Creative Technical Illustration
In simple terms, technical illustrators make pictures that explain things.
Their work has an authoritative feel, giving the viewer a sense they are getting a privileged look at inside information. Within the small but growing field of technical illustration there is a surprising diversity of styles that answer various needs.
Complex cuts along with 2 point perspective are used in this building cutaway. The client manufactures electrical wire so that system is color coded in dark blue to stand out.
What is Creative Technical Illustration?
The sub-genre of Creative Technical Illustration is less strict than some. It explains things to non-professionals. It allows a greater degree of artistic interpretation but requires an advanced understanding of how to craft an effective visual explanation.
Good pieces are very selective about what they include. Non-essential elements that might distract from the message are eliminated. Important aspects call attention to themselves using various pictorial devices. Two of the most common visual devices are ghosts and cutaways, both of which enable the illustrator to call attention to things normally hidden from view. Use of these, as well as others like bold outlines, bright colors, and sharply focus details are all at the disposal of the artist and in skilled hands can be used to direct the viewers attention to great effect.
How does it differ?
Creative technical illustration distinguishes itself in several ways. It does not need to be as comprehensive as work used in parts manuals. For obvious reasons it would be a bad thing for an illustrator to leave out a given machine part for aesthetic layout reasons. Technicians and even DIY people need complete information to be able to safely do their job.
Scientific and medical illustrators must have a level of subject knowledge comparable to professionals in their respective fields. The subject matter is esoteric and the intended audience is often limited to professionals within the field.
In advertising, though the work is technical in appearance the true emphasis is on the visual effect, the WOW factor, that will grab a potential consumers attention.
Making it better!
Technical illustration can sometimes appear sterile. To help the viewer relate to the subject, I often include figures in my work. The usual array of pictorial devices is powerful but the inclusion of figures will immediately establish a sense of scale. It puts the product in context and can sometimes suggest new uses to the consumer.
If you are interested in work with a higher degree of realism, see the Realistic Illustration section of my portfolio. Samples there are fully developed to describe both surface and form.