Illustration: meaning, definitions and examples

Used for visuals that aim to explain or clarify concepts, often found in books, magazines, and educational materials.

• The textbook includes an illustration of the solar system
• The manual contains several illustrations to help understand the assembly process

Refers to visuals created with pencils, pens, or other similar tools, focusing on line work and often used in the context of sketches or plans.

• He made a detailed drawing of the building
• The drawing of the cat is simply adorable

Refers to quick, rough drawings that capture the basic elements of a subject, often used as preliminary work for more detailed pieces.

• She made a sketch of the landscape before starting her painting
• His notebook is full of sketches of various faces

Specifically refers to visuals created with paints, usually on canvas, and often associated with fine arts.

• The museum displays a famous painting by Van Gogh
• She spent hours on her latest painting

General term for creative visual work, often used in galleries or to describe a piece of art regardless of its form.

• The gallery is showcasing new artwork from local artists
• Her artwork was praised for its intricate designs

Use in situations where a picture or drawing explains an idea or story. It can be found in books, articles, or presentations to make the content clearer.

• The children loved the colorful illustrations in the storybook.
• This report includes illustrations to help explain the complex data.

Use when showing the structure, relationships, or workings of something through a simplified drawing. Often used in technical fields, education, or explanatory contexts.

• The engineer provided a detailed diagram of the machine's internal components.
• Our biology teacher drew a diagram of the human heart on the board.

Use as a general term for any visual element that assists in communication or learning. This encompasses charts, diagrams, illustrations, and other visual tools.

• The teacher used various visual aids to help students understand the lesson better.
• During the presentation, she relied on visual aids to keep the audience engaged.

Use when presenting numerical data or information in a visual format to make it easier to understand trends, patterns, or distributions. Commonly found in reports, presentations, and scientific papers.

• The sales chart showed a steady increase in revenue over the past year.
• She presented the data in a pie chart for easier comparison.

Use when referring to a numbered illustration, typically in academic or technical documents. Figures can include graphs, images, and other visual representations that support the text.

• Refer to Figure 2 for an overview of the survey results.
• Each figure in the research paper helps to illustrate the key findings.