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The differences between animation artists and graphic artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an animation artist, becoming a graphic artist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an animation artist has an average salary of $80,929, which is higher than the $54,900 average annual salary of a graphic artist.
The top three skills for an animation artist include animation, maya and character animation. The most important skills for a graphic artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Animation Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $80,929 | $54,900 |
| Hourly rate | $38.91 | $26.39 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 3,822 | 8,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Animation artists or animators are skilled professionals who create multiple images that form animation, which can be seen in movies, commercials, television programs, and video games. To produce those illusions of movements, animation artists must use several animation software such as Maya, AfterEffects, and Photoshop. They must collaborate with graphic designers and editors to create animations for the entire show. Animation artists must also create high-quality animations by producing expressive characters that can portray a wide range of emotions.
A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project. A graphic artist may work with a graphic designer in order to convey the overall message of a project. The portfolio of a graphic artist includes cartoons, illustrations, and graphic novels.
Animation artists and graphic artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animation Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Average salary | $80,929 | $54,900 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $125,000 | Between $35,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Parsons |
| Best paying industry | Media | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between an animation artist and a graphic artist in terms of educational background:
| Animation Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Animation | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between animation artists' and graphic artists' demographics:
| Animation Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |