Techncial Illustration ... is it becoming extinct? And if so ... where can we utitize our talents elsewhere?

I have worked in the technical publications field for more than 30 yrs, primarily as a technical illustrator. I always loved the work. For me it was the perfect blend of my creative/artistic side and my logical/analytical side. However, the profession has changed dramatically over the years and recently it has become increasingly difficult to find any job security in the field. Probably the biggest change was the evolution from the drawing board to computers. Sadly, many outstanding illustrators simply could not make the adjustment. For those of us who did, many compromises were required. Less focus on quality and more focus on production. Less creative because often illustrations were created by one illustrator and revised or modified by another. Lately, many of the larger companies that have employed technical illustrators in the past (like aeronautical manufacturers) are opting to farm their technical publications work (including illustrations) to overseas contractors who work for considerably less. The quality and effectiveness of the illustration work has suffered but that doesn’t seem to matter to those paying for the services.

My questions are as follows:
1.Is technical illustration becoming extinct (i.e. a lost art)?
2.Where can a long time technical illustrator utilize his skills in another field?

Hi Gary, You are right in what you say. The Tech Pubs environment has changed vastly over the last decade or so. Traditional illustrators are almost extinct. They needed to adapt to use industry standard packages like IsoDraw etc. I now work as a freelance illustrator, picking up contracts wherever I can. It is the sad way of the world. Quality has given way to production. I have also had to supplement my income with fine art. There is at least for the time being a true creative feeling to ones services.

Mike in Perth, Australia said: Hi Gary, You are right in what you say. The Tech Pubs environment has changed vastly over the last decade or so. Traditional illustrators are almost extinct. They needed to adapt to use industry standard packages like IsoDraw etc. I now work as a freelance illustrator, picking up contracts wherever I can. It is the sad way of the world. Quality has given way to production. I have also had to supplement my income with fine art. There is at least for the time being a true creative feeling to ones services.

Mike ... I'm not sure adapting is the answer either. I've been using IsoDraw and a host of other applications to create technical illustrations for many years now. Most large companies insist that their engineering departments create solid models that can then be leveraged to create isometric explodes for parts manuals, installation instructions. etc. The idea is with the essence of these technical illustrations already in tact, any enginner can create technical manuals in their free-time. You know ... im between important engineering projects. It's sad becasue whenever I see a document that has been created by someone other than an experienced technical illustrator ... it is so obvious. Improper use of white space, inconsistent presentation of reference numbers, improper use of flowlines, centerlines & leader lines, etc. In the end, the person using the document suffers. They have trouble finding the part they are looking for, understanding how it gets installed or miss some other vaulable data.

I thank you for your understanding an d sensitivity to the issue.

Hi all, I've been a technical illustrator for almost 20 yrs. Working in the aerospace industry, and I've been lucky so far. What has helped me in the past, is adapting my work to all the graphic program there is to offer. Not just Isodraw, but Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Corell, and many others. So when your work inviroment changes you can change with it, some times you need to be creative to keep your job from being farmed out. I hope that our new president can find a way to keep our work at home, and help our country grow again.

Tony in Burbank, California said: Hi all, I've been a technical illustrator for almost 20 yrs. Working in the aerospace industry, and I've been lucky so far. What has helped me in the past, is adapting my work to all the graphic program there is to offer. Not just Isodraw, but Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Corell, and many others. So when your work inviroment changes you can change with it, some times you need to be creative to keep your job from being farmed out. I hope that our new president can find a way to keep our work at home, and help our country grow again.

Tony,
Thanks for the input! The one thing I find interesting is how the priorities of our profession have changed. Like I said I’ve been doing technical illustration for more than 30 yrs so when I began we were inking on mylar with Rapidograph technical pens & using templates and triangles. It was labor intensive and extremely creative work. The priority was on being accurate, depicting things as they look and validating the technical data.

Then computers came along with AutoCad and other applications that were primarily CAD programs that could also be used to do technical illustration. In the early stages our priority seemed to be determining what we could & couldn’t do with this new tool and making it work for us.

