TIME’s Person of the Year issue is an annual tradition that comes with intrigue, drama, and mystery. Every year the editorial staff at the prestigious periodical chooses various artists and photographers to depict a wide range of potential “PotY” candidates. The exact choice is not ever known by the hired artists until the magazine is ready to roll out to newsstands and mailboxes. This year the cover artist was Jason Seiler, a Chicago based illustrator, who was tapped to do his second TIME PotY cover. Illustration Age’s Sam Gallant spoke with Jason about drawing presidents, drumming, and a who ..read more

The Golden Age of comic books, from approximately 1938 to 1956, is widely considered to be an early pinnacle of the art form. Many famous characters that still fight bad guys to this day, were illustrated by many accomplished artists, including many Black artists. The art and stories of the era are well documented by historians, journalists, and comic book aficionados. However, until now, one group of artists has gone mostly unheralded, those notable Black artists of comic books, and author Ken Quattro has dubbed them, “Invisible Men”. Borrowing some themes and pluralizing the name from Ralph ..read more

TIME’s Person of the Year issue is an annual tradition that comes with intrigue, drama, and mystery. Every year the editorial staff at the prestigious periodical chooses various artists and photographers to depict a wide range of potential “PotY” candidates. The exact choice is not ever known by the hired artists until the magazine is ready to roll out to newsstands and mailboxes. This year the cover artist was Jason Seiler, a Chicago based illustrator, who was tapped to do his second TIME PotY cover. Illustration Age’s Sam Gallant spoke with Jason about drawing presidents, drumming, and a who ..read more

By Sam Gallant The Golden Age of comic books, from approximately 1938 to 1956, is widely considered to be an early pinnacle of the art form. Many famous characters that still fight bad guys to this day, were illustrated by many accomplished artists, including many Black artists. The art and stories of the era are well documented by historians, journalists, and comic book aficionados. However, until now, one group of artists has gone mostly unheralded, those notable Black artists of comic books, and author Ken Quttro has dubbed them, “Invisible Men”. Borrowing some themes and pluralizing the n ..read more

by Mark Stutzman A global pandemic abruptly altered the interpersonal relationships that exemplify the creative team experience. But these people who live on the edge of convention are pliable and technologically skilled, allowing them to migrate their work disciplines into their homes. Suddenly, the entire creative industry, like many others, is living the lifestyle of a freelancer, tethered together only by WIFI and self-governance. Illustrators and art buyers share this independent commonality unlike ever before. Since the golden age of illustration in the 1930s, the dynamic between maker a ..read more

by Mark Stutzman A global pandemic abruptly altered the interpersonal relationships that exemplify the creative team experience. But these people who live on the edge of convention are pliable and technologically skilled, allowing them to migrate their work disciplines into their homes. Suddenly, the entire creative industry, like many others, is living the lifestyle of a freelancer, tethered together only by WIFI and self-governance. Illustrators and art buyers share this independent commonality unlike ever before. Since the golden age of illustration in the 1930s, the dynamic between maker a ..read more

Illustration by Thomas James Hello fellow Illustrators! After 10 years of creating and managing projects like the Escape from Illustration Island podcast, 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration, Illustration Friday, Illustration Age and others, it is time for me to move on. In addition to building my own illustration business I have truly been blessed by the experiences I have had with these online projects and the opportunities they have given me to connect and engage with the industry and the artists who live and work there. I have made many lasting friendships and learned so much about myself ..read more

[Editor’s Note: Guest Post and Illustration by Dave Arcade.] Ever since we were kids we’ve heard the adage “practice makes perfect” and this is true if you don’t have access to command Z or in other words, what you do can’t be undone. However, for illustrators working in the digital format this means we don’t have to be perfect. It also means we have way more options for how to travel from point A to B. Thank goodness for that because let’s be honest, with social media taking a noticeable slice of our time, among the many other plates we have to spin to make it in the freelance game, one coul ..read more

Illustration by Daniel Fishel On June 28th, 2020 a new Instagram account called @blackatsva published its first post with a simple message: “This is a safe space for current and former black students at SVA to share their stories. You are heard. Your stories matter. You matter.” Accompanying the post was an open call for black students of the School of Visual Arts in New York to submit anonymous stories of their time at the college. Since that day BlackAtSVA has published a steady stream of posts amplifying the voices of black SVA students, each one offering a troubling view of the strug ..read more

We finally got our hands on the latest print edition from Directory of Illustration, released earlier this year with gorgeous cover and interior art by Lisa Perrin. Filled with pages and pages of talented professional artists for Art Directors to discover, Lisa’s illustrations elevate the publication to a whole other level of whimsical beauty. I have always been inspired by nature, flora, and fauna… I am intrigued by the idea of beauty and challenging it. I like to draw bugs or other conventionally scary things in a way that elevates them. I like creating rich, narrative images where there ..read more