Majority of people working on digital projects will need digital images, pictures, videos or a representation of their information. In most cases, it is not possible to get the actual images or pictures due to the nature of the job and work required to get the original copies. However, if you know the right place to look, you will get access to the right illustrations to support your project within a short time.
There are several free illustrations websites that provide illustration resources. All these websites are made with several features and they have their advantages and disadvantages. Since there are many websites out here, a person working on a project must understand which ones are the best to be able to access the best materials.
If you are one of those people, then do not worry. This articles will go through all the things you should know about getting free illustrations and review the top 5 free illustrations websites. You will also learn what these websites are about, what you will get, how they compare to each other and the best overall benefits of using them.
What are Illustrations and how to use them?
Illustrations are visualization materials made by artists. These are materials or pieces put together by artists with the aim of visualizing and conveying a specific message or theme. As a result, illustrations can be in the form of sketch, photographs, drawings, paintings and even graphical representation.
Free illustrations websites play a key role in helping people working on various projects whether business, personal or even advertisement, better visualize and show their work. When you have something in mind, you can explain it in words. However, you can even better tell it by showing. And since you may not be able to find one original picture that puts together all your ideas, that is where illustrations come in.
If you are working on a project, you have many ideas together and do not know how to present them at once, then consider using illustrations.
What Exactly Are Free Illustrations Websites?
Free Illustrations websites are website that provide visual resources to people working on various projects that require visualization. These are websites equipped with thousands of images, vectors, illustrations and other materials to enable users download and use them on their projects.
There are websites that are free and others that require payment. Free illustrations website are the best since they do not charge for the download of resources. One can easily download many materials. For some of them, users are allowed to download up to a specific number of illustrations for free. Past a specific number, they will have to get a license.
Factors to consider when looking for Free Illustrations Websites
When looking for the right free illustrations websites there are several factors one to consider to make sure that you are getting the right website. Here you will find several pointers to enable you compare various free illustrations websites carefully and make the right decision.
Resources Capacity
Resource capacity refers to the amount of resources a website has. The higher the number of illustrations a website has the high the chances of getting exactly what you are looking for. A website with a high volume of resources means that there is a diverse pool of work from various artists and of various qualities.
In that case, it makes it easy for a user to get even the rarest collections of visualization pieces.
First check to see that a free illustrations websites have several hundreds of thousands of resources. Some of the top ranked illustrations websites you will find on this list have millions of illustrations to choose from.
Illustrations Sources
The source of illustrations is very crucial whenever selecting a website to work with. Websites use work done by artists and it is crucial to have the right sources so as to provide quality resources. Websites that source their content from different artists across the world have the best quality illustrations.
As you come across artists from various parts of the world, the ideas behind their work keep on varying. They bring a diverse view towards visualization of various things. They come with different creativity levels.
Websites that get their work done by artists from different parts of the world have access to this wide pool of creativity hence providing the same to their users. As a recipient, you are able to get a wide variety of materials.
Image Quality
Illustrations downloaded from free illustrations websites are usually in form of images. This means that for you to have the best visualization you have to make sure you get the best quality images from the websites.
Good websites will always provide a high-quality images to benefit their users needs. Some websites are providing illustrations with qualities as high as 1080p and 4K. Make sure you check a website you are selecting to make sure that the illustrations are of high quality.
The website should also give room to users to download various qualities according to their needs and abilities.
Download Formats
Different people have different needs as far as downloads are involved. As a result, a good website should provide the customers with a chance to download different formats of illustrations. This will give you a chance to get the right format for your project direct from the websites and no conversions required. This may include PDF, PNG, JPEG, and other formats.
Allowable Free Downloads
As much as you are getting free illustrations downloads, there is a number. It is important to consider how many downloads a website allows you to have for free. Some website has restrictions on how many downloads a person can make at once, per day or from their free version.
Go for a website that allows as many free downloads as possible. Also make sure that the website allows you to do a zip file download. Through a zip file download, you are able to download multiple images at once. This saves you time and makes it easy to download multiple images in one folder.
Top 5 Free Illustrations Websites
1. Pixabay
Pixabay is a popular and one of the best free illustrations wesbites and search engines one will find in the market. Pixabay is a free images and illustrations websites that boosts a collection of above 2 millions royalty-free and copyright vector images. One of the amazing features about pixabay is that it has a collection of images from hundreds of sources including websites. The website’s interface is easy to use and one can search within a short time by using keywords.
