How to Become an Illustrator in Riverside, California

As the global demand for visual media steadily increases, visual artists in the city of Riverside, California continue to land lucrative local positions as illustrators.  Illustration is among the most specialized professions in the field of visual arts, and not a lot of artists are illustrators.  Providing you have what it takes, many jobs for illustrators are available right here in Riverside.

Riverside Schools and Training Programs for Illustrators

Colleges and independent design schools in Riverside, California offer classes, workshops and even graduate studies in illustrative arts. Accredited Riverside area design colleges include Riverside Community College, California Baptist University and La Sierra University, all located in Riverside, as well as Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino Valley College, not too far from Riverside. 

In any case, many Riverside artists are lately acquiring illustration skills and professional degrees via virtual college art programs.  Successful accredited online art colleges include Full Sail University, Stratford Career Institute, University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes, DeVry and ITT Tech.  Some internet-based design schools even provide campus-based educational alternatives.  University of Phoenix, ITT Tech and The Art Institute each have a campus in San Bernardino.  DeVry has a training center in Anaheim.  Both cities are easily accessible from Riverside.

Working as an Illustrator in Riverside, California

Commercial businesses in Riverside, California that hire local illustrators include Universities, news syndicates, software developers, animation studios and textile manufacturers.  Some local illustrators create technical drawings for important Riverside engineering firms like Atech-Engineering, Carmic-Engineering, Ram-Engineering, Southland-Engineering and Unbalanced-Engineering, for instance.  Other Riverside artists illustrate commercial art for local graphic design companies like Dynamic-Graphics, Esparza, Funkshun-Graphics, Inland-Graphics and Ovation-Graphics, among others.

Full time professional illustrators employed in the city of Riverside, California report an average annual salary of about $69,100, and a mean hourly rate of around $33.20.  Riverside businesses employ about sixty full time illustrators, not including local freelance professionals.

Skills of a Professional Illustrator

Very basic illustration skills are self-taught.  The only way to learn how to draw is to start drawing.  Beginners are encouraged to start by imitation. Copy existing photos and artwork until you can visually duplicate them to some extent.  Continue with alteration and embellishment.  In other words, change the copied design in a way that makes it your own original work.  Professional illustrators can color and draw in various different styles and media.  They are also familiar with photography and proficient with digital illustration software applications. Interpersonal skills most essential to professional illustrators are patience, persistence and and a passion for art.