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Artist vs production artist

The differences between artists and production artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an artist has an average salary of $68,690, which is higher than the $61,870 average annual salary of a production artist.

The top three skills for an artist include maya, adobe photoshop and customer service. The most important skills for a production artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe creative suite.

Artist vs production artist overview

ArtistProduction Artist
Yearly salary$68,690$61,870
Hourly rate$33.02$29.75
Growth rate6%3%
Number of jobs3,87059,103
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4038
Years of experience-12

What does an artist do?

An Artist specializes in creating various artworks or prose; the audience can vary from individuals or the general public. An artist's responsibility depends on the industry, company, or position where they are assigned. However, most of the time, Artists are expected to work under specific guidelines, deliver materials in a required format within an allotted time and perform revisions according to what is preferred by an editor or client. Furthermore, independent artists may work freelance and receive commissions for their craft.

What does a production artist do?

A production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.

Artist vs production artist salary

Artists and production artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

ArtistProduction Artist
Average salary$68,690$61,870
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $110,000Between $40,000 And $94,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companyMetaApple
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between artist and production artist education

There are a few differences between an artist and a production artist in terms of educational background:

ArtistProduction Artist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorFine ArtsGraphic Design
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Artist vs production artist demographics

Here are the differences between artists' and production artists' demographics:

ArtistProduction Artist
Average age4038
Gender ratioMale, 45.2% Female, 54.8%Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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 Percentage11%13%

Differences between artist and production artist duties and responsibilities

Artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio workload and advise print direction to in-house and freelance cad artists.
  • Manage online product catalog using Dreamweaver.
  • Assist customers with product selection and process POS transactions.
  • Provide comparative analysis on traditional vs. Mac vs. PC production.
  • Animate in-game characters, user interface assets and particle effects.
  • Own & operate a specialize faux painting, mural and art business.
  • Show more

Production artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage print jobs, design, copywriting.
  • Produce and code HTML emails that are browser/email client-friendly, as well code landing pages in CSS.
  • Code web pages with HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and WordPress.
  • Update and maintain CMS website.
  • Work almost daily in the mac studio.
  • Submit sketch approvals to USDA for their review.
  • Show more

Artist vs production artist skills

Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%
Common production artist skills
  • Graphic Design, 12%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 9%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 7%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 7%
  • Adobe Indesign, 5%
  • Production Art, 5%

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