Craft and Fine Artists

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Duties

Most craft and fine artists do the following:

• Sculpture, painting, and sculpting can be done in numerous media.
• The goal is to create new art forms.
• Work is directed by drawings, templates, or models.
• Color, texture, and strength should all be considered while selecting materials.
• Create a final object with resources.
• Visual tools like color, space, and perspective can help you reach your creative aims.
• Artists should create portfolios to show gallery owners and anybody else interested in their work.
• Their work will be shown at auctions, craft fairs, galleries, museums, and online markets.
• Fill out grant applications to get cash for your ideas.
• It's possible for an artist's work to be disturbing. They usually express themselves through art.

Craft artists commonly work with ceramics, glass, textiles, wood, and metal. These materials are used to create ceramics, stained glass, furniture, jewelry, and clothing. Many craft artists use fine-art talents like painting, drawing, and printing to finish their work.

Most fine artists' work is in museums, galleries, craft fairs, corporate collections, private residences, and online. Their work is mostly sold directly or through private art galleries and dealers, but some is commissioned. The artist, gallery, and dealer all agree on how much of the sale proceeds they will keep.

Both craft and fine artists spend a lot of time and energy trying to attract new clients and build a reputation in the art community. Selling their work isn't enough for many artists; they have other jobs.

Artists who work in museums or galleries include art directors, archivists, curators, and museum personnel. Others organize seminars or teach art or craft classes at schools or their own studios. For more information on these careers, please see the biographies of elementary, middle, high school, career/technical, and postsecondary art educators.

Some painters specialize in only one kind of art. Among the craftspeople and excellent artists are:

Politics, advertising, cartoons, and sports are all represented by cartoonists using exaggerated or simplified pictures. Many cartoonists work alongside writers who create the storylines and write the subtitles. Others create their own stories and captions. Most cartoonists are also gifted in comedy, critique, or drama.

Ceramic artists utilize a potter's wheel and other tools to make their works. They dry and solidify the clay in kilns.

Digital artists design and produce interactive art. In some circumstances, digital photos can be reproduced or made available online.

Textile artists weave, knit, crochet, and sew with natural and synthetic fibers. They can weave cloth, knit or crochet, or use a sewing machine to join fabric for quilts or other crafts.

Fine-art artists use a variety of techniques and approaches to depict landscapes, figures, and other themes. They may work with watercolor, oil, or acrylic.

Making furniture from scratch involves multiple steps. See the profile on woodworkers for further details.

Glass artists can create beautiful objects by blowing, shaping, staining, or joining glass. Several techniques require high-temperature kilns, ovens, and other gear. These artisans embellish glass with etching and painting.

Illustrators often work on commercial projects, such as textiles, greeting cards, and other paper items, in addition to book and magazine illustrations. Illustrators are increasingly using computers. They can use a special pen to draw straight on the computer or a scanner to record the image and add color using software.

A jeweler can create an earring or a necklace from metal, stone, or bead. Other jewelry producers are described in the section on jewelers and precious stone and metal craftspeople.

It's not uncommon for medical and scientific illustrators to be biologists who also draw. Medical illustrators create visuals, models, and animations of the human body and surgical procedures using computers or by hand. Scientists illustrate animal and plant life, atomic and molecular structures, and geological formations on distant planets. These photos are widely used in medical, scientific, and educational publications and presentations. Exhibits are made by medical and scientific illustrators.

These large paintings, sculptures, and "installations" are intended for public viewing. These paintings are usually displayed in public spaces like parks, museums, and train stations.

Printmakers create images using silk screens, woodblocks, lithography stones, metal etching plates, and other matrices. The final output is printed on a sheet of paper using a printing hand press.

Sculptors create these three-dimensional works of art by shaping and joining materials like clay and glass or by carving shapes from blocks of plaster, wood, or stone. Some sculptors construct mixed media displays with light, music, and motion.

A "sketch artist" depicts themes using pencil, charcoal, or pastels. The public enjoys looking at police sketches to help catch criminals, while the press uses them to represent courtroom scenes.

Tattoo artists employ stencils and hand-drawn designs to create unique images on the skin. These artists can develop a vast range of styles and colors based on their customers' preferences.

Video artists create avant-garde moving pictures that are shown on loop at art galleries, museums, and theaters. These artists may use several monitors or unusual places to show their videos.

Education

A postsecondary education is common among fine painters. A formal education is not required to be a craft artist. Developing artistic skills without formal instruction is tough. For example, painting lessons in high school can teach aspiring craft artists basic drawing abilities.

Plentiful colleges and universities offer bachelor's and master's degrees in the arts. Postsecondary programs may contain essential topics including English, marketing, social science, and natural science. Independent art and design schools also provide postsecondary programs leading to a certificate or an associate, bachelor, or master's degree in fine arts.

The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) accredits over 360 art and design schools. Most of them grant art degrees.

Medical illustrators must be skilled artists with a thorough understanding of human and animal anatomy, biology, and medical processes. They usually need a bachelor's degree in art and premed. A master's degree in medical illustration is also available. There are four accredited schools in the US.

Education allows artists to build a portfolio, which is a collection of work that showcases their styles and abilities. Art directors, clients, and others look through portfolios to decide whether to hire or buy an artist's work. Many artists establish internet portfolios in addition to physical portfolios.

A teaching credential is normally required in addition to a bachelor's degree. See the profiles on kindergarten and elementary school instructors, middle school teachers, high school teachers, career and technical education teachers, and postsecondary teachers for more information.

Training

Craftsmen and fine painters improve their talents by repetition. They can train outside of or in addition to traditional schooling. Artists and crafters may practice on smaller projects before moving on to larger ones.

Some artists apprentice with more seasoned artists. People who are interested in art may attend noncredit programs or workshops or take private lessons at artists' studios or community colleges.

Characteristics

Imagination. Artists create works of art that are visually pleasing or thought provoking. This task normally needs a high level of artistic expertise and attention to detail.

Business savvy. Artists must advertise themselves and their work to gain recognition and sell their work. They often research the market for their products to better understand what potential buyers want. Craft and fine artists can sell their work online, thus having an online presence is vital.

Creativity. Artists need active imaginations to come up with new and unique concepts.

Communication skills. Craft and fine artists, especially those who sell their work, must be good with people.

Dexterity. To make art, artists must be skilled with tools and materials.

People skills. Artists should be at ease interacting with consumers, gallery owners, and the general public.

Pay

The median annual wage for craft and fine artists was $56,260 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,120, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $133,220.

Job Projections

Overall employment of craft and fine artists is projected to grow 3 percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations.