How to become an illustrator or animator in Australia
Illustrators (including Animators) plan, design, develop, and prepare pictures and diagrams to communicate messages, clarify meaning, assist in presentations and illustrate stories, using traditional and digital media such as drawing, painting, drafting, collage, models, photography, and image capture and manipulation software.
Pay and growth are for the wider graphic and web designers, and illustrators group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the graphic and web designers, and illustrators group are projected to grow 19.0% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Formulates design concepts for the subject to be communicated.
- Prepares sketches, diagrams, illustrations and layouts to communicate design concepts.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the graphic and web designers, and illustrators group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 65% a degree or higher, 20% a diploma, 4% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria19 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Animation · Swinburne, Hawthorn64.70 Film, Television and Animation · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood60.40Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 12 of 19 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT19 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Creative Production in Animation · UTS90.60 Bachelor of Creative Production in Animation Bachelor of Creative Intelligence &Innovation · UTS86.60Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 6 of 19 matches. Search every course.
Queensland18 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Creative Arts (Animation) · QUT, Kelvin Grove70.05Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 7 of 18 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia1 match
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Digital Creative Industries in Animation, Visual Effects and Virtual Production · Curtin, Perth61.95Matched on course names, 57 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Artistic, Realistic, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Visual artist$2,081 Fashion designer Make-up artist$1,844 Interior designer$1,692 Graphic designer$1,850Done this job, or studied for it?
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.