Is there a particular style of illustration that you love? Maybe you can't get enough of the incredible skill that goes into realism, or you get absorbed into the magical worlds of fantasy art for hours on end.
We get it. We’re illustration nerds too.
There are so many styles of illustration to enjoy, and exploring the variety of visual styles out there can help you find your own and get inspired by what appeals to you. That’s why we love to follow new illustration trends and try them out for ourselves.
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From expressive images of natural elements to impressive character development to subtle depictions of daily life, illustration is an incredibly versatile artistic practice.
Creating an illustration is a great way to visualize your ideas. Compelling illustrations can bring a character to life or create a compelling brand image.
Think of the beloved characters from your favorite cartoon shows, or the examples of illustration that you grew up seeing on your television screen or in picture books. Illustrations have raised us all.
Often, illustrations in cartoons or picture books are a child’s first experience with art. In fact, illustrations for children is a whole genre in itself.
Whether you're just getting started as an illustrator or you’re an expert in the field, brushing up on your illustration skills and trends in the design field is necessary.
Your illustration and design skills are something that you should continue to refine and practice. You’ll need to learn all about color theory, traditional drawing styles, the best illustration program to use, and what is popular in contemporary illustration.
Like all creative industries, establishing your own personal style in illustration is critical. To do that, you need to learn all about the styles of illustration and get inspired by examples of illustration created by famous illustrators.
In this article, we'll look at 12 styles of digital illustration, along with some inspiring examples so you can better understand each.
A Brief History of Illustration
Throughout the history of illustration, new artists have continued to evolve and grow their personal style. The art we see from the 15th century heavily influenced the 17th century, which in turn influenced the 19th century art that brought around the illustration styles we know today.
Some of the earliest published Illustrations can be found in books dating back to the 14th century. Since then, people have been creating illustrations for books, magazines, ads, and much more.
Now, in the modern age, we see illustrations in the advertising industry and in website design.
Visual design has come a long way since the first known illustrations, and we have some pretty fantastic illustrators to thank for that. Their illustrious careers in illustration have led to others adopting this art form and keeping it alive.
There are countless successful illustrators that have established strong careers in illustration.
Some of the best-known illustrators include Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak, and Hayao Miyazaki.
What are the Different Styles of Illustration?
Traditional illustration started with drawing, painting, and carving in a traditional medium. It's an art form that manifested in a wide variety of techniques, such as:
- Block illustration
- Charcoal illustration
- Ink illustration
- Woodcut illustration
- Watercolor illustration
- Advertising Illustration
- Scientific illustration
- Pencil Illustration
- Collage Illustration
- Acrylic Illustration
These techniques of illustration are still used and loved, but as our tools have evolved, so have our modern illustration techniques. Most illustrators have turned to digital tools to create vector illustrations. With these digital tools, artists can create anything with just one device.
A vector graphics software such as Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator) is perfect for illustration. Our brilliant software gives you the freedom to draw digitally in your own style with great detail and print at scale without losing quality.
Illustrative styles are influenced by various types of art and artistic movements. While there are specific genres of illustration that we'll look at below, it's good to have an idea of how many cultural elements can influence illustration designs.
Movements like Bauhaus, Pop Art, Surrealism, glitch art, and many more also influence graphic designers and illustrators in developing their unique style.
The fantastic thing about digital art is that it gives digital artists the freedom to experiment with absolutely every style in a variety of formats.
Without further ado, let's check out the different styles of illustration.
Vintage and Retro
Styles from the past inspire vintage and retro illustration, usually from the early 1900’s up until the ’90s. This style might be employed for one particular project inspired by a throwback theme to capture a certain feeling—for instance, the bubbly vibrance of the ‘80s or the elegance of the roaring ‘20s. Illustrators might be inspired to shape their unique style around the aesthetic of an era from the past.
Neil Stevens is an illustrator who has had success creating his style around a vintage-inspired theme. With work for clients such as The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Washington Post in his portfolio, cultivating this style has served him well.
Malika Favre is another well-known digital artist whose retro style is described as "Pop Art meets OpArt." The sex appeal of the '50s and '60s meets contemporary minimalism in her work to create irresistible retro-inspired illustrations.
If you decide to embrace a vintage or retro illustrator style, you’re sure to build a portfolio of clients who love your work.
Realism
The Tate Museum describes realism as follows:
“In its specific sense realism refers to a mid-nineteenth-century artistic movement characterized by subjects painted from everyday life in a naturalistic manner; however, the term is also generally used to describe artworks painted in a realistic almost photographic way.”
Realism is a popular style in modern digital illustration. It ranges from stylized subject matter loosely representing reality to photorealism and hyperrealism, which aim to represent reality and the human form as closely as possible. These talented artists can capture reality either through immense detail, brilliant portrayal of emotion, or perfect accuracy in composition.
However, a lot of realistic vector art still keeps a little artistic flair and stylization while resembling the real. If you look at this example from digital illustrator Abdelrahman Taymour below, you’ll see how he uses stylized texture to bring artistic flair to the portrait while still capturing Walter White with realistic detail.
On the other hand, you might be blown away by Irakli Nadar’s hyperreal digital paintings. These amazing illustrations exemplify excruciating attention to detail.
Realistic illustration styles are a great way to practice and showcase your skill as an artist, and a surefire way to impress your audience and potential clients.
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