As technology evolved we same high-end computer systems like CATIA, InterCAP, Unigraphics, SolidWorks and others emerge. While these systems were very expensive and not very user-friendly they enabled engineers to develop solid models that were primarily used for design & testing but could also be leveraged to do technical illustration. Of course this created the need to make compromises … like using a single line weight, the need to get design files from vendors, etc. The priority quickly switched to becoming more efficient and producing more with less. Often accuracy and quality suffered when they stood in the way of efficiency and reducing the turn-arou

Continued ...
Often accuracy and quality suffered when they stood in the way of efficiency and reducing the turn-around time. I remember trying to get some of the employers I worked for to consider letting me use IsoDraw and being told that it was sophisticated enough to do the more complex work required of the aerospace & other industries.

Now, it seems like we’ve come full circle … we are seeing the departure from the more complex applications and a return to the less sophisticated (and less expensive) applications like IsoDraw, CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, etc. Again … we continue to see compromises being made on the quality and accuracy of the work in the name of cost reductions. Don’t get me wrong … there have also been improvements in these applications and more reliability in the file sharing between systems that have played a role in all of this happening, but I still think the primary motivation for this change is cost.

I agree with you that in order to stay valuable you do need to stay creative. However, I’m just not sure that all the creativity in the world will prevent some of the major players (GE, P&W, Lockheed-Martin, Rolls Royce, & others) from farming their work to overseas contractors in India, South America, etc. where they can pay a fraction of what they have had to pay in the past.

I’d like to think that the current administration understands what is going on & is working to correct the situation but to date I haven’t seen any indications that tell me things are going to change. I’m at the point where I am seriously considering changing fields, finding someplace where I can make use of my skills I’ve developed over the past 30 years and stay employed for the next 10-15 yrs. So far I haven’t had much luck.

Thanks again for your input!
Gary

Hi All,
I have read with great interest the varied careers of all the postings. It seems that we have in common the same problem. ie adapt or adopt to achieve a future. As people, we all have our comfort zones and become set in our ways the older we get. I'm not sure what the future holds for technical illustrators. I suppose, ultimately the computor will win. At the push of a button, say from some high powered design programme all will be created. Line weights, exploded views and cutaways et al. I have noticed creeping into the jobs market vacancies for Illustrators/Authors. This basically means an author for illustrators pay, but it may be that if we, as illustrators are to adapt we need to retrain as authors. A bitter pill for some, but a means to an end. I have spent 40 years as a illustrator, maybe it's time time hang up those old 'Timely' ellipse guides a go and do some good old fashioned real fine art.
Kind regard to you all. Mike.

Mike,
I agree with you. We’ve already seen computers make it possible for 1 illustrator to do the work several illustrators did in the past. As technology evolves it’s just a matter of time until they replace that single illustrator also. It’s also interesting that you commented on recent postings for technical authors/illustrators. Of course this change will usher in another series of compromises in quality & effectiveness. After all, any time you force a round peg into a square hole you learn to live with the consequences. It’s such a reality that 1 of the things I’ve taken upon myself to do since my recent layoff is to study “Simplified English” … the form of writing used in the aviation industry & other industries as well.

You may be on to something with your suggestion about returning to fine art, at least for those who have the ability to do so. When I entered technical illustration it enabled me to blend my artistic/creative side with my logical/analytical side. Neither of these sides seemed to give me a leg up on the competition but the blending of the 2 seemed to find a perfect niche in technical illustration. The only problem is I seem to have outlived my field. Ha!

Gary

Hi Mike,
I don't think we sould sell ourself short, and hang up anything. the world out there is still vastly in need of a of an experenced illustrator, with a traditional back ground like us. Without us who would be pushing the puttons of those computors? As humans we always need a way to adapt, or we will not survive. I think that's true with any living thing on this earth, but that's my thinking.

Tony,
Excuse me for responding to your message to Mike but are you sure you aren’t the one who is selling yourself short? As traditional illustrators we were trained to be creative & distinctive. The purpose of our artwork was to depict clarity & detail. It was a craft that took a great deal of skill & knowledge. How much skill or knowledge does it take to push a button on a computer? I understand the need to adapt & I’ve chosen to embrace technology vs. retreat from it. However, it’s the compromises that I’ve spoken of in my earlier posts that disturb me the most.

