How To Become A Technical Illustrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a technical illustrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Carol Anne Ketelsen

Technical illustrators create drawings that show how parts work together. You create these drawings using digital technology and usually work primarily in some engineering field (as that's where stuff gets complicated and needs your skills to help create clear examples).

You can become a freelance technical illustrator without an illustration degree. Many artists in the industry aren't illustration graduates, and most clients will judge you by the quality of the work in your portfolio--not by the degree or diploma that you might or might not have on paper.

Technical illustrators are in demand across various industries, but it is usually up to the illustrators to create this demand. It is the virtue of this demand that the salary paid for this role is relatively high. Technical illustrators in the US typically earn $65,384 per year or $31 per hour.

What general advice would you give to a technical illustrator?

Carol Anne Ketelsen

Career Consultant for CAS and SON, Oakland University

When interviewing for a position remember that you are also interviewing them. As a candidate you need to determine if this company and culture is a fit for you. Although you want that job, be patient, be selective, and be realistic; you don't have to take the very first thing that comes your way. Do your homework on the company, position, and pay. Know your worth, and don't sell yourself short.

Once in the career, be professional. Dress professionally. Talk professionally. Act professionally. Learn the unwritten rules of the organization. Follow the chain of command. Ask the best way to connect with your supervisor. Accept personal responsibility. Share the credit on projects. Collaborate with others, and be a team player. Workplace professionalism is judged by your communication - verbal, nonverbal and written - your image, your competence, and your demeanor.

ScoreTechnical IllustratorUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,828

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

3.5

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.63%

Asian 7.64%

Black or African American 4.33%

Hispanic or Latino 14.18%

Unknown 5.56%

White 67.66%

Gender

female 31.29%

male 68.71%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

3.5

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a technical illustrator

Explore technical illustrator education requirements

Most common technical illustrator degrees

Bachelor's

47.2 %

Associate

40.0 %

High School Diploma

3.7 %

Start to develop specific technical illustrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Adobe Illustrator	10.40%
Engineering Drawings	7.63%
Technical Illustrations	6.84%
Adobe Photoshop	6.26%
Solidworks	5.85%

Research technical illustrator duties and 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.

Prepare your technical illustrator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your technical illustrator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a technical illustrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable technical illustrator resume templates

Build a professional technical illustrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your technical illustrator resume.