An illustrator is an artist who creates pictures for books, magazines, advertisements, and other publications. While a painter might create art to hang in a gallery, an illustrator creates art to help tell a story, explain an idea, or make something more interesting to look at.

Think about your favorite picture books. Someone drew those images of curious monkeys, magical wardrobes, or brave mice. That person was an illustrator. Illustrators also create the diagrams in science textbooks, the comic strips in newspapers, and the eye-catching images in advertisements. When a newspaper needs a drawing to accompany a story, or a company needs a memorable character for a cereal box, they hire an illustrator.

Some illustrators work with pencils and paint, while others use computers and drawing tablets. Many use both. What makes someone an illustrator isn't the tools they use, but the fact that their art serves a purpose beyond itself: it illustrates, or makes clear, something else.

Good illustration lights up a story, brightens a page, and helps readers see what words alone might not fully capture. When Beverly Cleary wrote about Ramona Quimby, illustrator Tracy Dockray helped readers picture exactly what Ramona looked like and what she was doing.