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.
Artist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real artist resumes:
- 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.
- Develop in-game texture tiles and are responsible for producing the game's map.
- Incorporate VFX elements into comps.
- Continue to build your portfolio ,
- Sculpt highly detail models in Zbrush.
- Assemble comps for cg car integration.
- Create UVs and custom texture maps.
- Coordinate a self-run Instagram page showcasing art.
- Implement SEO techniques and traffic tracking utilities.
- Create CSS style sheets for various sites.
Artist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Artists are proficient in Maya, Adobe Photoshop, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Customer-service skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Artists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Maya, 13%
Conceptualized and developed terrain models using Maya and partnered with director and animators to correspond and produce effective shots.
- Adobe Photoshop, 8%
Scanned pictures and retouched when necessary using Adobe PhotoShop.
- Customer Service, 7%
Placed orders Food preparation Stocked inventory Customer service Cleaned/Sanitized/Washed
- Graphic Design, 7%
Created graphic design images, kinetic typography animations and instructional videos to promote a font generator website/application called TYPOGRAFFIT.
- Photography, 7%
Outlined requirements for and implemented in-house photography studio for successful creation of product photography.
- VFX, 6%
Created depth maps for stereo conversion projects as directed by the VFX Producer and/or VFX Supervisor.
Common skills that an artist uses to do their job include "maya," "adobe photoshop," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important artist responsibilities below.
Business skills. The most essential soft skill for an artist to carry out their responsibilities is business skills. This skill is important for the role because "craft and fine artists must promote themselves and their art to build a reputation and to sell their art." Additionally, an artist resume shows how their duties depend on business skills: "design and supervise production of artwork such as business forms, brochures, signs, ads, and logo design. "
Customer-service skills. Many artist duties rely on customer-service skills. "craft and fine artists, especially those who sell their work themselves, must be good at dealing with customers and prospective buyers.," so an artist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways artist responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "performed color correction and enhancement per customer specifications. "
Interpersonal skills. artists are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to artist responsibilities, because "artists should be comfortable interacting with people, including customers, gallery owners, and the public." An artist resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "assisted with sculpture assembly and installation using interpersonal skills and multi-tasking skills to create a piece of artwork"
Creativity. artist responsibilities often require "creativity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "artists must have active imaginations to develop new and original ideas for their work." This resume example shows what artists do with creativity on a typical day: "worked from photo reference, style sheets, and concept art during the creative processes. "
The three companies that hire the most artists are:
- Estée Lauder330 artists jobs
- Ulta Beauty107 artists jobs
- Scanline VFX25 artists jobs
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Compare different artists
Artist vs. Visual merchandiser
A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans. They must also be knowledgeable on product information to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Visual merchandisers should be creative in setting up the uniformity of the store's visuals within the budget goals. The designs must be appealing enough to drive the customers around the premises, potentially generating revenues and increasing profitability.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, artist responsibilities require skills like "good time management," "maya," "adobe photoshop," and "graphic design." Meanwhile a typical visual merchandiser has skills in areas such as "ladders," "sales floor," "store management," and "drive sales." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Visual merchandisers earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $37,869. On the other hand, artists are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $80,623.The education levels that visual merchandisers earn slightly differ from artists. In particular, visual merchandisers are 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an artist. Additionally, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Artist vs. Freelance designer
Freelance designers are creative, independent contractors who create visual and graphic designs for their clients. They develop text and illustrated versions of brands, messages, and communications with strong visible influence with their clients. Typical activities include networking, seeking projects, and negotiating prices to their customers. They manage client proposals, develop concepts, present solutions, and ensure the timely completion of projects. Freelance visual and graphic designers are creative, self-motivated as well as result and deadline oriented.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real artist resumes. While artist responsibilities can utilize skills like "good time management," "maya," "customer service," and "graphic design," freelance designers use skills like "css," "art direction," "website design," and "design concepts."
Freelance designers earn similar levels of education than artists in general. They're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for artists in the next 3-5 years?
Paul Molnar
Associate Professor of Theatre, Independence Community College
Artist vs. Associate designer
An Associate Designer helps in developing sketches on paper and in graphic design software. They usually are supervised by the junior staff and interns.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an artist is likely to be skilled in "good time management," "maya," "photography," and "vfx," while a typical associate designer is skilled in "cad," "design projects," "powerpoint," and "human centered design."
Associate designers make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $61,366. On the other hand, artists are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $80,623.When it comes to education, associate designers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to artists. In fact, they're 2.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Artist vs. Graphic designer internship
In a graphic design internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to accomplish tasks while under the supervision of more experienced colleagues. An aspiring graphic designer may use this opportunity to observe and participate in designing for various industries, handle different clients, participate in creative meetings, and learn strategies from experts. Furthermore, there may also be technical tasks involving research and analysis, gathering materials, coordinating with vendors, and producing reports and other necessary documentation. They may also be responsible for maintaining a database and responding to calls and inquires.
Types of artist
Updated January 8, 2025