Why with all the advanced technology today’s illustrators are relegated to choosing a generic vendor item (i.e. motors, valves, pumps, etc) from a generic library to use in their illustrations which look very little like the actual item simply because the geometry does not already exist in order to create the model needed for their illustration? It’s done for the sake of time & efficiency. Once again dollars wins out over quality! In the past we would have illustrated the item from scratch to scale & taken pride in our ability to do so. It’s almost like the young child who learns to do their math on a calculator & one day their calculator stops working & they simply sit there not knowing what to do.

You ask who without us would be willing to push the buttons on those computers? Well, I think we are already beginning to see the answers to that question. IsoDraw now touts their ability to enable users to program their application to covert CAD files created by engineers to be automatically modified into a technical illustration for use in parts manuals, etc. with just the flip of a switch. Once they teach those engineers how to flip that switch we could all be in trouble.
Just my two cents worth!
Gary

Gary,
It's true there's a fine line we have to walk, between quality and quantity. I think there should be someway to regulate the quality of the art work that is being produce, but that type of regulation needs to come from higher up in the company we work for. Or even higher still, at the state and federal level. The skill & knowledge that we have only can comes from the experence, and years of hard work. I don't think even an engineer can do what we can do, even with the technology that we have now. The standard that we have to follow, those engineer have to follow too ie.. ATA and many others, and I think it would drive them crazy trying to follow what we have to do, and do their own work too. The need to be creative & distinctive will always be in our blood as illustrators, and the need to be precise will always be our goal.

Tony

Hi Folks,
Interesting reading as always. I'm always surprised at what's around the corner. I've just been offered a contract from a company that only a few weeks back had no further orders, owing to the economic recession. It has restored hope for the time being. I do feel that technology will eventually erode our skills. Standards will be diluted, so that any compotent engineer with the right programme can evolve a graphic. This was the arguement a few year's back when IsoDraw and Adobe Illustrator came on the scene. They did not do 'Perspective'. Now no-one seems to know, except a true illustrator, what that is.
I worked a few year's back now with a company that only used flat view projection. They saw no advantage in 3D at all.
Eventually like all dinosaurs we will come to pass. Twenty or so year's down the question's may be who needs an Auhor/Engineer.

Regards Mike.

Gary in Hamilton, Ohio said: I have worked in the technical publications field for more than 30 yrs, primarily as a technical illustrator. I always loved the work. For me it was the perfect blend of my creative/artistic side and my logical/analytical side. However, the profession has changed dramatically over the years and recently it has become increasingly difficult to find any job security in the field. Probably the biggest change was the evolution from the drawing board to computers. Sadly, many outstanding illustrators simply could not make the adjustment. For those of us who did, many compromises were required. Less focus on quality and more focus on production. Less creative because often illustrations were created by one illustrator and revised or modified by another. Lately, many of the larger companies that have employed technical illustrators in the past (like aeronautical manufacturers) are opting to farm their technical publications work (including illustrations) to overseas contractors who work for considerably less. The quality and effectiveness of the illustration work has suffered but that doesn’t seem to matter to those paying for the services.

My questions are as follows:
1.Is technical illustration becoming extinct (i.e. a lost art)?
2.Where can a long time technical illustrator utilize his skills in another field?

Gary you are right about the decline of Technical Illustrating needs. Most engineering staff are using 3D modeling for their work, which I had to adapt of using their software and changing the 3D models into line art. Lost my fulltime job 4 months ago because of this.

I have found patent illustrating to be a big business nowadays. I have been patent illustrating for three years now.

Gary you are right about the decline of Technical Illustrating needs. Most engineering staff are using 3D modeling for their work, which I had to adapt of using their software and changing the 3D models into line art. Lost my fulltime job 4 months ago because of this.

I have found patent illustrating to be a big business nowadays. I have been patent illustrating for three years now (freelance).

Hope this helps, good luck.

djcartworks in Longview, Texas said: Gary you are right about the decline of Technical Illustrating needs. Most engineering staff are using 3D modeling for their work, which I had to adapt of using their software and changing the 3D models into line art. Lost my fulltime job 4 months ago because of this.

