Looking out to hire an Illustrator for your team? Need to know how and where to find the best candidates? Here is a comprehensive guide to finding the best Illustrators. Read on!
How to hire an illustrator?
An illustrator is an artist who creates two-dimensional images for the fashion industries, medical journals, books, comics, books for children, magazines, websites, design firms, and advertisements. They draw their illustrations in color or black and white.
Your firm can hire an illustrator to create illustrations for various purposes. Illustrations are an excellent tool for communication. You can use it to present a complicated idea in a simple way that is easy to comprehend. You can use it to complement the message you are trying to convey.
In this blog, we present some things you need to look for while hiring an illustrator. We will also discuss how to hire an illustrator and freelance illustrator rates around the world.
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Hiring market for illustrators
Currently, there are over 28000 illustrators in the US. As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the job growth for illustrators will be 1% from 2018 to 2028. There will 4800 new job openings in the US in the next ten years.
Those professional illustrators who can use digital illustration software will have a distinct edge. Graphic illustrator using the digital medium can work as freelance illustrators for hire. The digital illustration medium gives the added benefits of allowing illustrators to work from remote locations. Most illustrator job opportunities are in the states of California, New York, and Florida.
Illustrators are employed by design agency, publication houses, advertisers, video gaming companies, and fashion houses. A good illustrator should have an impressive portfolio to showcase their abilities. Most illustrators prefer to work as a freelance illustrator for hire.
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Top 15 recent job titles for illustrators
Top illustrator freelance can work in various setting, we have listed the top job titles for illustrators,
1. Children Illustrator
A children’s illustrator works on the cover of books and different visual components of the story to help children understand the story better. Illustrations keep the children engaged. The illustrator needs to be creative and have a vivid imagination.
They can work with packaging and product illustration, textile illustration, web, and mobile media. The children illustrator can earn $150 to $600 per page.
2. Comic Book Illustrator
Comic book illustrator uses series of visuals arranged sequentially to tell a story. The illustrators of comic books often double up as the author as well. Someone can write the story, but the illustrator converts the text into a graphical format.
The illustrator needs to have strong visual communication skills and an understanding of visual storytelling. The median salary of a comic book illustrator $36,500.
3. Medical Illustrator
Medical illustrator illustrates various human anatomy. The illustrations help to simplify a procedure or part of the anatomy for easier understanding. They need to ensure the designs are faithful to real life. The drawing help in patient care, education, and research.
They often work in hospitals or universities. The salary of a medical illustrator ranges from $61000 to $250000.
4. Courtroom Sketch Artist
A courtroom sketch artist attends the court-hearing either as a member of the public or in media outlets. In several courts across the world, cameras are not allowed. This rule is in place to prevent distractions or to protect the privacy of the proceeding.
Courtroom sketch artists draw key moments of the trial. They sell their sketches to television networks, newspapers, and newswires. The average salary of a courtroom sketch artist is $54,000/year.
5. Caricature Artist
A caricature artist makes humorous or exaggerated portraits of people. A caricature is an exaggerated or distorted portrait of a person. The artist emphasizes, the distinguishing features, defects, or peculiarities.
Caricature artists for hire work for newspapers, political groups, theme parts, magazines, etc. An illustrator working as a caricature artist can earn $30,000/year.
6. Character Designer
A character designer is an artist who brings characters from animation, video games, and movies to life. The character designer needs to be creative but work within the parameters given by the art director.
After they finish working on the character, other components of the production process can begin. They can also create props and background images. The character designer $52,910/year.
7. Editorial Illustrator
The editorial illustrator creates illustrations to be used in newspaper, journals, or magazines articles or features. The illustration can help bring the article to life. It makes the article easier to understand. The average salary of ab editorial illustrator is $43.397/year.
8. Graphic Illustrator
The graphic illustrator combines their skills of illustration with graphic art. They showcase your product using a stylized and specialized approach. We use graphic illustrations for product selling, education, and promotion. Graphic illustrators for hire earn $45065/year.
9. Graphic Recorder
A graphic recorder helps people visualize the discussion and ideas during meetings. They need to work fast and have the ability to understand the discussion.
10. Fashion Illustrator
Fashion illustration is a combination of drawing, painting, computer graphics, and fashion. The fashion illustrator works for fashion magazines, blogs for editorial features, designer house sales, fashion stylists and buyers, or for advertising.
