James Provost Illustration
Information Matters.
Communicate it visually.
Specializing in technical & scientific illustration, James Provost Illustration reveals hidden value and evokes new perspectives.
For samples, view the
Technical Illustration Portfolio
Questions About Technical Illustration
I've been receiving questions from a number of people curious about technical illustration. For the benefit of anyone else who's interested, here's some of the questions and answers:
What does a technical illustrator do? What is technical illustration?
"Technical illustrators create highly accurate renderings of machinery, instruments, scientific subjects...technology, cartography, or virtually any subject that requires precision interpretation."
- Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines, 11th Edition. pp. 196-197.
My goal is information & aesthetics: conveying information in a clear, concise, accurate and visually appealing way.
Tell me about yourself. How did you get into technical illustration?
Technical illustration feeds my innate curiosity about how things are made and how they work, my enthusiasm for computers and technology, and my urge to make images. In high school I took art, computer sciences and AutoCAD classes as well as dabbling with Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash in my free time, but didn't really connect the dots until Drawing Systems in my first year of college.
Four years later, I earned a BA in Illustration, Technical and Scientific from Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.
As a freelancer this isn't necessary (but it helps), it all comes down to the quality of the work in your portfolio. However, some certifications and knowledge of specialized software may be required as an in-house technical illustrator.
Who do you work with? How do you find each other?
I work with art directors, creative directors, architects, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs-anyone who needs information communicated visually.
My website is my primary means of advertising what I do. It includes my illustration portfolio, motion graphics portfolio, information about the service I provide and of course contact information. It is the hub of my online presence, and built so people can find me via search engines. I keep it constantly updated with fresh work and relevant news, in a blog format so people can subscribe if they want to stay updated. I also send out a quarterly email newsletter for those who prefer.
I use a number of social networking sites, such as Twitter, Flickr and LinkedIn. I also have portfolios and listings at various illustration-related sites such as IllustrationMundo and Behance. These let me connect with friends, colleagues, clients and prospects.
What is your process? How do you do what you do?
A brief explanation can be found here. I haven't done any tutorials at this time.
What software do you use?
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop & Flash, currently learning Cinema 4D-constantly learn!
What was the most challenging project that you completed?
Every project is a unique problem to solve, but the most challenging projects are the ones where references and resources are limited. I really need to understand what I'm illustrating before I can start, and then have enough information to accurately depict it.
Do clients occasionally request illustrations that are technically impossible or too difficult?
If something is technically impossible, like showing both the top and bottom of something in one drawing for example, I explain the problem to the client and we work out a compromise - like splitting it into two illustrations. If something is too difficult to draw, it's usually because I don't have enough reference material to really understand what I'm drawing, so I request more information from the client. It's never been a problem.
Are you able to support yourself solely with illustration? Has the economy affected you?
Yes, I am a full-time freelance technical illustrator.
One of my instructors at Sheridan, the ever-fervent Larry Read, called technical illustration a "bullet proof career" for the diversity of subjects it covers. In periods of high growth one could illustrate consumer products, cars and houses. In periods of low growth, educational & training materials, health & medical products and entertainment & video games.
Being a solo freelancer helps too: low overhead, tax savings, constantly reinvesting in yourself and the business.
Hope that helps answer some of your questions! Thanks to Andy, Chris & Chad for the questions!
Labels: communication
Posted by James Provost, June 16, 2009 ·
Los Vesparados: Art of the Scooter
Los Vesparados: Art of the Scooter opens tomorrow in Minneapolis, MN. My contribution fuses technical illustration with the style of vintage travel posters. Prints will be available for purchase at the show, and from ImageKind. The show features an impromptu scooter show, vintage scooter memorabilia, mod tunes and lots of great artwork. If you're in Minneapolis, definitely check this one out.
Labels: cutaway, editorial illustration, event, exploded, in print
Posted by James Provost, June 12, 2009 ·
Maker Faire Wrap Up
Maker Faire was a blast! Lots of amazing things to see and do. I saw some great presentations, did some tinkering of my own and took tons of photos. When I got back, I was inspired to do a DIY spot illustration series to capture the energy and creativity of everything I saw.
Labels: communication, editorial illustration, instructional illustration
Posted by James Provost, June 10, 2009 ·
Maker Faire 2009
This weekend I'm headed to San Francisco for Maker Faire, the world's largest DIY arts & technology festival. Looking forward to seeing Bre Pettis & MakerBot and Jared Boone & the Make:TV crew and their Episode Dispensor, both projects I helped out with some design & illustration work.
Hope to meet a lot of people, learn a thing or two, and get my hands dirty!
Labels: communication
Posted by James Provost, May 29, 2009 ·
Poraver Recycled Glass Insulation
Poraver takes post-consumer glass that can't be recycled, grinds it up, adds water and an expanding agent, and bakes it at 900°C. The resulting tiny lightweight beads can be added to just about any construction material to increase insulative properties, reduce weight, replace virgin resources, and contribute to LEED credits.
With such a broad range of applications, illustration is the ideal medium to bring them all together in one image. Interactivity allows the viewer to explore the different uses up close, creating an immersive environment for the communication of information.
See the finished interactive module I created for Poraver for use at their trade shows.
Labels: architectural illustration, cutaway, industrial, interactive, motion graphics
Posted by James Provost, May 9, 2009 ·
Process: Architectural Illustration
I put together this video showing my process for creating an illustration for Open Mind Magazine, reducing 15 hours of work to about two minutes. The illustration deals with Building Information Modeling (BIM), the new generation of CAD software that lets architects design the entirety of a building in one workflow.
See the final architectural illustration.
Labels: architectural illustration, cutaway, in print, motion graphics, portfolio, technical illustration, tutorials
Posted by James Provost, May 4, 2009 ·
3D Type - Oilsands Optimism
Extruded 3D type for an Alberta Venture Magazine article speculating when oilsands investments will see a recovery. 3 out of 10 delegates polled predicted sector spending to return in 2015.
In the end, the background had to be flattened and subdued a bit to allow copy and other graphics to run overtop. See the final in print.
This was a quick turnaround project, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Labels: 3D, in print, industrial, infographics, portfolio, type
Posted by James Provost, April 13, 2009 ·
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Sarah Jargstorf, Fred Hon, Tessar Lo, Rey Ortega, Chad Covino, Nataly Kim, Matt Hammill, Eshwin Dhir, Alexei Vella, Rosemary Travale, Paul Leli, Drawn