Arts, design, media and sports
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.
Median pay
$55,490
Growth to 2035
−3%
declining
Openings a year
2,200
Time to qualify*
12 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators: 7% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
- Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
- Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
- Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
- Market artwork through brochures, mailings, or Web sites.
- Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
- Monitor events, trends, and other circumstances, research specific subject areas, attend art exhibitions, and read art publications to develop ideas and keep current on art world activities.
- Photograph objects, places, or scenes for reference material.
Also called: Artist · Automotive Artist · Blacksmith · Fine Artist · Ice Carver · Illustrator · Muralist · Painter
Outlook and AI
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators held 28,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 28,000 by 2035 (−3%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as more images are generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, substituting for some illustrators.
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