Comic vs commercial artist

The differences between comics 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 comic and a commercial artist. Additionally, a comic has an average salary of $85,586, which is higher than the $60,449 average annual salary of a commercial artist.

The top three skills for a comic include comic-con, comics and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a commercial artist are art projects, photography, and adobe photoshop.

Comic vs commercial artist overview

	Comic	Commercial Artist
Yearly salary	$85,586	$60,449
Hourly rate	$41.15	$29.06
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	36	30,066
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	6	6

Comic vs commercial artist salary

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

	Comic	Commercial Artist
Average salary	$85,586	$60,449
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $176,000	Between $36,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between comic and commercial artist education

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

	Comic	Commercial Artist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Photography	Graphic Design
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Comic vs commercial artist demographics

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

	Comic	Commercial Artist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.5% 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 Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between comic and commercial artist duties and responsibilities

Comic example responsibilities.

Manage acquisition of photography and illustrations, including selection of freelance photographers and illustrators.
Create book of comics complete in workshop
Sketch or draw objects to be craft.
Perform at comedy clubs, colleges and theatres throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Select and design endsheets, ad, and main book content including typesetting and photo placement.
Design, work with typesetting shops, and pasted-up mechanicals (pre-computer era) for a wide range of books.

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.

Comic vs commercial artist skills

Common comic skills

Comic-Con, 43%
Comics, 17%
Adobe Photoshop, 12%
Facebook, 10%
Comedy, 7%
Crowd Control, 4%

Common commercial artist skills

Art Projects, 32%
Photography, 12%
Adobe Photoshop, 12%
Technical Illustrations, 8%
Customer Relations, 6%
Posters, 5%

Comic vs. similar jobs

Comic related careers

Comic related jobs

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Fine Artist responsibilities

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Comic vs Commercial Artist

Updated January 8, 2025

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