Career in Fine Arts

Creativity has always led to the discovery of something innovative in this world. Today, a career in creative art has become the latest trend among students.

The Course Info

In most of the schools and colleges, you will find mainly five types of fine arts subjects. They are namely–

1. Digital Art
2. Art Theory
3. Painting, photography and Drawing of sculptures
4. Performing Arts
5. Art history

 

Career Path

The career is all related to art and creativity. If you manage to acquire good marks in your thesis, then you will be able to get a job as an art director in a gallery. The job requires a person to have both creative and managerial skills. You can also become an art buyer on behalf of museums and galleries. This job is 100 percent satisfying as it helps you to enjoy what you love.

 

Online Degree Courses

Today, many schools and colleges have started providing online graduate degrees to the students. There are many universities, who have created huge web classes, where you will be able to interact with thousands of students regarding a particular topic. Just like a classroom, you will be able to listen to lectures of your professors, who will chat live with a microphone and a web cam.

 

What skills have you gained?

First and foremost you should have begun accumulating a hefty portfolio of work with which to showcase your technical and creative talents. The theoretical side of your degree should enable you to put your work into proper context, explaining your influences, the reasoning behind your choice of subjects and why you used certain materials.

Art is often a solitary pursuit so you should also have a good idea of how to motivate yourself and research ideas, materials and equipment.

 

What jobs can you do?

“Fine art graduates often specialise in a particular form of art such as painting, drawing, installations, sculpture or printmaking but finding regular work or a permanent job as an artist is not easy and for some, self-employment, short-term residencies or commissions are the main career opportunities,” says Margaret Holbrough, careers adviser at Graduate Prospects. It can take time to establish yourself as an artist while building up a credible portfolio.

 

Postgraduate study?

More than 12% of 2008 fine art graduates went on to further study, many taking master’s courses to specialise in particular areas of art. Shorter courses specialising in certain related aptitudes, such as smithing, are also popular. A significant proportion go on to take a Postgraduate Certificate of Education, qualifying them to teach art in schools.

 

What Career Options are There for Artists?

A career in art is not limited to being a painter of canvases which get framed and sold in a gallery. Behind every piece of art in a newspaper, magazine, book, poster, and leaflet there’s a graphic or commercial artist — usually a team. There are graphic artists putting the magazines together, illustrators drawing the cartoons and graphics. Website designers, computer-graphic artists, and animators. Film, TV, and stage set building. Computer games. Art galleries and museums. Teaching art and art therapy. Mural painting and face painting. Tattoo artist.

 

Will I Really Make Enough Money to Live On From an Art Career?

The creative industry is competitive, but that’s symptomatic of the dedication people in it feel to their work. See it as a challenge to strive and succeed, rather than writing yourself off before you’ve even begun. It takes hard work and determination, the ability to sell yourself, and to produce the goods.

 

What Qualifications Should You Get for an Art Career?

Take a look at all the options available at various fine art or a graphic art degrees/diplomas and choose the one that’ll give you the most options — you may think you know what you’re going to enjoy, but may end up being surprised by what you enjoy most. Take enough business courses to ensure you’ve the skills to sell yourself and your work, and can manage your own business (do the books, pay your taxes, understand a contract etc.).

 

But I Want to Make a Career as a Fine Artist…!

It takes a lot of determination, hard work, hard selling, and persistence to make a career as a fine artist. You need to create paintings people want to buy. Are you willing to change your style and subject matter so that people will buy more? Will you take commissions, painting to order in terms of size, colour, and subject? Being a competent painter isn’t a magic wand. You also need to be able to market yourself and your work. It is possible to make a career as a fine artist, but it’s tough and few artists make a living by only selling their work (at least initially). But then who says you can do only one thing at a time?

 

 

CAREERS IN THE VISUAL ARTS

On this page we have collected a wide range of arts career information: arts career resource documents, links to helpful arts web sites, such as jobs databases, arts industry statistical information, and more. We have also included career planning guides that provide you an overview of expectations for a variety of arts careers – from degree requirements, to salary and working condition information. There is a LOT of information on this page so here are some quick links to get you quickly to the info you’re looking for.

