Many moons ago as an art student in Boston, rumors swirled of a NEW tool that will help us traditional artists convert our formal design sensibilities into a quicker, more advanced process…the MAC!

All of my fellow cavemen grunted at the notion that this MAC computer could do such a thing! How can this glorified typewriter replace my skills as an artist? Even my professor said it was just a fad and commercial art will always need illustrators. Someone was even so petrified of that notion, that the morning of our first introduction into the world of Macintosh we were all shocked by what we saw, a student or someone they told, stole them. Chuckles and sighs ensued! High fives, YES we can draw now!

Not I. I knew this MAC would someday rear its head into my profession and kick me back into the stone age unless I took measures. It took a while and the journey was long and frustrating, but not only have I triumphed, I have become a successful digital illustrator in my own right.

Using custom illustration in a clients piece not only shows the client that you DO put the extra into their work but care about the piece. If you painted a nice watercolor of a farmhouse and painted the cow in front with crayon it wouldn’t quite match, would it? Try something original, don’t just download some clipart off the web. Take an extra hour and create something original. It’s not the heart of the piece but If you told a client you custom illustrated the artwork, they can take heart in the fact that you thought of the client first.

Logos, characters, mascots…there are tons of uses for illustration still. Just let it be known that deep in the heart of every artist, we want to create new styles and interesting designs, a great small step is original artwork. Keep drawing!