Illustration facts for kids

Illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith (1863–1935)

An illustration is a picture or drawing that helps explain or decorate something. It can be a visual explanation of a story, an idea, or how something works. You can find illustrations in many places, like books, magazines, posters, and even video games and movies!

The word "illustration" comes from an old Latin word, illustrare, which means "to light up" or "make clear." So, an illustration helps make things clear by showing them visually.

Modern Illustration Styles

"Illustration beats explanation" Western Engraving & Colortype Co. (1916)

The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel (1820–1914)

Today, illustrators use many different styles and methods. They might use traditional art forms like drawing, painting, or printmaking. They also use modern techniques like digital design, 3D modelling, and even multimedia. Most illustrators work for themselves, taking on different projects.

Illustrations can look very different depending on what they are for. Some are very realistic, while others are more expressive or stylized. They can be used to show facts or to create fantasy worlds.

Here are some common types of illustration:

• Book illustration (pictures in books)
• Botanical illustration (drawings of plants)
• Concept art (ideas for games or movies)
• Editorial Illustration (for newspapers and magazines)
• Fantasy Illustration (for fantasy stories)
• Fashion illustration (drawings of clothes)
• Lifestyle Illustration (showing everyday life)
• Political Illustration (cartoons about politics)
• Technical illustration (showing how machines work)
• Medical illustration (drawings for medicine)
• Scientific illustration (drawings for science)

Technical and Scientific Drawings

Exploded-view diagram of a gear pump (c 2007)

Cutaway drawing of the Nash 600, an American car from the 1940s (1942)

Technical and scientific illustration are special kinds of drawings. They help explain complex information about science or technology. For example, they might show an exploded view of a machine, so you can see all its parts. Or they might show a cutaway view, which is like looking inside something.

The main goal of these illustrations is to make difficult topics easy to understand. They help people who are not experts learn about how things work. They make sure you get a good idea of what an object is or does.

Today, illustrators often use computer software to create these drawings. This makes them very accurate and easy to update. It also means the drawings can be used in many different ways.

Illustration as Art

For a long time, some people thought illustration was not as important as other types of art, like graphic design or fine art.

But now, illustration is becoming much more recognized as a valuable art form. This is partly because of how popular graphic novels and video games have become. Illustration is also used more often in magazines and other publications. It can reach people all over the world.

Sometimes, original illustration artwork can sell for a lot of money. For example, a painting by the American artist Norman Rockwell called "Breaking Home Ties" sold for over 15 million US dollars in 2006!

Images for kids

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  Illustrations of various insects, drawn in 1833 by J. Tastu

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  Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing by William Blake (1786)

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  An engraving by Georgius Agricola or Georg Bauer (1494–1555), illustrating the mining practice of fire-setting

See also

In Spanish: Ilustración (obra gráfica) para niños