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Comic vs technical illustrator

The differences between comics and technical 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 comic and a technical illustrator. Additionally, a comic has an average salary of $85,586, which is higher than the $52,828 average annual salary of a technical illustrator.

The top three skills for a comic include comic-con, comics and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a technical illustrator are adobe illustrator, engineering drawings, and technical illustrations.

Comic vs technical illustrator overview

ComicTechnical Illustrator
Yearly salary$85,586$52,828
Hourly rate$41.15$25.40
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs3669,932
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

Comic vs technical illustrator salary

Comics and technical illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

ComicTechnical Illustrator
Average salary$85,586$52,828
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $176,000Between $30,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between comic and technical illustrator education

There are a few differences between a comic and a technical illustrator in terms of educational background:

ComicTechnical Illustrator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorPhotographyGraphic Design
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityDuke University

Comic vs technical illustrator demographics

Here are the differences between comics' and technical illustrators' demographics:

ComicTechnical Illustrator
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 63.5% Female, 36.5%Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between comic and technical illustrator duties and responsibilities

Comic example responsibilities.

  • Manage acquisition of photography and illustrations, including selection of freelance photographers and illustrators.
  • Create book of comics complete in workshop
  • Sketch or draw objects to be craft.
  • Perform at comedy clubs, colleges and theatres throughout the U.S. and Canada.
  • Select and design endsheets, ad, and main book content including typesetting and photo placement.
  • Design, work with typesetting shops, and pasted-up mechanicals (pre-computer era) for a wide range of books.
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Technical illustrator example responsibilities.

  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
  • Utilize SolidWorks and CATIA to export select views from 3D models in formats compatible with illustration development applications.
  • Sketch new items into drawings.
  • Develop guidelines on how to proofread your content.
  • Use SolidWorks to create 3D assemblies for RPSTL and technical manual graphics.
  • Require design are in FrameMaker for paper deliverable and export PDF format.
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Comic vs technical illustrator skills

Common comic skills
  • Comic-Con, 43%
  • Comics, 17%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 12%
  • Facebook, 10%
  • Comedy, 7%
  • Crowd Control, 4%
Common technical illustrator skills
  • Adobe Illustrator, 10%
  • Engineering Drawings, 8%
  • Technical Illustrations, 7%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 6%
  • Solidworks, 6%
  • Technical Manuals, 5%

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