The secrets of illustration

Sometimes it's easy to become overawed by the power of the moving image: to strive to capture the epic sweep of a crowd scene, the shifting play of light on wall, or the nuances of a human gesture. But despite the millions of dollars spent on research and the billions of CPU cycles ploughed into dynamic AI, particle simulations and motion capture each year, much of the bread and butter work for 3D artists is destined for that most static of all distribution media: print.

In contrast to animation and special effects, illustration an industry in which a lone artist can compete with the major studios on even terms. Although you will still need decent tools to do a professional job, you won't need to spend a fortune on R&D. But while the opportunity to strike out on your own is often a productive one, it also means that you stand or fall on the quality of your work and your professionalism alone.

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.