How to Become an Illustrator in Omaha, Nebraska

The city of Omaha, Nebraska has fifty thousand (or more) commercial enterprises including innumerable creative high tech firms.  Omaha also features more than its fair share of visual artists pursuing lucrative careers in the field of graphic design, especially illustration.  Omaha businesses maintain a continuous demand for professional illustrators.

Omaha Schools and Training Programs for Illustrators

The city of Omaha is replete with colleges, Universities and independent art studios where locals attend workshops and earn degrees in commercial illustration.  Aspiring Omaha illustrators attending local colleges typically study traditional visual arts and digital design.  Omaha colleges with fine arts divisions include University of Nebraska, Creighton University, Creative Center Art College, College of St. Mary and Metropolitan Community College.

Other Omaha artists interested in illustration obtain skills and degrees online.  Popular accredited internet-based colleges of commercial graphic design include the Academy of Art University, Post University, National University, Full Sail University, DeVry, Stratford Career Institute, University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes and ITT Tech.  Quite a few online educational programs supplement their coursework with convenient local campuses.  University of Phoenix and ITT Tech both have campuses in Omaha. 
 
Working as an Illustrator in Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha corporations that hire professional illustrators include printing companies, legal service corporations, book publishers, software developers and real estate agents.  Many Omaha illustrators work for leading local graphic design firms like Brun's Graphics, Leshay's Graphic Design, Red Eye Graphic Design, Palmore Graphics and Thielker Graphics, for example. 

Some local illustrators create complex technical drawings for Omaha engineering firms like Treo Engineering, Provaznik Engineering, Acme Engineering, Filips Engineering and Engineering Technologies, among others.  Especially precise local artists are sometimes employed by medical illustration companies such as Auto Medic, Window Medics or RWH Medical. 

Professional illustrators employed full time in the city of Omaha, Nebraska report an average annual earning of about $37,440, with a mean hourly wage of around $18.00.  However, these estimates do not reflect the unreported incomes of part time illustrators and local freelance professionals. 

Skills of a Professional Illustrator

Professional illustrators are naturally talented visual artists who hand-draw and color images with breath-taking clarity and speed.  Illustrators are comfortable in various styles and settings, able to adjust the “look & feel” of each new project as needed.  Professional illustrators are relied upon to consistently produce innovative, appealing, stylistically appropriate artwork. Other important skills include image manipulation, photo editing and feature writing.  Most illustration professionals are also entirely familiar with various digital illustration design software packages.  Currently popular varieties include Creature House, Microsoft Expression Design, Adobe PhotoShop, Freeverse-Lineform and Sketsa SVG.