Technically, an illustrator is an artist but not all artists are illustrators. Illustrators are fine artists who specialize in illustration. Find out the differences and overlap between these two careers.

An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video games and films. An illustration is typically created by an illustrator.

Drawing vs Illustration The difference between drawing and illustration is that drawing is a technique of self-expression while illustration is a professional work for commercial purposes. Drawing can stay only as art whereas illustration is always accompanied by a text.

The distinction lies in the fact that Art is the idea (brought to life) while an illustration is only a depiction (or explanation) of an idea. Fine Art is art for art’s sake. Even if you are doing a commission for a client, it would still be fine art. But illustration is illustrating a story or idea.

The simplest is basically a picture that represents or clarifies something; for example, an illustration of a boat could be a photo, a drawing, a painting, etc. For example, graphic novel and comic book style artwork are generally called illustration rather than Fine Art, even if they aren’t for a client.

You can paint on walls, canvas, paper, wood etc., and the result is called a painting. An illustration has to do rather with drawing something. You can, for example, draw some comics, child books, book covers, logos and those images are called illustrations.

Drawings are visual expressions used to convey feelings and emotions evoked within the artist. On the other hand, illustrations are visual expressions that help people further understand and visualize the accompanying textual content.