First, here’s an explanation of "clip art". In the graphic arts, clip art refers to pre-made images used to illustrate almost any medium. You can use clip art in both commercial and personal projects, ranging from home-printed greeting cards to brochures and web pages.

Clip art comes in both printed and electronic forms but is mainly created and distributed today in electronic form only. Generally clip art is composed exclusively of illustrations (created by computer software or by hand) and doesn’t include stock photography.

The term "clip-art" was originally coined through the practice of physically cutting images from pre-existing printed works for use in other publishing projects.

Before the computers came along, clip art was used in publishing in a process called paste up. In this process, the images are hand cut, then attached to a board representing a scale size of the finished, printed work. Then text is added and art’s created through phototypesetting. Since the 1990s, most publishers have replaced the paste up process with desktop publishing.

Clip art is definitely a means to achieving unique, personalized works of art. Create and publish a wide range of projects and use clip art as your inspiration. Don’t let claims of free clip art fool you.

It’s virtually impossible to find free African American clip art yet it’s definitely possible to find quality, royalty-free clip art. You’ll want to understand this distinction so that you’ll use only royalty free African American clip art. All clipart is governed by individual copyrights and usage rights.

The reality is most African American clip art that’s purported to be "free" is probably illegally distributed. Practically all images published in the last eighty five years still have copyright protection. Virtually all images published after January 1st, 1923 have copyright protection under the federal laws of most countries.

Images published prior to that time must be checked carefully to ensure that they’re in the public domain and free to use in a legal, permitted way. This is an important consideration when using clip art. The exception for clip art illustrations created after 1923 are those specifically donated to the public domain by the artist or publisher.

Royalty free means a limited royalty free license which allows you to use images for most personal, educational and non-profit applications.

Royalty free African American clip art is a virtual treasure-trove of pre-made images created to suit your style and purpose. Clipart may be used in brochures, newsletters, websites; pretty much any personal or commercial project.

Select from among samples from an extensive selection of African American clip art when you search the image bank. Browse at your leisure and you’re sure to come up with just the right choice for your particular occupation.

Popular industry image categories include:

• Academics

• Communications

• Construction

• Healthcare

• Manufacturing

• Transportation

Choose from a wide assortment of samples and create with clever ideas about how to use clip art to put your stamp on whatever you wish.

Using African American artworks, you’ll be able to transform highly evocative and dynamic art forms into your own masterpieces. Whatever your project, there are a number of styles, content, file formats and illustration methods to suit you.