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The differences between visual artists and animation artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a visual artist and an animation artist. Additionally, a visual artist has an average salary of $81,873, which is higher than the $80,929 average annual salary of an animation artist.
The top three skills for a visual artist include animation, maya and visual development. The most important skills for an animation artist are animation, maya, and character animation.
| Visual Artist | Animation Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,873 | $80,929 |
| Hourly rate | $39.36 | $38.91 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 7,209 | 3,822 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Visual artists are the type of artists that engage their audience through their eyes. This type of artist expresses their feelings in different ways. They can use any material to make their feelings known. Sometimes, they express their feelings using carved wood, digital imagery, and installations from objects they find randomly. They may use water vapor or bee pollen to let the world see their feelings, thoughts, and ideals. They can also choose to work independently or work with studios that produce cartoons, develop games, and have a fixed schedule to work on a project.
Animation artists or animators are skilled professionals who create multiple images that form animation, which can be seen in movies, commercials, television programs, and video games. To produce those illusions of movements, animation artists must use several animation software such as Maya, AfterEffects, and Photoshop. They must collaborate with graphic designers and editors to create animations for the entire show. Animation artists must also create high-quality animations by producing expressive characters that can portray a wide range of emotions.
Visual artists and animation artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visual Artist | Animation Artist | |
| Average salary | $81,873 | $80,929 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $127,000 | Between $52,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sparks, NV | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Media |
There are a few differences between a visual artist and an animation artist in terms of educational background:
| Visual Artist | Animation Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Fine Arts | Animation |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between visual artists' and animation artists' demographics:
| Visual Artist | Animation Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |