The 'Practices of Illustration' and the 'Notion of Inspiration'

Illustration has always been defined as a process of communicating in a graphic manner - also known as a 'displayed visualisation form', or, a method of processing and displaying information in an intuitive way. This was first utilised in prehistoric cave paintings as a manner of demonstration and particularly information about specific prey and its' movements, as well as recording natural predators of the surrounding environment. This first foray into 'Graphic Communication' was quintessentially complex, considered the wide variety of media chosen in terms of its' undertaking - such as clay, as well as other media which would have required dilution - but provided clear and concise information to other societal members. This methodology evolved and developed into definable areas of expertise across centuries of human social growth with the advent of new technologies such as woodcuts, engraving, or later the Printing Press, all of which were primarily used to produce the written word but were also used to create accompanying illustrative images. This evolution also marks the responsibilities of the Illustrator changing - to illuminate and elucidate primary sources of text. As well as these obligations, the focus of the work has also changed to become much more open to interpretation - such as the target audience and the message, as well as the subject overall. 
Work can be produced in a self-initiated way with no intended recipient except the creator, such as in the case of Ray Caesar, an illustrator who operates in what is considered a very painterly and particularly fine-art methodology. His work stems from his initial employment inside a children's hospital for seventeen years - an experience he cites as being "why I am making these images today. I saw so much in that place that I can hardly talk or think about it without becoming emotional.” His work is dark in subject matter and he utilises digital and traditional means to create photo-realistic works with often surrealist motifs and themes. 

On the other hand, work can also be created in an entirely recipient-directed manner such as the relationship between client and freelance illustrators - Sebastien Feraut, better known under his alias 'Niark1', uses both traditional and digital print-based media with attention to precision and colour to enhance the Graphic nature of his work. He can be found throughout many different publications in an editorial illustration capacity as well as a range of applications, even street-art and exterior illustrative design.  


Through a range of Illustrators such as these can we debate the concept of inspiration truly being "from anything and everything" - The only definitive point of such a concept being an internal state of 'constant inquiry', which drives and propels us as we research and record an experimental mix of synaptic activity, primarily induced and derived from any number of things from our surroundings. This 'Notion of Inspiration' is what differentiates between merely 'good' work and the 'excellent'.