MARCSCHEFF

ILLUSTRATION

A little off the illustration topic, I just designed and built a website for the fabulous Shira Loa. Click on the image to see her metalwork jewelry, sculpture, and gorgeous Kiyumi jewelry. I’m commissioning a piece now and can’t wait to see it. Take a look at Shira’s site for more.

Back on topic, people often ask me what the difference is between an artist, a painter, an illustrator, a designer, and so on. The truth is, you have to be a little of everything, no matter what your focus. Designers are telling stories, just like illustrators do, their visual language is just different. Similarly, illustrators are thinking about composition, color, value, balance, and message just like a designer does. The difference in vocabulary is all there is, and every artist, painter, illustrator, and designer is using their own dictionary to communicate something. That might be a feeling like happiness or melancholy, or a message like “buy this product” or “this web site is fun.” In any case, I’m an illustrator, and to do that I have to be a designer, a painter, and above all else, an artist.