What You Need to Know to Be an Illustrator in Indiana

The state of Indiana has many thousand local artists seeking work in the competitive field of illustration design.  Illustrators design cover art, typesetting, comic pages, storyboards, websites, brand logos and more.  Indiana commercial companies represent an ongoing demand for talented local illustration artists.

Indiana Schools and Training Programs for Illustrators

Colleges and private art studios in the state of Indiana feature a broad selection of classes and degree programs in illustrative arts.  Accredited Indiana colleges with acclaimed arts divisions include Purdue University, Ball State, Harrison College, Huntington University, Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College, to mention only a few.

Nowadays, numerous Indiana illustration artists acquire professional skills and degrees via the internet. Successful accredited online colleges of art and design include Post University, Full Sail University, DeVry, National University, Stratford Career Institute, University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes and ITT Tech.  Some accredited online design schools are known for providing supplemental local campuses across America.  University of Phoenix has campuses in Indianapolis, Plainfield and Merrillville.  DeVry maintains facilities in Indianapolis and Merrillville.  ITT Tech has locations in Indianapolis, Merrillville, Newburgh, South Bend and Fort Wayne. The Art Institutes runs an Indianapolis facility.
 
Working as an Illustrator in Indiana

Indiana corporations and private businesses that recruit the services of local illustrators include info tech corporations, legal service providers, online news syndicates, website developers and ad agencies.  Some local illustrators join leading Indiana graphic design firms.  Prime examples include NVS Design in Indianapolis, Wrap 'n Tag in Elkhart, Hounder Bounder Graphics in Lafayette, J-Tees in Seymour and The Creative Warehouse in Greenwood.  Other Indiana illustrative artists work for top local engineering firms like Design Aire Engineering in Indianapolis, Cybermetrix in Columbus, Aaron Engineering in Elkhart, Abonmarche Consultants in South Bend and Benchmark in Brownsburg, among others.

Professional illustrators employed full time in the state of Indiana report an average annual salary of about $49,530, with a reported mean hourly wage of around $23.80.  Indiana companies support approximately seventy full time illustrators.

Skills of a Professional Illustrator

Professional illustrators are highly skilled artists who can draw compelling, recognizable forms with ease.  Employers expect illustrators to consistently produce high quality artwork in great quantity.  Professional illustrators cannot afford to wait for “inspiration.”  Rather, they are inspired by their paychecks.  Most illustrators are entirely familiar with one or more digital design software packages.  Among the more popular versions are Creature House, Intaglio, Real Draw Pro, Flash and Microsoft Expression Design.  Essential interpersonal qualities for professional illustration work include persistence, productivity, clear comprehension and sharp attention to detail.