I have found patent illustrating to be a big business nowadays. I have been patent illustrating for three years now (freelance).

Hope this helps, good luck.

Djcartworks,

From the sound of it you've found a way to reapply your skills in technical illustration to patent illustration. I've actually done a little bit of work involving patent illustrations myself but the problem is I can't see how I could get enough of that kind of work to pay the bills. I'm curious ... how have you been able to find enough of this kind of work to make a living doing it? And do you have any suggestions on how to establish yourself as a source for this kind of illustration work? Maybe a mass mailing to patent attorneys in your area? An ad in a trade journal rwd by people who apply for patents? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Gary

Gary, I don't think it's becoming extinct, but evolving. It's not a lost art, but a changing art. As for the second question, I think only each person can answer that themself. I don't know if that helps at all, I hope so.

Gary, actually I found these work ads on indeed. I am working fulltime at home now and also I am looking for more sources to get freelance work from. I would think Intellectual Property Attorneys would be a good start to look for patent illustrating work.

I dont understand why more companies won't outsource their work to freelances. The technology is here to do just that and it is cost effective for them. Most being in freelances to work at their job sites, but dont pay enough for living expensives.

If you find any other sources, pass them around.

I've been in patent illustration 7 yrs and have seen a decline in PTO standards also. Its slowed down for us a little be we expect it to pick up after all the lawyers come back from vacation. But they are asking for us to cut back so we don't put as much detail in or whatever but we are finding ourselves competing with India for patent illustration work.

Sell yourself

There will always be a need for a technical illustrator and in every industry. If you are one of those illustrators that leaves it up to the Engineer/Designer to decide how the instruction is dictated...Well if that is the case then why don't the Engineers supply their own instructions through the use of todays programs like IsoDraw. They only see what you provide and if you do nothing to show them the benefit in keeping you..."Sell yourself"

You must learn to adapte and show them how to create documentation that helps them save in many ways.

Say it with a picture

While I agree we need to sell ourselves to show our prospective employers or clients how we add value through providing top quaility technical illustrations ... it's a tough sell when many of the top companies are choosing to seek out cheap labor overseas to produce their technical publications. I've doen work for GE for anmber of years. Today the majority of their technical illustration is done by Adexus ... a company they have invested in over in Chili. Others have fund sources in both Mexico and Puerto Rico where they pennies on the dollar for their work. And here is the best part ... they are willing to part with quality work if it means saving a dollar or two. So yes ... I agree we always have to promote ourselves ... it would be nice if we had a level playing field.

By the way ... I recently accepted a job as a technical writer. This represents a big career change for me after 30 years as a technical illustrator. So you might say I have adapted in order to survive.

Tony in Burbank, California said: Hi all, I've been a technical illustrator for almost 20 yrs. Working in the aerospace industry, and I've been lucky so far. What has helped me in the past, is adapting my work to all the graphic program there is to offer. Not just Isodraw, but Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Corell, and many others. So when your work inviroment changes you can change with it, some times you need to be creative to keep your job from being farmed out. I hope that our new president can find a way to keep our work at home, and help our country grow again.

You can't rely on someone else to save your job. You have to make yourself so valuable that no one will fire you and everyone wants your work.

clint in Denver, Colorado said: You can't rely on someone else to save your job. You have to make yourself so valuable that no one will fire you and everyone wants your work.

Clint … I respect what you say about being self-reliant &. However, in today’s global market I’m not sure that approach is enough to keep you employed. You say we need to “make ourselves so valuable that no one will fire you & everyone wants your work”. Well, when the bottom line is dollar$, being the best at what you do is often trumped by being the least expensive at what you do. I’ve seen tech pubs work done for years by very qualified, professional staffs disappear because the customer found someone in India, Chili or Mexico to do the work for less.

I’ve always believed we should be able to leverage our experience, our talent & our technology to give us an edge over cheap, inexperienced labor. Well, I hate to admit I was wrong. 90% of the time price will always win out over quality & effectiveness when it comes to tech pubs. And where price is involved we all know that it’s not a level playing field that we have to contend with.

Gary

Hi Gary,
It was enough for me. I worked in the auto industry for 13 years creating tech pubs and I knew exactly what was going to happen and prepared for it. I know companies want cheap work and would soon farm it all out to LLC countries like china and programs like Right Hemisphere would make it so anyone could do illustrations.

