Chapter 1 Reading

          Starting with a blank page. Something that most professions don't understand, but the creative professional understands too well. It has so much potential, but can fill the illustrator with a variety of feelings; hope, fear, frustration, despair. It is the illustrator's job to create something from nothing. Writers also understand what it is like to face the blank page. And many times, text and image work together to communicate visual messages to all kinds of audiences. Both have strengths and weaknesses, as well as similarities and differences in how they communicate, but together they can compensate for weaknesses.
          As with text and image, fine art and applied art also have many similarities and differences. In order to tell the difference between the two, questions about the intentions behind the image are asked. Questions such as the origin, function, audience, and context of the picture. Applied art is applied to someone's problem or product, while fine art stands alone as an art object. Art as a profession provides challenges and problem solving for the illustrator that can give great satisfaction as well as financial reward.
          The process of illustration involves several steps to solve problems. Stage 1: Define the problem. Stage 2: Gather relevant information. Stage 3: Generate options. Stage 4: Evaluate the options. Stage 5: Select the best option. Stage 6: Implement the chosen solution. And stage 7: Monitor and evaluate outcomes. With the help of this process, any job and any problem can be solved and a final product can be reached.