How to Become an Illustrator in El Paso, Texas

The far western city of El Paso, Texas contains thousands of corporations and privately funded businesses, including a few dozen Fortune 500 companies.  Talented visual artists all over El Paso consistently find work in the field of graphic design, especially as commercial illustrators.

El Paso Schools and Training Programs for Illustrators

Colleges and art schools in El Paso, Texas offer an expansive assortment of educational options for aspiring commercial illustrators.  Excellent El Paso colleges with fine arts divisions include University of Texas at El Paso, Texas Tech College of Architecture, El Paso Community College, Park University, Webster University and Hearts for Worship School of Art, among others.

Alternatively, many El Paso artists acquire professional skills and graphic arts degrees online.  Successful accredited internet schools of visual arts include University of Phoenix, Full Sail University, ITT Tech, The Art Institutes, National University, DeVry and Stratford Career Institute, to name just a few.  In many cases, online design colleges also run convenient local training centers.  University of Phoenix has a campus in El Paso.

Working as an Illustrator in El Paso, Texas

Many commercial illustrators in El Paso, Texas work for local graphic design firms like Graphic Innovations, Walrus Graphics, AMF Graphic Design, Guerrilla Graphics and Graphic Sports Designs, for example.  Other El Paso artists might hook up with local tattoo parlors   such as Spitfire Tattoos, Blackjack Tattoos, Twisted Tattoo or Inklination. 

Technical illustrators often join local engineering firms like Robert Navarro, WH Pacific, Bath Engineering, AMEC and SLI Engineering, among others.  Precision illustrators sometimes land gigs with El Paso-based medical illustration companies like Albert Juarez, Exhibits Specialties or Medical Arts Pharmacy. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently revealed that professional illustrators employed full time at companies in El Paso, Texas report an average annual salary of about $26,670, with a reported mean hourly wage of around $12.80.  These figures, however, do not reflect the incomes of part timers or local freelance professionals.

Skills of a Professional Illustrator

The typical professional illustrator, if there exists such a thing, is a skilled visual detail artist with stylistic versatility appropriate for numerous commercial settings.  The best commercial illustrator is a team oriented, self motivated, creative problem solver with years of graphic design experience.  Illustrators are usually fully familiar with various related digital design software.  Popular illustration software packages include Creature House, Sothink-Logo-Maker, Zoner Draw, Adobe Lightroom and Diagram Designer.