famous Dylan poster).
Whether it is through children’s books, the cover of our favorite novels, an illustrated menu or a greeting card - the list goes on and on of the many many ways illustration is an important part of our lives, and as artists we should be familiar with the basic steps to create an effective illustration.
The Brief:
In commercial illustration, the process begins with a brief - a short description by the client on what is wanted, including how it will be used, size and so forth - everything the illustrator needs. Realize, if you are working for yourself, then you are the client in this case and you should write a brief to yourself, the illustrator.
The next step is research by the illustrator to determine the best way to accomplish the brief. This might include looking at other illustrations, creating a mood board with sample images he or she can work from and so forth.
Following that, the artist will come up with several visual ideas for the illustrations usually in the form of what is called a thumbnail - just a small sketch with or without color. This helps to narrow down the process.
Having selected the rough outline for the illustration, colors are selected if not already stated in the brief. And media is also selected. Many times professional illustrators are known for their illustration style and the client has engaged their services to execute the illustration in their particular style. For example the illustrations of Norman Rockwell - the magazine would engage Mr. Rockwell because his style of illustration was perfect for the magazine article or cover.
Once the artist is ready, the remainder of the process is simply the process of creating ANY artwork. The small exception might be that the illustrator usually has to ensure his or her artwork is finished and able to be printed, but these are more technical concerns that can be accomplished by someone who can take over from you once you complete your illustrations.
There are no rules on what art form the illustration should take. Whether you are a practiced artist or a beginner, you can use your skills to tell a story as in a graphic novel, or illustrate one as in a novel, children’s book, poem or the countless other things that would be enhanced by your artwork - go ahead and get started!
Illustrating Stories: A Workshop to Enhance Your Skills
Join our Learn to Illustrate Stories Online Workshop on Sunday, September 8 from 10:30am to 12:30pm Pacific Time. Learn from master illustrator Jose Segura. No prior experience needed, just come and learn and you will be surprised and delighted with the results!
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