Art Careers, Jobs & Salaries

1. Careers in the Film Industry – Animation
2. Video Game Designer
3. Graphic Design Careers
4. Photography Careers
5. Multi Media and Web Design
6. Careers in Art History
7. Museum Related Careers
8. Art Education

 

Arts Career Information 

1. Career Descriptions & Outlook
2. Career Selection
3. Internships
4. The Job Search

 

ART CAREERS  JOBS & SALARIES

Studio Artists can typically be categorized into four groups:

• 1. Art Directors: Art directors develop design concepts for media pieces and oversee the entire creation and production process.
  2. Craft Artists: Craft artists hand-make objects, such as candles, tapestries, quilts, and pottery, to be sold or shown.
  3. Fine Artists: Fine artists create items such as paintings, sculpture, and illustrations that are often displayed in museums and galleries.
  4. Multimedia Artists: Multimedia artists create images for film, video and other forms of electronic media.

 

CAREERS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY – ANIMATION

How Much Does a Movie Animator Earn?

Salary can be an important issue to consider as you’re thinking about your future career as a movie animator or video game animator. However, it can be difficult to pinpoint your exact earning potential. There are many factors that influence animation salaries. Here are just a few things that may play a role in determining your salary:

• 1. The kind of company you work for
  2. How much experience you have
  3. Your education level
  4. Where you live
  5. Whether you work on a contract or full-time/permanent basis

Film Industry Salaries

Predicting your future earning potential in the film industry is tricky. There are several factors to consider. What will your job title be? What projects will you work on? How long will they take? What kind of budgets will they have? Will you have a lot of down-time between projects, or will you work steadily? In addition to these factors, your salary may also depend on how well you network and how well-known you become.

 

VIDEO GAME DESIGNER

With video game sales nearly tripling between 1996 and 2006, video game design represents a vibrant and fast-growing part of the entertainment industry. In fact, with $7.4 billion dollars in sales in 2006, video games are catching up with films, which brought in $9.49 billion in the same year.

Video Game Design Salaries

Many factors go into determining your future salary in a video game design career. Here are just a few of the issues that will come into play when you are looking for jobs and hoping for that big paycheck:

• 1. Where do you live?
  2. How many years of experience do you have?
  3. What is your education level?
  4. What kind of job are you looking for within the video game design industry?
  5. What kind of company is your prospective employer?

 

GRAPHIC DESIGN CAREERS

1. Advertising Director
2. Logo / Branding Designer
3. Advertisement Designer
4. Sign Writer
5. Magazine Layout Designer
6. Packing Designer
7. Calendar / Stationary / Wallpaper Designer
8. Typographer

 

PHOTOGRAPHY CAREERS

Predicting your future salary in professional photography is a tricky business. There are any number of factors that could affect your earning potential. For instance, will you live in a large city or a smaller town? How much work experience will you have? Will you have a photography degree? Will you be working full time? Will you own your own business or work in a salaried position? What kind of photography will you do?

 

MULTIMEDIA ARTIST & WEB DESIGN

Are you an artist with a passion for technology? Or perhaps you’re a techie with a passion for good design? Due to the Internet and new media boom, multimedia artists and Web designers are hot commodities in nearly every sector of commerce including business, education, health care and government.

Multimedia & Web Design: Education & Training

• 1. A college-level education in fine art, graphic arts, computer arts, computer science, special effects or animation is critical due to the highly technical nature of the job.
  2. Web designers and multimedia artists are expected to have a strong knowledge base of computer applications and languages such as JavaScript, ASP, HTML/XHTML, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Illustrator and Flash.
  3. An impressive design portfolio is a key requirement for advancing your career.
  4. Multimedia & Web Design: Salaries

1. 1. Salaries for multimedia and Web designers vary depending on experience and reputation in this competitive field.
   2. Web designers with about 2-4 year experience earn an average of $65,176.
   3. Web designers with 4-6 years experience earn an average of $90,497.

