How to become a Fine Artist, Including Painter, Sculptor or Illustrator
Official title: Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Also called: Artist, Automotive Artist, Blacksmith, Fine Artist, Ice Carver, Illustrator, Muralist, Painter, Portrait Artist, Sculptor
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.
Main tasks
- Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
- 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.
- 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.
- Market artwork through brochures, mailings, or Web sites.
- Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
- Monitor events, trends, and other circumstances, research specific subject areas, attend art exhibitions, and read art publications to develop ideas and keep current on art world activities.
- Photograph objects, places, or scenes for reference material.
How to become one
Craft and fine artists improve their skills through practice and repetition. A bachelor's degree is common for these artists.
Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Cartoonist, Motion Picture.
- Apprenticeship: Illustrator (Profess & Kin).
- Apprenticeship: Painter (Professional and Kindred).
- College: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 35 universities in the US
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $55,490 a year The middle half earn $37,560 to $83,200.
- About 28,900 people work in this job now, and about 28,000 are projected by 2035. (-2.9%)
- People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Fine Artist, Including Painter, Sculptor or Illustrator?
Craft and fine artists improve their skills through practice and repetition. A bachelor's degree is common for these artists.
How much does a Fine Artist, Including Painter, Sculptor or Illustrator earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $55,490 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $37,560 to $83,200.
Is a Fine Artist, Including Painter, Sculptor or Illustrator a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to fall 3% by 2035, from about 28,900 to about 28,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Fine Artist, Including Painter, Sculptor or Illustrator?
Not always. 58% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Arts & Humanities degrees; Cartoonist, Motion Picture.
Will AI change the work of a Fine Artist, Including Painter, Sculptor or Illustrator?
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.