Pixabay, has stood as one of the best source for illustrations and stock images. With the websites offering free illustrations, users have access to materials for use on both commercial and free use. This enables people to use the website’s materials without any worries of purchasing and licensing fees. The content is free to use.
For the illustrations category on pixabay, the materials are collected from different parts of the world making it easy for a person to get any type of illustration. The platform has both free and subscription options. This gives people an opportunity to either use the free version or pay in case there is need for a heavy use of the resources.
When using pixabay, consider the benefits of using the licensed version and decide whether you would like to use it.
2. illustAC
illustAC is yet another interesting and one of the best free illustrations websites you should consider using. The website is designed as a search engine with millions of visual materials ranging from vectors, illustrations, images, clipart, and more. As a result of the website’s huge pool of materials, it has become a favorite for many since users can find a lot of materials easily for various projects.
IllustAC, is also made with a very easy to user interface that offers users several functionalities to make their experience easy and great. One can find hundreds of thousands of images and illustrations by just a simple keyword search. The platform’s keywords search mechanism is very efficient and fast saving a lot of time when looking for materials.
This website provides free to use illustrations and other resources. As a result, it is okay for someone to use them for various projects including commercial without worrying about license fees.
Other interesting parts about IllustAC is great categorization of the resources. The platform has an amazing way of putting various illustrations in good categories hence making it easy for people to access them with easy.
You can also download various qualities depending on your needs. The images and illustrations are available in jpg, jpeg, png among other formats a use would like. For those interested in downloading multiple images at once, there is that option in zip file format.
3. unDraw
For someone looking for a wide variety of visual content, then UnDraw is a good platform to visit. This is a website that offers a large collection of free illustrations. The illustrations are easy to use and they are royalty free and it is what puts it among the top free illustrations websites. This allows users room to use the illustrations in various situations such as podcasting, app development, web design, music, videos, business presentation and so much more.
UnDraw is a straightforward website with an interface very easy to use. One does not need any prior experience to navigate around it and find the right materials. It is a website that allows users to even select the color scheme of their content and design. This is a unique feature that ensures usesrs can get the right type of materials that fit their needs.
The ability of users to customize their content on UnDraw is what makes it popular. Vector images from this website are all available in Scalable Vector Graphics. As a result, it is easy to make them smaller, flip, mirror them, or even bigger to fit your needs.
With all the illustrations being free to use and without need of licensing it is a great experience and platform for users.
4. Freepik
Freepik is a great search engine platform for free illustrations and stock images. The platform has been in existence for several years. At the same time, it has been populated with millions of visual materials. The materials are of various types, sizes and cover a wide range of topics and niches. One will get vector images and illustrations put in many categories for easy search and access.
Freepik is a website with an amazing interface that is easy to use and source images. The website has a great design and it is user-friendly. With the website having a pool of illustrations from a variety of artist from different parts of the world, there is so much a person can choose from.
The platform offers a high number of free downloads even for users who have not signed up. However, there is a premium version dedicated to users who would like more to enjoy from the platform at a fee. You can also check the premium option in case it has some factors that interest you.
5. OpenClipart
OpenClipart is a free illustrations website with a very high number of cliparts and free illustrations to choose from. Although this website does not focus so much on other images, when compared to other free illustrations websites here, the illustrations and cliparts available are worth the visit. It is a simple website with very few pages to navigate on. As a result, it is easy for a person to find exactly what they are looking for.
The website does not have a large volume of resources as compared to the first 4 mentioned on this list but it has a fast response time. The illustrations are all royalty free making it easy for users as they do not have to worry about licenses.
Additonally, Openclipart gets its content from well-experienced artists hence all the materials are unique and of high quality. One can download many free illustrations without even creating an account. The illustrations are available in different formats and sizes. This means you do not have to struggle with the size of images you download.
Conclusion
When looking for a source of free illustrations and do not want to pay for licenses thereafter, the process can be difficult if you do not know where to look. The above discussed are the top 5 free illustrations websites to use for your project. However, you have to make sure that you keenly scrutinize the free illustrations websites and what they offering before using them. This is especially true if you are looking for images to use for commercial use. Visit the websites and get the right illustrations.
