I work in the publishing industry, and I will be the first to admit that a lot of the content that gets published is garbage. However, this doesn’t mean that all content published is garbage. There are still some diamonds in the rough if you know where to look.
A few years ago I started working on an article about how to spot good illustrations, and it frustrated me that with all the talented illustrators out there, there really wasn’t a comprehensive list anywhere of what goes into making a good illustration.
I decided I was going to run an experiment and create my own list and see how people responded. I put together a list of what I thought were the ten most important points of an illustration and wrote an article on it. Today, three years later, the article has over 4,000 shares and that number continues to rise every day. It’s clear from these results that other people also want to know how to spot good illustrations as well. So, I’ve decided to compile everything I’ve learned about illustrating into one book for other aspiring artists or for those looking for quality content for their kids. This book will cover everything from how to choose a topic or topic area (one of the most important things), how to find your voice as an artist,
**How to spot a good illustrator?
It is a common misconception that “good art” is synonymous with “modern art”. Unfortunately, many people seem to think that if you can’t get it, it’s good. This mentality has been brought on by the average person’s lack of understanding of what is going on in their favorite mediums.
I am here to help you find the jewel amidst the trash. Here are some ways to spot a good illustrator from a bad one:
Good illustrations are crisp and clear. Bad illustrations are blurry and smudged.
Good illustrations have consistent lines. Bad illustrations have inconsistent lines.
Good illustrations show attention to detail and craftsmanship. Bad illustrations show rushed or sloppy work.
Good illustrations are for children and teens only. Bad illustrations are for adults only.*
Good illustrations do not have any nudity or obscenity in them (unless they’re for an adult audience). Bad Illustrations brag about their depiction of sex, violence, or other inappropriate content.*
Good illustrators will gain your trust through their professionalism and quality of work before they ask you to pay them; they will not run off with your money and shout at you when you try to get a refund either.*
Bad illustrators will rush through your commission before finishing it, charge you
How to tell if an illustrator is good or not?
To start with, look for evidence in the illustration. You can tell a lot about an illustrator by looking at their work.
Good illustration always has a story behind it, even if you can’t see it in the final illustration. Ask yourself questions about each piece of work. Is there a reason for the picture being what it is? Are there a lot of extraneous lines that don’t seem to add much? If they were trying to draw something else would they have found another way to get their point across?
A good illustrator will always be adding in details that you don’t notice, but that make the picture stronger when viewed from a different angle. The best illustrators always remember that pictures are three dimensional and take this into account when drawing them.
If you are looking for an illustrator for printed pieces, ask to see their work on paper (not on the computer screen). This will let you see if they have taken time with their illustrations and have proofed them, or whether they just let it go first time round and then fix all the mistakes later on.
Today, illustration is still used in advertising, as a way of attracting the viewer’s attention. This can be done through a single picture, or by placing an image next to the product, or a series of images can appear on the packaging or in other parts of the advertisement. But it is no longer just used for advertisements.
In today’s market, illustration is also used in books, magazines, brochures and even in film. In fact it is now such a common form of art that it has become somewhat difficult to identify who does good work and who does not. The only way to do this is to develop a ‘eye’ for illustration and learn what makes a good illustrator.
Figurative art can be used to provide visual representation of a subject matter. It can also be used to represent moods and emotions that words alone cannot convey. To do this well requires the ability to express ideas visually through use of different colours, shapes and textures.
With the advent of computers and digital imaging software it has become easier for anyone with basic computer skills and design software to produce illustrations that look professional. However, to create truly imaginative illustrations requires more than simply understanding how to use design software. It requires an understanding of colour theory, composition skills as well as
What makes a good illustrator? Is there some kind of checklist for looking at the work of a new illustrator and knowing whether or not they’re any good? I have worked with a lot of illustrators in my time, and unfortunately, the answer is ‘no’. Every artist is different, as every artist should be.
In this article I will try to explain how you can use your own experience and knowledge to determine if an illustrator is worth working with. It won’t be a definitive answer because different people like different things, but it should help you narrow down your search.
Taste
The single most important thing that separates a good illustrator from a bad one, in my experience, is taste. A good illustrator will know what they are doing and why they are doing it. They will know what they want their illustration to look like before they begin (or at least very early on). They will know what works and what doesn’t work in their style, and be able to articulate that knowledge with some authority. A bad illustrator will not be able to do any of these things.
A good illustrator has learned from their mistakes and failures. They have evolved their style over time by analyzing their successes and failures. The process does not
Why is some art better than others? I used to think it was because the good artists had talent, and the rest didn’t. Then I started looking at the work of some of the most famous artists in history.
I thought I would learn something about drawing. Instead, I got a lesson in how easy it is to fool people into thinking you’re good at something.
Artists who have been dead for hundreds of years can still sell paintings for tens of thousands of dollars. When we look at them, we see what we have been trained to see: greatness. But we are not looking at greatness. We are looking at luck, reinforced by brand names and by our own wishful thinking.
You can draw just well enough to fool people into thinking you’re good, if you’re willing to work hard enough at it. To be a great artist, on the other hand, requires a mixture of both skill and luck so unlikely that there are very few great artists in history
They were just lucky that they drew things that people liked when they were alive; we are just lucky that they were famous after they were dead.
