What You Need to Know About Fine Artists

Example of a Fine Artist Job Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.

A Day in the Life of a Fine Artist

• Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
• Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
• Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
• Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
• Create and prepare sketches and model drawings of cartoon characters, providing details from memory, live models, manufactured products, or reference materials.
• Render drawings, illustrations, and sketches of buildings, manufactured products, or models, working from sketches, blueprints, memory, models, or reference materials.

Qualities of a Fine Artist

Fine Artists state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Other Fine Artist Job Titles

• Card Painter
• Technical Illustrator
• Texture Artist
• Editorial Cartoonist
• Printmaker

Fine Artist Job Outlook

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 28,000 jobs in the United States for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.6% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,900 new jobs for Fine Artists by 2026. There will be an estimated 2,400 positions for Fine Artist per year.

The states with the most job growth for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators are California, Washington, and Florida.

Watch out if you plan on working in Missouri, Vermont, or Pennsylvania. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Do Fine Artists Make A Lot Of Money?

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Make between $20,020 and $97,710 a year. The median salary for this occupation is $49,380.

How much do Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators make in different U.S. states?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Connecticut	$80,010
California	$76,230
Oklahoma	$65,140
New Jersey	$62,840
Arizona	$62,200
Virginia	$59,950
Oregon	$59,540
Massachusetts	$59,170
Minnesota	$57,710
Maryland	$56,320
Michigan	$55,340
Vermont	$54,910
Georgia	$53,600
Texas	$53,400
Washington	$51,490
Kansas	$51,270
Indiana	$49,410
Louisiana	$48,870
Colorado	$47,760
New Hampshire	$47,540
Nebraska	$47,350
Iowa	$46,940
Illinois	$46,870
Florida	$46,210
Tennessee	$44,380
Utah	$44,260
Kentucky	$43,870
Ohio	$43,470
North Carolina	$43,310
Missouri	$39,430
Montana	$35,150
New Mexico	$35,110
South Carolina	$28,070
Arkansas	$24,510

Tools & Technologies Used by Fine Artists

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Fine Artists may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• C#
• Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Trimble SketchUp Pro
• Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Facebook
• Extensible markup language XML

How to Become a Fine Artist

What kind of Fine Artist requirements are there?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Fine Artists Are Employed

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons