Reliable sites for freelance graphics? Also Illustrator?

I'm about to start a job as a graphic designer/illustrator for my newspaper, a field I should have gotten into a long time ago. Long story made short: I tried to be a reporter/writer, but it wasn't working out and illustration is my God-given talent.

Anyway, I'm trying to find a reliable site that posts freelance design jobs. I'm looking for graphics, illustrations, logos, etc., not page layout. I've seen a lot through Google searches, but does anybody have any recommendations?

Also, can anyone give me a practical explanation of what Illustrator can be used for? I'm proficient in Photoshop, but never used Illustrator. Most of my work was done by hand, then scanned in and manipulated or colored in Photoshop. Is Illustrator a program I could use for practical projects? There is a class at the local junior college that the paper is willing to pay for if I say I need it, so I thought I'd ask around first.

Thanks in advance.

 

For freelance gigs, try guru.com. The free membership allows you to view project postings and bid on a limited number of them. There is also a paid membership that has no limit on how many projects you can bid on.

As for Illustrator, I've seen a lot of good freehand illustrators make good use of it. One big advantage of doing an illo in illustrator vs. the "draw on paper and scan" method is that Illustrator is a vector program and so your illo can be blown up infinitely without losing any resolution. It's used a lot for logo design, but I've also seen very nice illustrations done entirely with just Illustrator or a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop. Bert Monroy has done some amazing photo-realistic drawings using just those two programs (check out his books). Some illustrators even use it for relatively simple layouts instead of InDesign. And if you're trying to go into freelance illustration, I think it's a must-have on your resume.

 

Cap, thanks for the advice.