The editorial illustration market has changed dramatically since the “golden days” of Norman Rockwell, the most famous editorial illustrator. While some contemporary magazines and newspapers continue to print illustrations in a representational style, most, but not all, editorial illustrations being commissioned today are “conceptual” and “decorative” images that capture the soul of a written text as opposed to depicting realistic scenes from an article or story. There are a handful of high-visibility newspapers and commercial magazines in the country where the competition for entry is fierce, but where one’s work can reach a wide audience.
Editorial illustrators may also find work from hundreds of smaller trade magazines that exist (“trade” referring to publishers that focus on particular industries, topics, or professions as opposed to targeting their publications toward a general readership). With so many artists available to editorial art buyers in this particular pool, it’s not surprising that the prices for commissioned illustrations in this field can be on the moderate to low end.
Stripped © 2014 Peter Kuper
Migros Social Media © 2014 Christian Lindeman
An English Drive © 2014 Robert Saunders