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(Visual Artist, Graphic Illustrator, Editorial Illustrator, Concept Artist)
Creative & Media
Salary
€24,000 - €60,000/yr
Level
Professional
Outlook
Stable
Sector
Creative & Media
Illustrators create original visual artwork to communicate ideas, stories, and concepts across a wide range of media, including books, magazines, advertising, packaging, animation, and digital platforms. On a typical working day you might develop initial sketches, refine artwork digitally or by hand, and collaborate with art directors, editors, or clients to ensure the final image fits the brief. You work across both traditional techniques — pen, ink, watercolour, or pencil — and digital tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Procreate. Many illustrators in Ireland work on a freelance basis, managing their own client relationships and deadlines, while others are employed in-house at publishing houses, design agencies, or animation studios.
Listen: a day as an Illustrator
You start at around 8:30 in the morning at your desk at home in Dublin, which is where most of your working day happens. You freelance, so before opening any drawing software you check your emails first. There is a revision request from an art director at a children's book publisher in Kilkenny who wants you to adjust the colour palette on three spreads before the end of the week. You note the deadline, reply to confirm you have received the brief, then pour a second coffee and get to work. By 9:15 you open Procreate on your iPad and pull up the files in question. The art director has left detailed notes in a shared Google Drive folder, marking specific areas with comments. You work through the changes methodically, adjusting warm tones to cooler ones as requested. It is repetitive work, but accuracy matters here — a mismatch between your artwork and the printer's colour specifications can cost the publisher real money.
Useful Leaving Certificate subjects include Art, Design & Communication Graphics, and English, with strong portfolio work often being just as important as points. The most common route is a Level 8 Honours Bachelor degree in Illustration, Visual Communication, or Fine Art at institutions such as NCAD (Dublin), IADT (Dún Laoghaire), or LSAD (Limerick), which is part of ATU. A Level 7 Ordinary Bachelor in a related creative discipline, or a Level 5/6 PLC course in Art & Design at a College of Further Education, can also provide a solid foundation or a stepping stone to further study. No statutory professional registration body governs illustration, but building a strong portfolio and understanding of intellectual property law are essential professional requirements.
Most illustrators begin by building a portfolio during their degree and taking on small freelance commissions or internships with design agencies or publishers. After graduating, you might work as a junior illustrator within an agency or studio, gradually taking on more complex briefs and developing a recognisable personal style. With experience, illustrators often specialise — in children's book publishing, editorial illustration, concept art for animation, or brand identity — and may command higher rates or move into art direction. Many established Irish illustrators combine commissioned work with teaching part-time at further education colleges or running workshops.
Generative AI image tools are having a noticeable effect on illustration, particularly in lower-budget commercial work where clients may opt for AI-generated imagery rather than commissioning an artist. However, illustrators who develop a distinctive personal style, strong conceptual thinking, and the ability to collaborate closely with clients remain difficult to replace. Many working illustrators are now integrating AI tools into their process — using them for rapid ideation or reference gathering — while retaining full creative and technical control of the final artwork. Questions around copyright and the use of artists' work in AI training datasets are an ongoing professional and legal concern in Ireland and across the EU.
→ Illustrator (Current role)
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny
World-renowned animation studio creating illustrated feature films and series.
Dublin
Irish publisher commissioning illustrators for children's books and covers.
Dublin
Animation production company employing illustrators for character and background art.
Dublin
Branding agency using illustrators for packaging, campaigns, and visual identity.
Donnybrook, Dublin
National broadcaster engaging illustrators for animation, graphics, and media content.
Dublin
National newspaper commissioning editorial illustration for print and digital platforms.
Dublin
Major publisher regularly commissioning illustrators for book covers and interiors.
Dublin
Creative agency producing illustrated content for advertising and brand campaigns.
Dublin
Award-winning animation company employing illustrators for children's TV productions.
Dublin
Third-level institution employing illustrators as lecturers and visiting practitioners.
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