"It is my belief that an editorial
art director shouldn't just hire
someone 'cause they can illustrate.
He or she should hire somebody
knowledgeable, who understands
complex ideas and can see the
possibilities for illustration, who
would approach the editorial article
with the same amount of passion
and measure of respect with which
the journalist approaches his task
of writing it.

Because ultimately what makes
an illustration great is not great
drawing, but the knowledge and
genuine conviction the artist
brings to an image.

To be great that image has to be
both form and substance.  When I
create an image for an article, I'm
not necessarily illustrating a single
aspect of that article in purely
pictorial terms, instead I'm making
a more penetrative analysis of what
I know of its editorial content, and
in order to do this, I have to build up
a connection to it.  In this regard,
illustration becomes more obviously
a concept of my intellect, and in the
work of art a more communicative
form is developed to express ideas. 

 An illustration produced in these
terms has a life of its own.  It has
its own editorial reality which one is
invited to explore mentally, and most
importantly it does something more
than sit on its ass in a magazine - it
complements in impact and durability
the editorial diversity and vitality of
the page itself."

                        - Michael Allen