 

CAREERS IN ART HISTORY

• 1. PhD in Art History
  2. German, French and other appropriate languages
  3. Research oriented
  4. Maximum involvement with people
  5. Good writing and communication skills essential
  6. Travel and study abroad may be important depending on field

 

MUSEUM RELATED CAREERS

Curatorial

• 1. PhD in Art History normally expected, depending on the institution
  2. German, French or other appropriate languages
  3. Research oriented (may start out as research assistant)
  4. Some involvement with people, ability to collaborate

Education

• 1. MA in Art History
  2. Languages may be necessary, e.g. Spanish, in order to be able to work with an ethnically diverse audience
  3. Some research depending on level of audience
  4. Maximum involvement with people
  5. Good communication skills essential

Exhibition installation

• 1. BA; MA may be helpful
  2. No language necessary
  3. No research
  4. Some involvement with people
  5. Some artistic training and mechanical skill

Administration

• 1. BA; MA in Museology and PhD for top positions
  2. No languages necessary
  3. No research except for fund-raising
  4. Some to maximum involvement with people
  5. Business skills normally useful, including clerical skills

Reproductions and Retailing

• 1. BA
  2. No languages necessary
  3. No research except perhaps in legal areas
  4. Some to maximum involvement with people
  5. Business, clerical, and communication skills, normally necessary
  6. This area can include everything from working in a museum store, to overseeing the selection, production and marketing of museum reproductions. If involved with the latter aspect, should have some familiarity with copyright law and artists’ rights, though this could be acquired on the job. Also some design skills may be useful.

Publishing

• 1. BA; MA or PhD useful but not necessary
  2. Languages often useful
  3. Research depends on position; copy editor-none; editor-some; writer-a lot
  4. Significant involvement with people
  5. Business and/or graphic design skills along with good writing skills are useful or essential depending on position; possibility of freelancing

Freelance Writing
(Criticism, Art History, Art-Related Travel, etc.)

• 1. BA in Art History; advanced degrees may help to open some doors
  2. Languages may be necessary
  3. Research necessary
  4. Some involvement with people; may need to be aggressive in obtaining assignments or marketing work
  5. Excellent communication and writing skills
  6. High tolerance for economic uncertainty

Art Librarian

• 1. Usually MA in Art History, and MLS
  2. French, German, or other languages often necessary
  3. Some research covering a wide gamut of topics
  4. Some to maximum involvement with people
  5. Good communication and writing skills
  6. Excellent administration/management skills
  7. Some computer and image technology skills
  8. Attention to detail

Visual Resource Materials Librarian

• 1. BA or MA in Art History
  2. French, German, or other languages may be necessary
  3. Some involvement with people
  4. Knowledge of computer programs for slide libraries
  5. Knowledge of basic photographic techniques for the production of slides
  6. Openness to technology and technological change
  7. Attention to detail

Independent Producer: TV and Film Documentaries

• 1. BA; MA or beyond useful but not necessary
  2. Languages may be necessary
  3. Research necessary
  4. Maximum involvement with people
  5. Background in TV or film production; good business and writing skills; strong organizational skills

Preservation and Conservation

• 1. MA or beyond in art history with special training in conservation and restoration
  2. Languages may be useful
  3. Research-oriented
  4. Some involvement with people
  5. Good background in chemistry and physics, as well as studio techniques

Architectural Conservation

• 1. BA; MA or beyond useful with a special knowledge of architectural traditions, including interior design; BA or MA in architecture and specialized training in conservation techniques for work at the highest level
  2. Languages only necessary as one is involved with international projects
  3. Research often necessary
  4. A great deal of involvement with people
  5. Depending on whether one is working as a employee of a governmental office, a not-for-profit group, or as a private consultant, knowledge of the law, zoning ordinance, estimating procedures, etc., can be necessary. A certain amount of political savvy also is useful particularly if one is attached to a government agency or not-for-profit group.

