a career in illustration / design?

Hi, there, i really don't mean to scare you... but, it isn't easy being a professional illustrator or designer. (i used to be a storyboard artist myself, but latter become a traditional massage therapist. =_=. )

okay, as to what i know about illustration field:

you might want to submit samples of your art work to local publishers, for editorial illustration market... although, that is extremely tough and picky, you have to be either a style mocking master (to famous and popular artists) or someone who's really good and unique and special enough, in order to get their attention.

Children's book industry is another option, same way to reach publisher / editor / art director.

Storyboarding can be fun, but there are less need of storyboards nowadays, as stock images become the main source of some cheap as$ art directors who doesn't care about the quality of their presentations. =3=.

fashion illustration is much, much more tougher, as it takes not only good artistic sense and skill...it's actually more of who you know and who knows you. =_=.

Since i know very little about graphic or industrial or environmental design and technical illustration, i will leave that to someone else to answer.

But, if you have other skills, i wouldn't recommend you to set your goal a professional illustrator, it ain't as easy as most art college student imagine.

You can always keep drawing and painting your side job and personal habit, but, in order to make a living, a decent living, you really should consider some thing more realistic. Good luck, and enjoy the art^^

i agree with meow - it's not easy to be an illustrator, especially when you're storyboarding! ahh!

i'm currently in art school studying graphic design and we have to take sketching/storyboarding as a basic learning course...and it's so tough! which is why i'm a graphic designer...haha.

anyways, first of all, i think it's great that you're looking to start a new career in illustration/design. i think more people need to value the arts a lot more...we have tons of talented artists out there that don't recognize or utilize their potential because of the whole "starving artist" misconception. (which isn't really a misconception 'cause i'm hustlin to get by these days! haha!)

but i digress...

because everything is so technology-based, it would be easier for you to find a job as a graphic designer. the setback is that there are probably tons of other people trying to be one also. but as a graphic designer, you can pretty much do anything - advertisements, packaging, website design, branding (logos, etc), business cards, etc. it's true that anyone can learn photoshop, illustrator, indesign, etc, but if you got ideas and you can make a portfolio that shows everything you made whether for class or in your free time, you're golden!

i've been jumping from major to major and school to school for so long that after settling on graphic design and art school, i have seriously never been so inspired, creative & satisfied. i hope that whatever you choose to do in the future, you have fun with it...that's what it's all about! but as far as graphic design goes, it's a great career to think about! but...i'm biased. =)