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The differences between visual artists and graphics illustrators 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 graphics illustrator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a visual artist has an average salary of $81,873, which is higher than the $64,943 average annual salary of a graphics illustrator.
The top three skills for a visual artist include animation, maya and visual development. The most important skills for a graphics illustrator are adobe photoshop, graphic design, and adobe indesign.
| Visual Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Yearly salary | $81,873 | $64,943 |
| Hourly rate | $39.36 | $31.22 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 7,209 | 2,854 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
A graphics illustrator is an artist that is skilled in drawing, painting, digital illustration, art history, and sometimes marketing. Your job as an illustrator is to create a visual representation of an idea or associated text. Unlike a graphic designer, a graphic illustrator does a lot more drawing, product package design, book illustrations, and graphic novels. As a graphics illustrator, you may be required to lead lots of projects that deal with advertising design and publishing initiatives. In addition to that, you may be expected to produce mockups, wireframes, prototypes, and design specifications.
Visual artists and graphics illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visual Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average salary | $81,873 | $64,943 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $127,000 | Between $41,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sparks, NV | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Uber Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a visual artist and a graphics illustrator in terms of educational background:
| Visual Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Fine Arts | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between visual artists' and graphics illustrators' demographics:
| Visual Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5% | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |