Drawing artist to illustrator
A drawing artist already meets 42% of what the illustrator role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
59/ 100
1 How much of what an illustrator is expected to do is already part of a drawing artist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the illustrator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An illustrator role treats 7 of its required skills as things a drawing artist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- art history
- contextualise artistic work
- ensure visual quality of the set
- intellectual property law
- labour legislation
- perform ideation activities
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An illustrator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a drawing artist background worth leading with.
- already held perform ideation activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design greeting cards communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create original drawings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use traditional illustration techniques communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held select illustration styles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use digital illustration techniques working with computers
All 16 carried skills, including the 7 the illustrator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn consult with business clients required
- still to learn interpret illustration needs required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- still to learn follow a brief required
- optional, not held create animated narratives optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- still to learn analyse texts to be illustrated required
- still to learn gather reference materials for artwork required
- optional, not held gather reference materials optional
- still to learn finish project within budget required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an illustrator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse texts to be illustrated practise this
- 02 consult with business clients practise this
- 03 gather reference materials for artwork practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held art history knowledge
- already held contextualise artistic work skill
- already held ensure visual quality of the set skill
- already held intellectual property law knowledge
- already held labour legislation knowledge
- already held perform ideation activities skill
- already held select illustration styles skill
- already held collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions skill
- already held create original drawings skill
- already held create sketches skill
- already held design greeting cards skill
- already held develop artistic educational activities skill
- already held develop educational resources skill
- already held plan art educational activities skill
- already held use digital illustration techniques skill
- already held use traditional illustration techniques skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held create animated narratives optional
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held gather reference materials optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
14 held skills the illustrator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess conservation needs skill
- not needed by the target role create digital images skill
- not needed by the target role describe artistic experience skill
- not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
- not needed by the target role develop artistic project budgets skill
- not needed by the target role develop visual elements skill
- not needed by the target role discuss artwork skill
- not needed by the target role draw up artistic project proposals skill
- not needed by the target role identify artistic niche skill
- not needed by the target role keep personal administration skill
- not needed by the target role participate in artistic mediation activities skill
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role select artistic materials to create artworks skill
- not needed by the target role select subject matter skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
Common questions about this move
Can a drawing artist become an illustrator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A drawing artist already covers 42% of what an illustrator is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 7 of which the illustrator role treats as required.
What skills does a drawing artist need to become an illustrator?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse texts to be illustrated.
How hard is the move from drawing artist to illustrator?
Its learning distance is 59 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.