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Technical illustrator vs commercial artist

The differences between technical illustrators and commercial artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a technical illustrator and a commercial artist. Additionally, a commercial artist has an average salary of $60,449, which is higher than the $52,828 average annual salary of a technical illustrator.

The top three skills for a technical illustrator include adobe illustrator, engineering drawings and technical illustrations. The most important skills for a commercial artist are art projects, photography, and adobe photoshop.

Technical illustrator vs commercial artist overview

Technical IllustratorCommercial Artist
Yearly salary$52,828$60,449
Hourly rate$25.40$29.06
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs69,93230,066
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

Technical illustrator vs commercial artist salary

Technical illustrators and commercial artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical IllustratorCommercial Artist
Average salary$52,828$60,449
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $91,000Between $36,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between technical illustrator and commercial artist education

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

Technical IllustratorCommercial Artist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Technical illustrator vs commercial artist demographics

Here are the differences between technical illustrators' and commercial artists' demographics:

Technical IllustratorCommercial Artist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 68.7% Female, 31.3%Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage11%11%

Differences between technical illustrator and commercial artist duties and responsibilities

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.
  • Show more

Commercial artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage external communications such as brochures and other sales collateral for direct mail from inception to circulation.
  • Utilize a variety of creative media including illustration, photography and digital design to convey ideas beautifully and intelligently.
  • Create online stores and sell artwork through Zazzle, Etsy, and Cafepress.

Technical illustrator vs commercial artist skills

Common technical illustrator skills
  • Adobe Illustrator, 10%
  • Engineering Drawings, 8%
  • Technical Illustrations, 7%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 6%
  • Solidworks, 6%
  • Technical Manuals, 5%
Common commercial artist skills
  • Art Projects, 32%
  • Photography, 12%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 12%
  • Technical Illustrations, 8%
  • Customer Relations, 6%
  • Posters, 5%

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