According to the lexical definition, an illustration is a non-verbal representation of a concept, idea, or text. Illustration can be done in various media and using various means: music, poetry, storytelling, photography, collage, drawing, paper cutting, and any other way the illustrator chooses.
Contrary to painting, which belongs to the field of art, illustration is always obligated to serve the text it is "based on." Therefore, the illustration must be communicative and have a message that can be interpreted. The illustration contains creative and artistic elements in order to convey the content and the illustrator's critique in an original, authentic, and interesting way.
Painting by Yana Blakman
Most of the time, people tend to think that illustration is specifically a matter of technique and also tend to confuse the concept of drawing.
Digital painting by artist AyalaTal
Even here, we tend to think that because there is technology involved such as digital painting, photography, and more, this is an illustration, but that is not the case - the work in question is considered a digital painting.
In summary, even an oil painting or aquarelle can be an illustration when it represents or explains a specific text. However, an illustration does not have to be a drawing or any other technique. If it stands on its own, it would be considered a painting.
It is worth noting that we offer a range of services in this field such as art photography, painting scans, and more.