The illustrator may make abstract or realistic sketches. The illustrations can be hand-drawn or computer-generated. The average salary of a fashion illustrator is $61,609/year.
11. Advertising Illustrator
Advertising illustrators are artists who work with marketing and advertising agencies. The illustrator may have their style, but most create the illustration according to the art director or marketing manager’s instructions. The illustrations can be used in print or video campaign. The average salary of advertising is $35509/year.
12. Product Illustrator
Product illustrator either work for an advertiser or private client. They create illustrations for brochures, commercial packing, online products, and advertising. Product illustrators try to ensure their work helps to create a unique identity for the product. The average salary of a product illustrator is $41887/year.
13. Forensic Artist
Forensic artists are criminal sketch artist who interacts with victims or witnesses to produce a composite sketch of the person of interest in a crime. The artist also aids in enhancements, age projections of missing persons or suspects, and reconstruction of the crime scene.
They either make free-hand or computerized illustrations. The salary of the forensic artist ranges from $31720 to $65234 annually.
14. Fine Art Illustrator
A fine art illustrator creates an artistic illustration. They sell their work on a commission basis or via exhibitions. Vigorous training and practice at illustration school teach the illustration to perfect their skills. Most fine art illustrators earn very little, but professional illustration done by a top artist can earn over $110,000/year.
15. Film Storyboarding Illustrator
Most movies, advertisement commercials, and animations start with a storyboard. The storyboard is a visual representation of how the story will unfold. It is used in pre-production to instruct other departments what to do during production.
The illustrator helps the director visualize the scene before filming prevents reshoots and the movie/commercial from exceeding the budget. The average storyboard illustrator is $92,425/year.
16. Technical Illustrator
A Ttechnical illustrator creates visual representation and realistic renderings to communicate technical information about the product. They may create blueprints, equipment installation graphics and diagrams to be used in technical publications and manuals.
The illustrator creates illustrations from texts or data or research content. The average salary of a technical illustrator is $65,384/year.
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Qualifications to look for in an illustrator
There are no fixed qualifications to become an illustrator other than the fact they should have exception drawing skills. Most professional illustrator has a degree in fine arts, illustration, or graphic design.
The degree programs help to strengthen their skill sets. Most medical illustrators have completed a degree in medical illustration. The best universities in the US for a degree in fine arts are,
- University of California- Los Angeles
- School of Art Institute – Chicago
- Yale University
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- California Institute of the Arts
The best universities in the US for a degree in Illustration are,
- School of Visual Arts, New York
- Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida
- Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island
- ArtCenter College of Design, California
- Pratt Institute, New York
The best universities in the US for a degree in Graphic Design are,
- The University of Pennsylvania.
- The University of Florida.
- Boston University.
- Carnegie Mellon University.
- The University of Miami.
The best universities in the US having a graduate program in medical illustrations,
- Augustus University
- University of Illinois
- John Hopkins University of Medicine
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Skills to look for in an illustrator
When you are hiring an illustrator you need to evaluate their soft and technical skills. The illustration they make need to convey the message of your firm effectively. The illustrator freelance should have an illustrator portfolio to showcase their skills. Here are skills to look for when you want to an illustrator for hire,
- Must be able to create imaginative illustrations with an eye for color, balance, and layout.
- Ability to express concept or idea
- Draw, sketch, and paint well.
- Produce clean, crisp, eye-appealing designs.
- Be able to communicate well.
- Ability to transform ideas or concepts into a graphic format.
- Great problem-solving skills
- Self-motivated
- Drive to improve skillset
- Focused
- Ability to deliver deadline
- Visionary
- Not get frustrated about concept changes without getting frustrated.
Freelancer illustrators should be able to use some of the following tools,
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Affinity Photo for iPad
- ArtRange5
- Autodesk SketchBook 8.4
- Corel Painter 2018
- CorelDraw 2017
- Inkscape 0.92
- Moleskin Smart Writing ET.
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Certifications to look for in an illustrator
When you want to find illustrators for your firm, you may want to look for candidates with certifications. Some certifications for illustrators are sector-specific or showcase competence to use a particular software. Certifications show the candidates are keen to improve their skill sets. Here are some certifications you can look for,
- Certification of Completion in Natural Science Illustration – The course ensures the freelance illustrator can illustrate various creatures and plants.
