What Does Illustration Mean?

 Illustration. It's a term that can perhaps leave you thinking for some time as to what it's all about. Obviously it corresponds alongside a description of something in a visual format and that's as old as everything, but certainly by today's standards it can be seen in many other ways. Imagery itself has evolved so much over the years, it seems as though everything is blending as one. The Mass Media is responsible for this because imagery is used over and over again in lots of new various contexts. A far-out example of this would be the Mint Royale remix of the classic song 'Singin' in the Rain' sang by Gene Kelly. The lyrics and chimes remain, but with a contemporary electronic beat. This is proof that boundaries can be broken and perhaps words can be too.

 Some illustrators and people in other fields could be intimidated by this concept. Illustrators should definitely keep pushing boundaries and not fall to being halted by either they're own style or by clients. There are those illustrators who are traditional and prefer to remain all hand-rendered, and then there are the illustrators who apply themselves digitally (as well as maybe hand-rendered). The ones that work digitally appear to be a very common form of illustrator that are always high in demand by clients, whereas the ones who prefer the messy side of things are potentially seen as being backward, childish and not up with the times. Hand rendered illustration can however fall into categories, such as fine art, so that's proof all illustrators have a chance.

 My own work is as of recently extremely hand-rendered and messy. I like working this way because I feel it truly expresses myself. Whenever digital application came into my work, I'd just feel my work had been drained of it's life and wasn't mine any more,  but what the client wants. Heading into a new contemporary world evokes the mood that everything should be more clean-cut and higher defined than ever before. This is why perhaps so many illustrators end up working digitally: because the media says that's the only way to get a job in the new world. I originally studied graphics, so I attained a grasp of what their main strive was and it revolved mainly around money, business and professionalism. Illustration comes under this as well now because of the commercial digital field.

 Will illustration survive? I believe it will because there are children's stories still being read in the world that obtain that innocent nature illustration naturally acquires. As long as stories continue to be told, illustration will live on.