What is an Editorial Illustrator and What Skills do I Need to Become One?

What is working as an editorial illustrator really like? The experts tell us all about their experience.

Editorial is one of the most interesting branches of illustration, because of its intellectual challenges and because of the nature of the work. Editorial illustrators touch on editorial design and typography and have to adapt to a fast paced environment with frequent changes. If you’d like to find out more about how these creatives work, keep reading to discover the skills you need and what their daily life is like.

A job that’s never boring

The life of an editorial illustrator isn’t easy. Deadlines are usually short and budgets tight. Javier Jaén (@javier_jaen) teaches our course on Editorial Illustration. He notes that while your work will have a very short lifespan “even so, it can be full of meaning, opinion, criticism, humor and can help readers navigate an article”.

Javier reminds us that there’s room for editorial illustration in all kinds of publications: from satirical magazines to scientific and political reviews. A single publication will include various types of editorial illustration, starting with the cover!

Have a look at one of your magazines and examine how the illustration fits alongside text, photos, other illustrations and even advertising. Caricatures, infographics, photomontages, collages, comic strips and cartoons all fall under the umbrella of editorial illustration.

What skills do I need to become an editorial illustrator?

You certainly need to know how to illustrate, although you don’t have to be a skilled artist or have a realistic style. Some editorial illustrators use techniques like collage to create their work. Others prefer fine art or work on photographs, typography or all kinds of other methods.

Editorial designer Israel G. Vargas (@israelgevargas) teaches the domestika course on: Digital Collage for Editorials. He loves editorial design because “it doesn’t require a great talent for drawing and it gives me more freedom to experiment with typography and printed media, which is something I’ve loved since I was a boy.”

The skills you need to master and develop are:

- Critical thinking and observation to extract the essence of the text.
- Research skills.
- An interest in current affairs and general culture.
- Knowledge of graphic design and typography.
- Digital process, editorial design and illustration software skills.

In this video, six illustrators (including editorial specialists) explain what the life of an editorial illustrator is really like:

What do I need to do to become an editorial illustrator?

There is no defined path for becoming an editorial illustrator, but these steps will help:

1) You need to learn a lot, practice more and create your own library of references and inspiration.

2) You have to polish your portfolio. Even if you don’t have any clients, your personal projects will help you establish yourself professionally and impress potential clients. In this article, illustrator Ricard López (@ricardilus) gives you practical advice on improving your portfolio.

3) Don’t be shy, promote your work. Social media is your friend, so get in touch with other illustrators, publishers and publications.

Illustrations by Marcos Chin (@marcoschinart), who teaches our course on: Composition and Color for Creative Illustration.

English version by @studiogaunt

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