- Certification of Completion in Children’s Book illustration – The certification shows the freelancer can capture scenes from a story.
- Associate of Art in Fashion illustration – this certification is useful if you want to hire an illustrator for your fashion label or fashion company.
- Certified medical illustrator – Certification is awarded by a Board of Certification of Medical illustrators. The certification is valid for 5 years.
- Adobe Illustrator Certification – The certification is offered to illustrators. The Illustrator ACE Certification Exam helps to improve the skills of the illustrator using Adobe programs.
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Rate per hour of illustrator
The freelance illustrator’s hourly rate depends on the industry, experience, location, freelance illustrator portfolio of work, and certification if any. The freelance illustrator hourly rate ranges from $9.08 to $57.6. The average hourly rate of an illustrator is $22.87/hour. The salary of illustrators as per experience in the US is as follows.
- Entry-level illustrator $9.87/hour or $18,886/year.
- Junior-level illustrator $14.06/hour or $29253/year.
- Mid-level illustrator $22.87/hour or $47567/year
- Senior-level illustrator $37.19 or $77348/year
- top illustrators $57.6/hour or $119,806/year
If you want to hire a freelance illustrator from the UK, the rates will be on their fees and your negotiation skills. The salary of illustrators in the UK as follows,
- Fresher illustrator’s salaries range from £18,000 to £20,000 a year.
- Mid-level illustrator’s salaries range from £20,000 to £30,000 a year.
- Well-established illustrator’s salaries range from £40,000 or more.
If you hire freelance illustrators in India, their average salaries can cost Rs 303,833/year. The salary level entry-level illustrators start at Rs. 202,000 and experience level illustrators in India can earn up to Rs. 948,000/year.
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Top 10 job boards to find the best illustrator
When you want to find an illustrator for your firm, you should know where to begin. You may be interested in hiring graphic illustration artists or opting for student illustrators for hire. There are a few options you can visit the illustrator website or go to job boards. We have listed the top job boards for illustrators,
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn is social media website where to find illustrators. The website allows you to post requirements and view profiles.
- Simplyhired – Simplyhired is a job portal website ideal for hiring an illustrator for your firm. You can find freelance and full-time illustrators.
- unremot.com – unremot is an amazing portal which allows you to hire illustrator online. You can view the profile of freelance illustrators and collaborate with them over the virtual office.
- Indeed – Indeed is a job portal that allows you to post requirements and view illustrator profiles.
- Upwork – Upwork is one best freelance sites for illustrators. You can find student illustrators for hire.
- Ziprecruiter – Ziprecruiter is a SaaS service that helps to simplify the process of hiring illustrators.
- Flexjobs – Flexijobs is a website devoted to remote or flexible schedule jobs, you can use the website for illustrator hire.
- Remotive.io – Remotive.io specializes in remote jobs and remote companies.
- Workingnomad – Workingnomad is a website devoted to remote jobs.
- Monster – Monster is a job portal that helps you find illustrator.
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Top 10 companies hiring illustrator and salaries offered
We have listed some of the top companies that hire illustrators,
- Brafton Inc – Brafton inc is an established content management firm in the US. It also specializes in reliable SEO, content marketing analytics, and social media consultancy. The salary of an illustrator ranges from $22,000-$41,000/year.
- Lure Lush Publishing – Lure Lush Publishing, prints diverse stories require illustrators for the book covers. The estimated salary $35,000 -$49,000/year.
- Homer – Homer makes learning programs for children between two to eight years. Illustrative helps to create concept illustrations. The salary of illustrator in Homer can earn between $56,000 to $77,000/year.
- Player One Trailer – Player One Trailer Company makes trailers for video games, cinema, and much more. An illustrator in Push One trailer earns anywhere $54,000-$75,000 a year.
- Pubg – Pubg is a leading producer of video-games. It hires illustrators to help to create a realistic character and environmental concept design. The Pubg illustrator earns approximately $58,000-$85,000.
- Treyarch – Treyarch creates gaming software and apps. Treyarch illustrator can earn between $56000-$77000/year.
- Bungie – Bungie.net is at the forefront of developing web-based games. It hires illustrators to create compelling designs for the world of destiny. Illustrator in Bungie typically earns $55000-72,000/year.
