How to Become an Illustrator in Wyoming

Many visual artists in the wide-open state of Wyoming find a steady stream of work in the field of commercial graphic design.  Wyoming businesses maintain a continuous demand for talented local visual arts professionals, especially artists with advanced illustration technique.

Wyoming Schools and Training Programs for Illustrators

Wyoming's rugged landscape is dotted with colleges and private art studios that offer various training options for aspiring commercial illustrators.  Wyoming colleges with graphic design divisions include Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, University of Wyoming in Laramie, University of Mary in Casper, Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs and Northwest College in Powell.

However, alternative educational options also exist.  Wyoming artists frequently acquire professional design skills via accredited online schools.  Successful examples include University of Phoenix, ITT Tech, National University, The Art Institutes, Full Sail University, DeVry and Stratford Career Institute.  Competitive online schools also feature supplemental local facilities.  University of Phoenix has a campus in Cheyenne. 

Working as an Illustrator in Wyoming

Wyoming businesses looking to hire illustration artists often contact local graphic design firms like Quirk Graphics in Cheyenne, Rat Graphics in Casper, Graphics & Decal Designs in Lovell, Grooman Graphics in Laramie and CommuniGraphics in Cody, to name only a few.  Some local illustrators design body art for tattoo establishments like Backstreet Tattoo in Sheridan, Wishbone Tattoo in Mills, Tribe Tattoo in Cheyenne or Constant Creations in Torrington. 

Technical illustrators often work for Wyoming-based engineering groups such as Apex Surveying in Riverton, BRS in Cheyenne, Graham-Dietz in Cody, Nelson Engineering in Jackson and Stetson Engineering in Gillette, among others.  Some Wyoming artists design anatomical artwork for medical illustration companies like Medical Arts Laboratory in Gillette, Artistic Alternative in Sheridan or James Boardman in Dubois. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide current data regarding the average annual income of professional full time illustrators employed in the state of Wyoming.  

Skills of a Professional Illustrator

Illustration professionals are talented visual artists who create original, detailed, innovative hand-rendered images for business identity packages, marketing campaigns, websites, interactive games, posters, stationery, 3D-animation and other commercial projects.  Professional illustrators are fully familiar with traditional and digital design methods.  Popular illustration software programs include Macromedia Freehand, ACD Canvas, Auto CAD, Vector Eye and e-Picture Pro.