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Skills that get you hired

• Concept art for games and film

  Environments, characters, props, drawn fast and to a brief. The largest pool of salaried illustration jobs.

• Character design

  Turnarounds and expression sheets other artists can build from. A specific, teachable, in-demand skill.

• 3D modeling

  Illustrators who can also build in 3D software are far more employable in games and animation.

• Storyboarding

  Film, advertising and animation all pay for it, and the work is steadier than editorial.

• Medical and scientific illustration

  A small, well-paid specialty that needs biology alongside drawing, often through a dedicated graduate program.