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Cartoonist vs commercial artist

The differences between cartoonists and commercial artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cartoonist and a commercial artist. Additionally, a cartoonist has an average salary of $73,859, which is higher than the $60,449 average annual salary of a commercial artist.

The top three skills for a cartoonist include adobe photoshop, student newspaper and comics. The most important skills for a commercial artist are art projects, photography, and adobe photoshop.

Cartoonist vs commercial artist overview

CartoonistCommercial Artist
Yearly salary$73,859$60,449
Hourly rate$35.51$29.06
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs4230,066
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

Cartoonist vs commercial artist salary

Cartoonists and commercial artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

CartoonistCommercial Artist
Average salary$73,859$60,449
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $115,000Between $36,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between cartoonist and commercial artist education

There are a few differences between a cartoonist and a commercial artist in terms of educational background:

CartoonistCommercial Artist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Cartoonist vs commercial artist demographics

Here are the differences between cartoonists' and commercial artists' demographics:

CartoonistCommercial Artist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 70.1% Female, 29.9%Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between cartoonist and commercial artist duties and responsibilities

Cartoonist example responsibilities.

  • Used Applescript, Javascript, and Photoshop actions to automate tasks.
  • Publish a series of comics short stories about the local music scene in Columbus.
  • Design posters, signage, print advertisements.
  • Create monthly political comic strips in ASL and English.
  • Illustrate relevant political cartoons each week for UB's student-run newspaper
  • Create signs for print production for in-store product ads and POS.
  • Show more

Commercial artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage external communications such as brochures and other sales collateral for direct mail from inception to circulation.
  • Utilize a variety of creative media including illustration, photography and digital design to convey ideas beautifully and intelligently.
  • Create online stores and sell artwork through Zazzle, Etsy, and Cafepress.

Cartoonist vs commercial artist skills

Common cartoonist skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 25%
  • Student Newspaper, 24%
  • Comics, 17%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Comic Books, 7%
  • Logo, 6%
Common commercial artist skills
  • Art Projects, 32%
  • Photography, 12%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 12%
  • Technical Illustrations, 8%
  • Customer Relations, 6%
  • Posters, 5%

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