Art Gallery and Auction Houses
(for profit-see below for non-profit)

• 1. BA; MA or PhD may be necessary depending on position and type of gallery
  2. Languages may be useful
  3. Depending on position can be research-oriented or not at all
  4. Maximum involvement with people
  5. Depending on position good business, marketing, communication and writing skills may be necessary; training in connoisseurship

Corporate Curator

• 1. BA; MA or PhD may be helpful
  2. Languages may be necessary depending on the nature of the collection
  3. Some research
  4. Some involvement with people
  5. Ability to communicate particularly with people not necessarily knowledgeable about art; may also need installation and interpretive skills; training in connoisseurship

Art Investment

• 1. BA in Art History; BBA and/or MBA (may wish to take an MA in Art History, too)
  2. No languages necessary
  3. Some research
  4. Some involvement with people
  5. Good business and investment skills; training in connoisseurship; good communication skills

Art Law
(Conservation, Restoration, Artists’ Rights, etc.)

• 1. BA and/or MA in Art History; JD in contract law
  2. No languages necessary
  3. Research oriented
  4. Some involvement with people
  5. Good business and communication skills

Governmental Agencies
(NEA, NEH, Archives of American Art, state and local arts councils, etc.)

• 1. BA, MA and/or PhD can all be appropriate depending on duties
  2. Languages may be necessary
  3. Some to a great deal of research depending on position
  4. Some involvement with people
  5. Good communication and writing skills; political abilities

Artist Representative

• 1. BA in Art History or Studio, or equivalent knowledge and experience
  2. No languages necessary
  3. Some research of markets may be necessary
  4. Some to frequent involvement with people
  5. Business experience (marketing and sales), organizational skills, self-motivation, and a sensitivity to working with artists

Art Gallery

• 1. BA; MA or Ph.D. may be helpful, but not necessary
  2. No languages necessary
  3. Research may be necessary
  4. Maximum involvement with people
  5. Good business, marketing, communication and writing skills; fundraising skills; flexibility; diplomacy; ability to motivate others; sensitivity to artists’ needs; and, depending on the scale of the gallery, experience in exhibition design, curatorial work, sales, and art education can all be useful.

 

Career In Design- After 12th

Career in Design in NIFT | NID | UCEED or other leading Design schools/colleges

Career in design under Bachelor programs  like B.Design/B.Ftech is a 4 years degree offered by NIFT ,NID, FDDI, UCEED and other leading design institutes in India. They offer variety of disciplines in under graduate programmes. Career in design for Student who wish to pursue design courses in these leading colleges should start planning him/her self as early as end of 10th standard. Students should be clear about which design field they are going to opt for after 12th standard studies. Accordingly to student Creativity, interest and aptitude he/she should choose the subjects in 11th standard, say for example, in NIFT you want to pursue B.F Tech Apparel Production course then in 11th & 12th you must take Maths, Physics and Chemistry (MPC) as your core subjects, but if you want to pursue NIFT-B.Design course, then any combination of subjects can be chosen.

Entrance Exam of NIFT|NID|UCEED|FDDI|MIT etc.  requires a focused and balanced approach.

 

Career in Design- Options after 12th standard

NIFT | NID and other colleges offers mostly following Under Graduation Courses;

1. Fashion Design
2. Textile Design
3. Leather Design
4. Accessory Design
5. Knitwear Design
6. Fashion Communication
7. Apparel Production
8. Apparel Design and Merchandising
9. Lifestyle Accessory Design

 

Industrial Design

1. Product Design
2. Furniture and Interior Design
3. Ceramic and Glass Design
4. Transportation and automobile Design
5. Toy and Game Design
6. Architecture
7. Civil Construction

 

Communication Design

1. Graphic Design
2. Animation Design
3. Film and Video Communication
4. Exhibition Design
5. Photography Design

as one of the most prestigious courses after 12th. In India, students can take up the legal degree once they’ve completed a graduation degree