Visual artist vs fine artist

The differences between visual artists and fine artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a visual artist, becoming a fine artist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a visual artist has an average salary of $81,873, which is higher than the $61,680 average annual salary of a fine artist.

The top three skills for a visual artist include animation, maya and visual development. The most important skills for a fine artist are graphic design, sculpture, and adobe photoshop.

Visual artist vs fine artist overview

	Visual Artist	Fine Artist
Yearly salary	$81,873	$61,680
Hourly rate	$39.36	$29.65
Growth rate	5%	6%
Number of jobs	7,209	4,246
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	6

Visual artist vs fine artist salary

Visual artists and fine artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Visual Artist	Fine Artist
Average salary	$81,873	$61,680
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $127,000	Between $35,000 And $106,000
Highest paying City	Sparks, NV	Pasadena, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	NVIDIA	MBI
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between visual artist and fine artist education

There are a few differences between a visual artist and a fine artist in terms of educational background:

	Visual Artist	Fine Artist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Fine Arts	Fine Arts
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Visual artist vs fine artist demographics

Here are the differences between visual artists' and fine artists' demographics:

	Visual Artist	Fine Artist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5%	Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%
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, 4.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between visual artist and fine artist duties and responsibilities

Visual artist example responsibilities.

Edit video, write copy for television, radio, and web-base commercials while managing the scheduling of all studio employees.
Design creative materials, including advertisements, media kits, logo and promotional materials for several collaborative projects.
Model, texture and integrate 3D mesh FX with 3DSMax
Modele and shade 3D facial replacements and simulate smoke effects in Maya.
Design texture sheets and unique materials and shaders for particles and mesh FX.
Used Maya and Photoshop to create matte paintings and landscape environment using modeling and camera projection techniques.

Fine artist example responsibilities.

Manage studio workload and advise print direction to in-house and freelance cad artists.
Create sculpture, illustrations, and cartoons for private customers
Utilize social media platforms including Facebook to connect with college community.
Conceptualize and develop terrain models using Maya and partner with director and animators to correspond and produce effective shots.
Perform typesetting duties when necessary.

Visual artist vs fine artist skills

Common visual artist skills

Animation, 15%
Maya, 11%
Visual Development, 9%
Visual Effects, 7%
VFX, 6%
Motion Graphics, 5%

Common fine artist skills

Graphic Design, 11%
Sculpture, 9%
Adobe Photoshop, 9%
Portfolio, 9%
Fine Arts, 8%
Watercolor, 7%

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Visual Artist vs Fine Artist

Updated January 8, 2025

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