Artist

Description

An artist expresses emotions and feelings through their artwork. A fine artist makes use of many different types of materials to design art using a variety of techniques such as sculpting, painting and making illustrations.

Common Duties/Routines

A fine artist thinks of new and innovative ideas and opinions to make art. They first make sketches, illustrations and models to help them make the original thing. They carefully select different objects and materials to make use of to make their art work depending on their color and texture. For example, they might use beads, lace, different colored pieces of cloth and many other things. They cut, glue, shape, mold and join these different materials and use many different processes to bring their artistic ideas to life such as blowing, weaving, knitting, painting, and sculpting. They then add the final finishing touches to complete the art work.

An artist works with a variety of materials such as wood, plaster, ceramics and metal to create and design their pieces.

An artist also markets himself by making portfolios in which they write what their style is, whatever they have make and designed in the past and show their works to owners of different art galleries and other potential customers that they think will buy their art work. They have to try that more and more people see their ideas and find people who can connect and communicate with their art so it is better if they show their products wherever they can such as at galleries, markets, malls and museums. If possible, they can also rent a small shop and display their items in it. If a customer is interested in their work and wants to purchase it, they also negotiate and bargain on prices with them. They also take part in art competitions so that their work has a better chance of getting recognized by the people.

An artist also teaches at universities and schools, teaching young, aspiring students their craft and sharing with them their skills and experience. Some of them also conduct workshops and offer training classes in their workplace or studios.

Often, artists specialize in one type of art. However, there may be others that specialize in more than one type. Some of the many types of artists are cartoonists, fiber artists, artists that specialize in fine arts and ceramic artists.

Required/Trained Skills

• It is imperative for an artist to be creative and innovative to create unique designs and artwork.
• Good marketing skills to market the product and negotiate prices with customers.
• Friendly and nice to guide and provide information about their piece to owners of art galleries, museum staff and other potential customers.
• Artistic ability to make different types of art by using a variety of materials.
• Manual dexterity to effectively manipulate with hands.
• Attention to detail as work with very small objects is usually present.

A high school diploma is sufficient if one wants to pursue this profession. Classes in home economics and art can help learn aspiring young students a basic know how and command on some basic techniques such as woodwork, sewing, knitting, glass painting and sketching.

 However, a fine arts degree is extremely helpful, not only for getting hired but also in improving artistic ability and skills and gaining experience. Hence many students who want to become a proper artist enroll in postgraduate courses and get a bachelors’ and master's degree in fine arts.

Salary/Compensation

An artist can be expected to earn an average of $45,000, annually. However, this depends on various factors such as whether the artist is self-employed or works for a large art gallery or company and on the amount of experience that he has.

The field of fine arts is extremely competitive as more candidates are available compared to the jobs available. There are a very few fine artists who earn enough from this career to not do another job. Most artists create art part time and do other jobs as well to make ends meet. So, for one to excel in this profession, they need to be extremely competitive, passionate and creative as well as market themselves properly.