Reportage illustration

The power of reportage drawing is in the immediacy of the images that are created and the feeling of the illustrator's presence on location. Comparable in some ways to photojournalism, reportage illustrators are acting as visual journalists, proactively creating narrative work about issues and subjects, translating what they witness into handmade imagery. There is evidence that illustrations connect to people in powerful ways whether they are drawings created while embedded with troops in Afghanistan, documenting during a courtroom trial or recreating the energy of the crowd at a rock concert. This area of applied illustration also provides career opportunities for students and takes them out of the classroom and into different environments and situations.