- Facebook- Facebook is a social media website. Illustrators at Facebook create concept art for the firm as and when required. They usually earn from $53000 to$71000 a year.
- Electronic Art – Electronic Art is an American Video Gaming company. Illustrators at Electronic Art earn $57000-$83000/year.
- Lightboard – Lightboard is a technology-driven company focusing on delivering small projects. The annual salary at Lightboard is approximately $60,500/year.
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Top 10 interview questions for an illustrator
Before you hire an illustrator, you need to interview to judge their technical and social skills. Here are the top 10 interview questions you can ask,
Question 1: What is a freelance illustrator?
Rationale: You can ask the freelance illustrator definition to judge if an entry-level candidate or student illustrator understands the business.
Sample Answer: Freelance illustrator can work for a variety of clients. They carry out illustrations for different clients. The illustrations created are used in applications like in publications, advertising firms, or video games.
Question 2: Explain the difference between a layer and a group?
Rationale: this technical question helps to judge the competence of graphic illustrator.
Answer: There is a minor difference between layer and group. Both of them have a parent object and one or more child objects. We use groups to bundle the artwork, making scaling and moving easier. Meanwhile, we use layers to manage visibility and stacking order.
Question 3: What are the latest features in Adobe Illustrator CC 2020?
Rationale: Adobe illustrator is a commonly used tool used by graphic illustrators.
Answer: Some of the latest features in Adobe Illustrator CC2020 are,
- The program gives us the flexibility to draw and edit drawings in real-time,
- The enhanced free transform tool makes transformation easy and more enjoyable.
- The program gives the flexibility to cut, copy, and paste between documents.
Question 4: If you fall behind schedule while completing an illustration do you ask for more time when you are approaching a deadline or do you cut corners to complete the project?
Rationale: This is an operational question to understand the candidate’s approach while completing a project.
Answer: I try hard not to fall behind on a project. I prefer asking for a little extra time if I need more time. I strive to complete my projects while ensuring the illustration are of high-quality and meets the project brief. If the client refuses to give me an extension, I strive to work overtime to complete the work on time.
Question 5: Which software platforms do you use during illustration?
Rationale: You need to ascertain if the software used by the illustrator is compatible with your firm.
Answer: I have worked on both PC and Mac platforms. I am an Adobe Certified Illustrator. I can use the other Adobe tools like Photoshop. I also know how to use Paint Tool Sai, Inkscape, and Autodesk Sketchbook.
Question 6: What do you do if the final colors of a print illustration are different from the colors used in the illustration?
Rationale: this is a technical question that is often encountered while working.
Answer: This is not an uncommon problem encountered by illustrators. The colors are that we see on the screen and colors that are printed can be different. I give detailed instructions to the printer on how to print the image as close to the image drawn on Adobe Illustrator.
Question 7: Explain some plugins in Adobe Illustrator?
Rationale: Illustrators use the Adobe illustrator program for many illustrations.
Answer: The best plugins used in illustrator are,
- Vector Scribe 2 is a tool that makes editing and customizing easy.
- Selection Menu provides an easy select guide that allows users increased customization while saving illustration.
- Concatenate is a simple tool that lets us combine two or more paths to a single path.
- Magic Exporter is a plugin that allows exporting the illustrator file to PNG
- SymmetryWork helps illustrators customize patterns easily.
Question 8: While working with a design team, how do you resolve disputes between team members about how to create the illustration accurately?
Rationale: this is a situational question asked to illustrators with experience.
Answer: Dynamics between the design team and illustrative team can be tense. Each member has their unique perspective on the final product. Unfortunately, this causes a conflict between team members.
I try to solve the problem by discussing the project objectively. We discuss the pros and cons, and the members try to resolve the argument. If that does not help, I ask the manager or my client to help.
Question 9: What is the best part of your job?
Rationale: When you hire an illustrator review, the illustrator must love their job.
Answer: I have always enjoyed art and drawing. I love the excitement of working towards making the illustration come alive. It is a great feeling when my illustration looks like the vision of the advertising director.
Question 10: What Does The Pucker And Bloat Tool do?
Rationale This is a simple technical question that an illustrator for hire can answer
Answer 10: Pucker and Bloat tools help to create distortion effects. The tools transform an object by either curving the object towards its edge (pucker) or pushing it away from the center or bloat. This operation is performed while maintaining the anchor points in position.
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