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Illustration Quotes

Drawing meaning, one line at a time.

These illustration quotes come mostly from people who trained for it directly — BFA programs, art institutes — and talk about illustration as both craft and a way of explaining ideas that plain description can't reach. A few reflect on the discomfort of teaching it too early.

My autobiography is a digressive illustration and exemplification of what race has meant in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Quotes by W. E. B. Du Bois

You have to make thousands and thousands of drawings before an illustration is perfected.

Quotes by Richard MacDonald

I went to Maryland Institute College of Art, and I studied illustration there.

Quotes by Noelle Stevenson

I have a BFA in illustration.

Quotes by Mike Shinoda

Art Quotes

I've done a bit of teaching, but I gave it up - I felt uneasy teaching illustration to people who hadn't yet learned to draw.

Quotes by Michael Foreman

I was doing illustration work, and the cartooning slowly took over.

Quotes by Max Cannon

The generic Canadian style of illustration is different from the generic American style.

Quotes by John Kricfalusi

I have been illustrating Tolkien's books ever since I first read them, long before illustration became my profession.

Quotes by John Howe

I've done illustration on the side. But other than that, comics have been my main things.

Quotes by Jaime Hernandez

Creativity Quotes

I write the poems first, with only a few exceptions for odd reasons, where I'm given the illustration first.

Quotes by Jack Prelutsky

What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?

Quotes by Henry James

I got my diploma from Ealing College of Art, in graphics and illustration.

Quotes by Freddie Mercury

I think there's art, and then there's illustration. Art comes from a deeper place.

Quotes by Brian Stelfreeze

I've always felt that I was a bit of an outsider to the British children's-book illustration scene, because I don't work in line and wash.

Quotes by Anthony Browne

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is typically speaking in these illustration quotes?
Mostly working artists and writers reflecting on their formal training, such as art school or a BFA program, and how illustration functions as both craft and communication.
Do these quotes treat illustration as just decoration?
No, one describes their own autobiography as a "digressive illustration" of what race has meant historically, using the word to mean explanation as much as drawing.
What's the honest take on teaching illustration in these quotes?
One speaker admits giving up teaching illustration because it felt uneasy instructing people before they had picked up basic drawing skills, a candid note on skill sequencing.
Where did these speakers study illustration?
At least one mentions the Maryland Institute College of Art specifically, alongside general references to earning a BFA in the subject.
What related topics pair with illustration quotes?
For more on the creative side of this work, see Art Quotes or Creativity Quotes.

For more on the creative process, see Art Quotes and Creativity Quotes.