Digital media, and specifically the PhotoShop extension, has had a profound influence on the way that art directors and designers currently view illustration. Once graphic designers depended on the rendering skills and conceptual acuity of illustrators. Now they can assemble ersatz illustration-collages by themselves. PhotoShop has certainly not replaced illustrators altogether (and many fine illustrators employ PhotoShop as a tool), but this tool is far more threatening than any previous technological development in the history of illustration.
Steve Hellars article is all about the possible end of illustration or illustrators as a general job. He mentions the rise of computer aided design and the general loss of handmade and handcrafted art skills. He recognizes that "Some graphic designers occasionally used their own collage and montage to bypass illustrators altogether; currently with PhotoShop this is a common practice." This is something that I feel like could have a big impact on my own future as there is no guarantee of job security or a stable future in illustration.
Saying that trends change, and handcrafted art rather than digital art could become popular again just like it did with artists like Craig Atkinson. Who's hand drawn illustration came back into fashions during the early 2000s. I do feel very frustrated in particular with this issue, having experienced many university open days with barely any hand drawn work, most of it was all digital vector images. I felt like I was looking at the same image over and over again wherever I went.
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