also: がし
Traditional term for a painter or artist, especially in historical or classical contexts. Can refer to ukiyo-e artists or court painters.
Only with reading えし
Internet slang for an illustrator, especially one who draws digital art, manga-style illustrations, or fan art. Often used in online communities.
The Edo-period painter Katsushika Hokusai is world-famous.
This folding screen painting was done by an unknown artist.
I had a popular illustrator on Twitter draw my icon.
That illustrator's doujinshi always sells out quickly.
She says she wants to become an illustrator in the future.
He's active online as an illustrator.
I commissioned an illustrator I found on social media to draw a character.
画家 is the modern, general word for a painter, while 絵師 carries a more traditional or historical (or, online, otaku-slang) flavor.
イラストレーター is the standard loanword for a professional illustrator, while 絵師 (in its slang sense) is a more casual, community term for digital/fan artists.
絵師 is a slightly literary or historical/otaku-culture term for an artist, while 絵描き is the everyday casual word.
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news ranking.
Rare variant reading; Restricted がし to this form. Not commonly used.
Rare variant spelling for えし; no priority is specified.
Compound of 絵 (e, 'picture') and 師 (shi, 'master' or 'specialist'). The reading がし for 画師 is a rare Sino-Japanese variant.