kldart

I have a friends that I have been trying to help to understand on a few points. There is an artist that does illustration with airbrush and pencil and an other artist that paints with oil and acrylic. How would you separate the 2.?

John

"Illustration" is more of a description of the intention behind the artwork. Lots of illustrations are actually done as paintings (see Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth). You can sometimes distinguish between "illustration" and "fine art", the latter being defined as something like "art for art's sake", but IMO this is a largely artificial and unnecessary distinction.

Such terms are useful as long as they illuminate (i.e. provide context and understanding). Unfortunately they are often used to exalt certain works or belittle them or limit one's interpretation of them, and IMO this is negative and wrong.

As for airbrush, that's just the medium that the artist chooses to work in, same as oil or acrylic or watercolor or whatever.

Unregistered

you say airbrush just another technique like watercolor,oil and paint, etc...I disagree. With airbrush, it's machine working and any other technique would be fingering it on page. How about this for a novice's explanation.