Sure, there are plenty of programs out there that are going to put mediocre illustrators out of business, Right Hemisphere for one. Yes there is competition from LLC countries like China. Truth is, many of them are GOOD, hungry to learn and work 10 times harder than people doing the same work in the states.

My last project at my previous job was to train 12 illustrators in china to replace the ones being layed off here. I was the expert in my field which kept me employed. Of course I didn't feel good about my job so I found a better one. It took me a year of freelancing and extremely hard work but it payed off and now I am in a completely different industry that cares far more for quality over quantity.

This is the hard part, finding a company that values quality over quantity, they are out there though. And if you can't find one, you can always freelance.

To all the young guys out there, don't listen to the old guys, technical illustration will not die, people need us and computers can't replace what we do, only help us to do it better. The field has just gotten more competitive, that's all. It used to be too easy for any schmuch to trace some photo's, call themselves an illustrator and make 20 bucks an hour, those days are over. You have to have real talent to make it as a technical illustrator now, or you'll just manage other illustrators in llc countries at best.

Gary in Hamilton, Ohio said:
My questions are as follows:
1.Is technical illustration becoming extinct (i.e. a lost art)?
2.Where can a long time technical illustrator utilize his skills in another field?

1. it's a niche market for sure but it will not become extinct and there are some real pro's out there still doing it. check out james provost for one.

2. By not being afraid to try something new. I was in auto for 12-13 years, I made the jump into the outdoor apparel industry drawing shoes last year and couldn't be happier.

It's hard work jumping fields, learning something new and getting out of your comfort zone but can be incredibly rewarding.

Clint,

You Wrote:
This is the hard part, finding a company that values quality over quantity, they are out there though. And if you can't find one, you can always freelance.

My Response:
Have you found that the companies that tend to value quality over quantity today are representative of just certain industries? If so what industries, based on your experience, tend to value quality in today's troubled economic climate? I've been working in the aviation industry and most of the decisions I've observed related to technical illustration in that industry seem to be motivated entirely by cost.

Thanks, in advance, for your response.
Gary

Don't really know as I all know is automotive (which gave 2 craps less about quality) and now I've been in the outdoor apparel industry, which rocks. I'm sure you can find good companies in any industry if you look hard enough. One problem is that I don't think there's a high turnover for those good jobs. From what I'm seeing if you want the good work and good money and you don't get lucky finding a good company, freelancing is the way to go.

I've been a patent illustrator for over 10 years now and I agree with most of the comments. The only way to keep up is to be ahead of the game. You really need to sell yourself. Let everyone know why you're better than the rest and why they should choose you over your competition even if it means paying more. When looking for a service, I rarely go with the cheapest provider...

As for illustration I really think it depends on your market. From what I've seen there is a lot of demand for good patent illustrators. A lot of companies send the work to India, but the quality is sub-par at best.

I started out board drafting in school, but we also used AutoCAD for illustration. We mainly used ACAD at my first job and would actually get to do some board drafting depending on our clients requests. We had a full time board draftsmen and he was very good, but there was no way he could keep up with the CAD guys and the end result was very similar if not identical. About 4 years ago I started using SolidWorks for mechanical design projects I had on the side. At first I was not too well versed in solid modeling, but the more I used SW the faster I became. We now use SolidWorks to create almost 50% of our work. We convert the files to .dwg's, add shading, numerals and etc. The end result is accurate drawings in less than half the time. Something very tough to achieve if you were to do everything in 2D.

Interesting chain of thought has unravelled through this discussion. Where is tech illustration going and what part or role will we play in it's out come?

I've been doing industrial illustration and tech illustration for 28 years and started off with a pencil, Timely templates and my trusty airbrush and of course the unforgettable scalpel for those terrible Friskets.

