How would you define illustration (more commercial maybe)? I do see print-media influences, as well as some Egon Shiele in there...

Yeah, ok.
Illustration is the discipline.
Commercial illustration is certainly the most money making aspect of that discipline. But fine art illustration has been around forever as well. The difference for me, between drawing and illustration are the elements of design that are introduced to a drawing to make it an illustration. When I draw my mother's old butter churn, that's a drawing, but when I add a thousand tiny amish men pouring out of it, that's an illustration.

but whenever you get so specific about labeling art, you open yourself up to spears and arrows.

Yes, Egon Shiele is where it's at, and on a related ex-art school student note, Egon Shiele is my dog's name. He's thin and spindly, that's why.

The Egon influences in his work got me thinking, as Egon was not really considered an "illustrator" in his time.

I wanted an "illustrator's" perspective on illustration. ;-) I agree with the design elements, mixing the "style" of design in there. I would call it all art, label it as fine or commercial based on intent, defined further specifically as illustration. "Fine Art Illustration", etc.

It is certainly interesting, his choice of a mixture of styles and intent.

Bah, I'll never escape the shadow of Schiele! ;)

How do you define illustration? Perhaps as something that illustrates and/or supports another item. I try to not get too bogged down in definitions, "illustrator" purely serves to denote you can commission me to draw for you, to differentiate myself from "fine artists" or "graphic designers".

I've not quite got the pretentious gall to go around refering to myself as a professional "artiste"...

But I think that you are an artist, even if it seems pretentious to you.

To me, the purpose of an illustration is to serve a text. Illustrating is just putting some ornaments, some visual interpretation.

Your work, on the other hand, got its "story" of its own; it doesn't need words to be appreciated, to be understood. Things like your robots, your girls, businessmen or demons got "stories" on their own. They get right to your imagination, without words.

And to me, that the kinda thing that artists do - even those goddamned "artiste".