Arts, Design, Media, and Sports · Career brief

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$55,490

Middle-of-the-pack pay

2025 national median. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for pay.

2Demand

-2.9%

Projected employment decline

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Bottom quarter for growth among careers on ChooseField.

3Openings

2,200

Relatively fewer openings

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.

4Route in

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is typically expected

Bachelor's degree. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Creative

Original ideas and creative judgment matter

Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects employment to shrink 2.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

ChooseField take

The national benchmarks are mixed, so the work itself and the route in matter more than any standout pay or demand signal. It makes the most sense if creative work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a bachelor's-degree path. Main tradeoff: BLS projects employment to shrink 2.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

Before choosing, compare:Fashion Designers Graphic Designers Set and Exhibit Designers

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators with another field Explore rankings in Arts, Design, Media, and Sports Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$55,490

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

-2.9%employment growth2,200openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Bachelor's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

28,900

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators (27-1013).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
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.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects employment to shrink 2.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.
Hands-on manipulation of tools, controls, or objects occupies a meaningful part of the workday.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Thinking Creatively4.8
Getting Information3.9
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work3.7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.6
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.6

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Artistic7.0
Realistic4.1
Investigative2.7
Enterprising2.4
Conventional2.3
Social2.3

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Design Computers and Electronics Production and Processing Fine Arts

Software and tools named in job postings

Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Autodesk Maya

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Complete a creative brief for someone else, meet the deadline, invite blunt criticism, and revise the work once.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Active Listening among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions. Examples of tools used in the occupation include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya; check which ones employers near you actually require.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Fashion Designers, Graphic Designers, Set and Exhibit Designers, Film and Video Editors.