Illustration Pricing

“Simple” can refer to size of the illustration, amount of information detail, and/or style of rendering. In a simple line illustration, one or two basic structures are represented in basic outline form, with perhaps some secondary lines to indicate the form. There is usually some labeling. There is no color.

A simple color illustration is a line drawing with mostly flat color added. There can be some shading to highlight a feature of the illustration. Simple color illustrations are used to help the viewer understand the various structures of the illustration. There is usually some labeling.

A complex line illustration uses a variety of black lines to show different types of tissue, depth, overlapping structures, highlights and shading. Line illustration has long been a standard way to show complicated structures when color printing was not available or too expensive. Due to advancements in color printing technology, black and white line illustration is less necessary, but still an effective way to illustrate complex details. 

A moderate color illustration has more than just flat color shapes. The color includes highlights, form shadows, cast shadows and some texture. There are more structures in the illustration than in a simple color figure. 

A complex color illustration has more than just flat color shapes. Time is spent making the structures appear more real—creating highlights, form shadows, cast shadows, texture and transparency (to show deeper anatomical features). The anatomy is more complicated, with many structures coming together in a single scene. A complex color illustration is typically suggested when it is important to show complex anatomy and several types of tissue, and to use color to organize a lot of information.