Illustration Schools in Illinois

Illinois is no stranger to firsts. The world’s first skyscraper was built in Chicago and Des Plaines is home to the very first McDonald’s. The state is home to the world’s largest public library—The Chicago Public Library, and Chicago’s largest downtown post office is the only postal facility in the world you can drive a car through! Ok, so just about everything big happens in Chicago, but when it comes to education, many of the best colleges and universities can be found from Chicago all the way down to Decatur.

Illinois is home to more than 180 accredited colleges and universities. Many of these schools have art and design programs. A handful offer illustration programs at all degree levels including: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B. F. A.), Master of Arts (M.A.), and Master of Fine Arts (M. F. A). Illinois is also home to big advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett and J. Walter Thompson, publishing companies such as Johnson Publishing Company, media firms such as Tribune Media Group, and hundreds of art, design, and animation studios. This means, graduates here will have plenty of quality job opportunities to choose from.

Illinois Illustration Schools

Illinois is home to several schools that offer a degree in illustration or a concentration in illustration. Scroll through the list below to take a look at Illinois’s illustration schools and what they have to offer.

Chicago
Columbia College - Degrees Offered: B. A. Art and Design; B. A. Film and Video with Animation (Traditional or Computer) Concentration; B. A. Game Design with Concentration in Game Art, Game Development, Programming or Game Sound; B. F. A. Graphic Design, Illustration; B. A., B. F. A. Interactive Arts and Media

DeKalb
Northern Illinois University - Degrees Offered:  B. F. A. Design – Visual Communication, Illustration, Time Arts; M. F. A. Studio Art, Studio Art – Design, Time Arts

Peoria
Bradley University - Degrees Offered:  B. A., B. S., B. F. A. Art with Concentration in Graphic Design; B. A., B. S. Interactive Media with Concentration in Animation and Visual Effects, Game Design or Web and Application Design; M. A., M. F. A. Drawing/Illustration, Visual Communications and Design

More Illinois Schools with Illustration related programs:  

Employment and Salary Trends for Illinois Illustrators

Illinois is home to nearly 70,000 salaried artists. Around 350 are fine artists/illustrators. The population of salaried illustrators living in Illinois has decreased since 2002, when the state was home to 650 illustrators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report figures for freelance illustrators in Illinois, so it is possible that hundreds of freelance illustrators are active here, especially in Chicago. While the population of salaried illustrators decreased over the years, the average salary increased from $44,750 in 2002 to $47,600 in 2010.

Across the nation, there are more than 23,000 salaried fine artists/illustrators and thousands of independent artists. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a 9 percent increase in the population of illustrators between 2008 and 2018. This means, in the next 6 years, the population could hit 25,700. In 2010, the median annual wages of illustrators nationwide were $42,650. The lowest paid illustrators earned less than $20,780, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $83,410. The middle 50 percent earned between $29,230 and $60,650.

The Bureau reports an average salary of $51,340 for independent artists (nationwide). However, “earnings for self-employed artists vary widely.” Independent illustrator’s that are new to the field can expect to earn as much as the lowest paid illustrators. Seasoned freelancers may earn more than the highest paid illustrators. Freelance artists are responsible for their own benefits, so this may affect salaries some.