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Ask a Pro
Ask a Pro is a collection of illustration related questions answered by top art directors, designers, editors, artist representatives and other professionals in the commercial illustration industry.
If you have a suggestion for a question or know someone who might be a good candidate to answer a couple questions
Contributors
How do you go about finding an illustrator?
(more questions)
Right now I have a pretty good network of friends and people that I've
worked with that I can call on to provide me with an illustrator that
matches a style or way of thinking that pairs up nicely with the
specific project.
However, there are times when using various resources such as
www.illustrationmundo.com, www.blackbook.com, www.altpick.com..etc.
can be very useful in searching through many different illustrators to
find just the right one for the task.
Ron Thompson (more answers by this person)
Design Director
Stop Breathing
http://www.stopbreathing.com
How do you decide on using illustration vs. photography?
(more questions)
For me it really boils down to what the piece or project is trying to
convey and say to people. If illustration can do it better and more
effectively then I would go with illustration or vice versa. I'm not
tied to a specific medium, but I do really appreciate the natural and
human touch that illustration can bring to a project. Very alive,
organic.
Ron Thompson (more answers by this person)
Design Director
Stop Breathing
http://www.stopbreathing.com
How do you like to see work from an illustrator?
(more questions)
This depends on the type of project and what the timeline can allow.
For a lengthy project I'd like to present the illustrator with the
overall concept, direction and brief. Then let them have some time to
do their thing and then I'd like to see some rough thumbnails or
sketches that simply convey the mood, nothing too fine tuned. Color is
ok at this point, but I'm looking more for what he/she is saying and
if it supports the project. We can always tweak and perfect the
illustration, but I don't want to break the illustrator too much. The
reason to hire them in the first place is based on their style so you
want to give them enough freedom within the bounding box of the
project.
For a project that has a quick turnaround. You basically just have to
have a lot of trust in the illustrator that you've hired and believe
in their work and style and what they bring to the project. So what
they would present would be a piece that's 80-90% there and then we
can make minor changes as needed. Just a faster process overall.
These aren't set in stone. If you have someone that is amazing and you
completely trust them to nail it on the first shot then go for it. But
sometimes it doesn't always work on the first shot. The important
thing is for the person who is hiring the illustrator to be as clear
and upfront as possible with the brief/direction/concept at the
beginning of a project as well as knowing the style of the illustrator
they've hired.
Ron Thompson (more answers by this person)
Design Director
Stop Breathing
http://www.stopbreathing.com