Cartoonist vs scientific illustrator

The differences between cartoonists and scientific illustrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cartoonist and a scientific illustrator. Additionally, a cartoonist has an average salary of $73,859, which is higher than the $72,277 average annual salary of a scientific illustrator.

The top three skills for a cartoonist include adobe photoshop, student newspaper and comics. The most important skills for a scientific illustrator are adobe photoshop, animation, and .

Cartoonist vs scientific illustrator overview

	Cartoonist	Scientific Illustrator
Yearly salary	$73,859	$72,277
Hourly rate	$35.51	$34.75
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	42	1,844
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	6	6

Cartoonist vs scientific illustrator salary

Cartoonists and scientific illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cartoonist	Scientific Illustrator
Average salary	$73,859	$72,277
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $115,000	Between $34,000 And $150,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between cartoonist and scientific illustrator education

There are a few differences between a cartoonist and a scientific illustrator in terms of educational background:

	Cartoonist	Scientific Illustrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Fine Arts
Most common college	Duke University	Harvard University

Cartoonist vs scientific illustrator demographics

Here are the differences between cartoonists' and scientific illustrators' demographics:

	Cartoonist	Scientific Illustrator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between cartoonist and scientific illustrator duties and responsibilities

Cartoonist example responsibilities.

Used Applescript, Javascript, and Photoshop actions to automate tasks.
Publish a series of comics short stories about the local music scene in Columbus.
Design posters, signage, print advertisements.
Create monthly political comic strips in ASL and English.
Illustrate relevant political cartoons each week for UB's student-run newspaper
Create signs for print production for in-store product ads and POS.

Scientific illustrator example responsibilities.

Create quick sketch for graphic and illustration layout pitch.
Create illustrations though collaboration with author for science fiction genre novels.
Produce traditional and digital paintings, portraits and short comics base on client commissions
Create patterns for embroidery digitizing.
Design posters and prepare Powerpoint presentations.
Produce 3D scientific animation & illustration work for both pharmaceutical industries & educational institutions.

Cartoonist vs scientific illustrator skills

Common cartoonist skills

Adobe Photoshop, 25%
Student Newspaper, 24%
Comics, 17%
Graphic Design, 7%
Comic Books, 7%
Logo, 6%

Common scientific illustrator skills

Adobe Photoshop, 50%
Animation, 50%

Cartoonist vs. similar jobs

Cartoonist related careers

Cartoonist related jobs

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Fine Artist responsibilities

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Cartoonist vs Scientific Illustrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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