Career Connections

On Wednesday I gave an illustrated lecture at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland.


The topic was "imaginative realism," and I use the term to include not just fantasy or science fiction art, but any kind of picture-making that visualizes something that can't be observed directly.

That imaginary scene could come from from history, paleontology, archaeology, mythology, or from a movie screenplay.

Since the theme was "Careers in the Visual Arts," I ended the talk the with some suggestions for annual association meetings or conventions that students might try to attend. At these gatherings you can meet many of the top people in the field and learn techniques and business insights.

I promised I'd give you the list, so here it is:

1. Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI)

2. Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI)

3. American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA)

4. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP)

5. American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI)

6. Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 

7. Fantasy art conventions or masterclasses (Spectrum Live, Illuxcon, IMC)

8. Animation (CTN Animation Expo)

Each group varies with respect to rules for membership and attendance, but most of them go out of their way to reach out to students interested in breaking into the field.