Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

What Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Do

Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Long-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

61.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Designimportance 4.3/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.2/5
• English Languageimportance 3.9/5
• Production and Processingimportance 3.6/5
• Fine Artsimportance 3.5/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
• Communications and Mediaimportance 3.4/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Freedom to Make Decisions4.8/5
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.6/5
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.4/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.3/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.1/5
• E-Mail3.9/5

Related Careers

• Special Effects Artists and Animators
• Graphic Designers
• Craft Artists
• Etchers and Engravers
• Art Directors
• Set and Exhibit Designers
• Photographers
• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Prosthodontists86% skill match
• Podiatrists85% skill match
• Orthodontists84% skill match
• Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians84% skill match
• Materials Scientists84% skill match
• Bakers83% skill match
• Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers83% skill match
• Animal Breeders83% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
• Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
• Operations Analysisimportance 2.6/5
• Coordinationimportance 2.5/5
• Service Orientationimportance 2.5/5
• Persuasionimportance 2.4/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Innovation
• Tolerance for Ambiguity
• Achievement Orientation
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Initiative
• Perseverance
• Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ArtisticHigh
• RealisticMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• EnterprisingLow
• ConventionalLow
• SocialLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Asheville, NC6.14× national avg
2. 2Fort Collins-Loveland, CO5.40× national avg
3. 3Shreveport-Bossier City, LA4.89× national avg
4. 4Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA2.81× national avg
5. 5San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA2.61× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsCareer Change
• Materials ScientistsCareer Change
• Chemical EngineersCareer Change
• Civil Engineering Technologists and TechniciansCareer Change

See the full career path from Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.