My metamorphis came about slowly but I have found if I rely solely on one source of illustration and style I won't be here in 3 yrs time. In 2000 I lost 5 out of 6 major clients because of Europe's recession and cost cutting. Where to now? Well I looked a little further and applied for a job doing just tech illustration and was offered a job the next day. That was 4 years ago and the company has been rebuilt from the ground up and I don't know anything about Solid Works and how to create the images but I do know now how to use the CAD data and create useful documentation. So much so our department has grown and we're looking at growing the team also. It hasn't come without pain and personal challenges but it is certainly worth it. We just have to admit to ourselves and our colleagues that we have to catch up and move along. I'm not advocating lower quality as I have been doing photorealistic cutaways and I hate compromising quality. Hence I don't do web design or similar as much as I can see how it would be beneficial. Today, many things I have to do with the computer I could have done in a fraction of the time freehand but when it comes to repetition and changing views . . . . I lose. Cheer up as we are challenged we will also come away with a blessing if we do it with all our heart and mind.

Have a safe and peaceful start to 2010.

I am looking to have training using Isodraw, Isodraw company offers training for £14.000 for four days but I don't have the mpney have you any ideas it would be better to contact me by email larryaspden662@hotmail.com I live in Barrow-in-Furness in UK.

Hi Larry,
It is possible to download a demo copy of Isodraw from Free isodraw demo to downloadIsodraw demo free download. Software isodraw demo giveaway.
www.giveawayoftheday.com/isodraw+demo/ - A demo copy has the save disabled but will give you a flavour of this programme. £14,000 is a crazy fee. you could buy a full copy of Isodraw for a lot less. It is a very user friendly programme, and you may be able to obtain a user manual and tutorial. As an aside, I worked in Barrow-in Furness for Vickers Shipbuilding in the late 1970's staying in a road off Greengate Street.
Regards Mike

Hi,
I have been a Technical Illustrator since 1980 involved in creating illustrations both freehand and digital primarily for the Defence Department, Army, Navy Air Force. I must say that in regard to the current job demand.....it is almost non-existent and has been deteriorating over the past decade. Whilst 99.9% of illustrations produced today are digitally created (100% for Defence) allows standardization, editing, electronic transmission, rapid file exchange, etc to be carried out which are all positives, one negative, I believe, which has brought about unfair competition is the ability of non-professionals to get involved.

Unfortunately today, as with many trades, the ability to satisfy a demand using a computer, enables those who may not have the proper training and understanding to promote themselves as professionals.

I embrace and enjoy the benefits of digitally created illustrations (I am proficient in a number of major programs) but more than ever whilst editing drawings created by others, I see as a professional a great decline in standard.

I have held Senior Positions in some major organisations and have had my own business since 1989. I have created free-hand illustrations for some major publishing companies. I have even designed and hand built my own VW trike (www.bigyella.com), so yes I have sound mechanical knowledge and creative skills and feel I am qualified to make a realistic judgement.

My career began as a Mech. Design draftsman and worked at for approx. 12 years. A sound basis for any Tech. Illustrator, especially mechanical. But there's a trend, a belief, a misconception, that if you can drive a mouse, throw up some line-work using a recognized program, then you're an illustrator. This is not the case. Because a person can use a calculator to add 2 + 2, doesn't mean they understand the basis of arithmatic.

Yes, there is a decline in demand for professional Tech.Illustrators and yes there is a major decline in standards.

I have been in the industry for 25 years, mostly aerospace. As I have put it in other discussions, "The writing is on the wall of the Tasch Mahal." And has been for some time.

There is no escaping the $bottom line$ and "progress", (technology), and no need to be bitter or blame anyone for it. The term "Technical Illustrator" will continue to be used but it does not mean what it once did. It has been emptied of its original meaning. The trend of its function might be better termed "Graphic Editor" or some other more appropriate title.

I remember loving street, or backyard, football with neighborhood friends (and enemies) and longing for a football of my own. I don't remember how but I earned enough money to finally buy an inexpensive plastic football at the 5 & 10 cent store in our small farm community.

I was so excited to have my very own football to pass back and forth with my friend or brothers. I drew back and threw my new toy with all might. It sailed through the air and missed by my friend fit the ground and - broke in half - as was my heart.

You see - it was called a football, and was, but really in name only.

Unfortunately, as goes the once skills required for the profession, so goes the pay. There is no stopping it and I only regret not recognizing it and working on some kind of transition 5 years ago.