Re: Am I an illustrator or a writer?

[Michael Collier <mcollier -at- ARLUT -dot- UTEXAS -dot- EDU>]

I think re-drawing illustrations from the ground up is more a job for an
illustrator than a writer. While technical writers certainly need to
have some facility with drawing packages so as to be able to manipulate
or edit image files, creating original illustrations is a job for an
artist. It's great if a technical writer can do it too, but I think it's
rare to be able to both write documents and illustrate them well.

When I started in technical writing ten years ago the division of labor
between writers and illustrators was very clear. Writers had pencils and
writing paper on their desks, and illustrators had fancier pencils and
paper on their drafting boards. Integration of drawing tools into
publishing software has fostered the illusion that one person
knowledgeable about one piece of software can take care of all the
documentation, including all text and graphics. I wonder what would have
happened if AutoDesk had added a word processor to AutoCAD.

Web publishing further blurs the division of labor as writers are often
asked to build and maintain web sites. While being able to manage the
formatting and presentation of web documents is clearly a
writer-oriented skill, creating original art for the web involves both
illustration and design skills. Many writers are good designers who can
use ready-made artwork effectively in web publishing, but creating
complex original work in Photoshop or Illustrator requires specialized
skills that most writers probably don't have (but probably can develop
if they have the time and inclination).

As far as handling the issue, I would point out the difference between
writing and illustrating, explain that a skilled illustrator could do
the art work a lot more quickly than you can--or, if you're interested
in it, ask them to send you out for training in AutoCAD, Illustrator and
Photoshop.

................................................................................
Michael Collier                         Phone:  512-835-3408
Information Systems Laboratory          FAX:    512-490-4254
ARL                                     Office: AX207
University of Texas at Austin           email:
mcollier -at- arlut -dot- utexas -dot- edu
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