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Lead artist vs artist

The differences between lead artists and artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead artist has an average salary of $83,041, which is higher than the $68,690 average annual salary of an artist.

The top three skills for a lead artist include maya, animation and portfolio. The most important skills for an artist are maya, adobe photoshop, and customer service.

Lead artist vs artist overview

Lead ArtistArtist
Yearly salary$83,041$68,690
Hourly rate$39.92$33.02
Growth rate5%6%
Number of jobs4,7993,870
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4040
Years of experience2-

What does a lead artist do?

The duties of a lead artist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to identify and meet their needs, coordinating with the creative staff in developing concepts and samples to present to the clients, conducting revisions, and submitting finished works according to the prescribed format and manner. Furthermore, as a lead artist, it is essential to spearhead the efforts and encourage the team to reach goals, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, including the clients' vision.

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.

Lead artist vs artist salary

Lead artists and artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lead ArtistArtist
Average salary$83,041$68,690
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $128,000Between $42,000 And $110,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Rafael, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between lead artist and artist education

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

Lead ArtistArtist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorGraphic DesignFine Arts
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaHarvard University

Lead artist vs artist demographics

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

Lead ArtistArtist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 69.5% Female, 30.5%Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% 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, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between lead artist and artist duties and responsibilities

Lead artist example responsibilities.

  • Edit video, write copy for television, radio, and web-base commercials while managing the scheduling of all studio employees.
  • Model, texture, light, and render with Maya and proprietary tools.
  • Establish a standard level of quality for asset creation while enforcing efficiency of polygon and texture usage.
  • Create various assets for a number of PC titles.
  • Model, texture and direct outsourcing efforts for 3d environmental assets.
  • Color guides with lights/shadows, perspective, and composition help visually engage the audience in the final animation.
  • Show more

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

Lead artist vs artist skills

Common lead artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Animation, 10%
  • Portfolio, 9%
  • ZBrush, 6%
  • UI, 6%
  • Texture, 5%
Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%

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