Life has its ups and downs and all around’s, don’t you think?

When 2008 rolled around and wiped out the economy, I decided to finally put some time into my fine art painting and build up my portfolio. I found out some interesting ways that people in the industry and out of the industry view and define art and illustration.

And I painted my heart out. I love it and will continue. You can view my fine art portfolio by going to that website.

Defining Illustration & Fine Art

But one thing that I found was that some people in the industry describe illustration as graphic design & don’t consider illustration as fine art. Amazing, especially when some of the greatest illustrators are/were fine artists.

I am here to make the statement that the only difference between fine art and illustration is that illustration is used commercially.

Graphic designers are not illustrators or artists although they can be & sell those added services. It is not a requirement to be a graphic designer that you can even draw! 

But many graphic designers today have that ability so that they can serve more clients to make a decent salary. It is only required that that a graphic designer be able to design elements on a page effectively and secure images from other sources.  They must be able to secure these additional services (copywriting, illustration, art, etc.) from outside freelancers

I tried many new, creative things in creating my paintings.

And I learned so much about myself and the creative spirit. I will absolutely add some of those new elements to my current illustrations.

But something was missing in my life… illustration.

The reason? Because I have always been very tied to the social issues of our day and, sometimes, the best way to show that is through illustration.

Equality, diversity, technology, stress, the environment, etc. That is my visual voice and I stand behind it 100%.

And I had always painted my illustrations so it was a no brainer to get back in the game.

Recently, I decided to sign up for the Directory of Illustration for 2020 with the advice of my rep.

And with that action, I am in the illustration field again.

Then I created this new website devoted just to my illustration images. I am very eager to get started. Take a look at the site I created and leave a comment below.

I’m back and plan to use my new, creative techniques for the new illustrations I create for you.

Please, send some comments (& illustration assignments) my way because artists need feedback. Email me with questions.