Humans have always been interested in image making; in fact, the earliest images, cave paintings, date back as far as 10,000BC. In the Middle Ages, narrative illustrations appeared in illuminated manuscripts. The Italian Renaissance (1300-1600) witnessed the invention of the printing press, which allowed for new mass-produced sheet music, literature, art, and publications full of illustrations and designs. At the same time, drawing became the foundation for artistic practices as patrons looked to artists for highly skilled drawings and sketches of their commissioned paintings, sculptures, and architectural buildings. 

Beginning in the Industrial Revolution, the profession of illustrator became more accessible as books, newspapers, magazines, posters, and other mass-produced works on paper became part of our daily lives. While utilitarian illustrated images surround us daily, the work of renowned artists like Edgar Degas helped make drawing a respected form of fine art.