Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Onet SOC Code 27-1013.00 Career Description: Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of mediums and techniques, such as painting and sculpture. Related Clusters:

Career Summary:

• 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, in order 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.
• Submit preliminary or finished artwork or project plans to clients for approval, incorporating changes as necessary.
• Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
• Create finished art work as decoration, or to elucidate or substitute for spoken or written messages.
• Cut, bend, laminate, arrange, and fasten individual or mixed raw and manufactured materials and products to form works of art.
• Monitor events, trends, and other circumstances, research specific subject areas, attend art exhibitions, and read art publications in order to develop ideas and keep current on art world activities.
• Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
• Render drawings, illustrations, and sketches of buildings, manufactured products, or models, working from sketches, blueprints, memory, models, or reference materials.
• Create sketches, profiles, or likenesses of posed subjects or photographs, using any combination of freehand drawing, mechanical assembly kits, and computer imaging.
• Create sculptures, statues, and other three-dimensional artwork by using abrasives and tools to shape, carve, and fabricate materials such as clay, stone, wood, or metal.
• Study styles, techniques, colors, textures, and materials used in works undergoing restoration to ensure consistency during the restoration process.
• Develop project budgets for approval, estimating time lines and material costs.
• Shade and fill in sketch outlines and backgrounds, using a variety of media such as water colors, markers, and transparent washes, labeling designated colors when necessary.
• Collaborate with engineers, mechanics, and other technical experts as necessary to build and install creations.
• Create and prepare sketches and model drawings of cartoon characters, providing details from memory, live models, manufactured products, or reference materials.
• Examine and test paintings in need of restoration or cleaning to determine techniques and materials to be used.
• Create graphics, illustrations, and three-dimensional models to be used in research or in teaching, such as in demonstrating anatomy, pathology, or surgical procedures.
• Brush or spray protective or decorative finishes on completed background panels, informational legends, exhibit accessories, or finished paintings.
• Trace drawings onto clear acetate for painting or coloring, or trace them with ink to make final copies.
• Apply solvents and cleaning agents to clean surfaces of paintings, and to remove accretions, discolorations, and deteriorated varnish.
• Model substances such as clay or wax, using fingers and small hand tools to form objects.
• Collaborate with writers who create ideas, stories, or captions that are combined with artists' work.
• Provide entertainment at special events by performing activities such as drawing cartoons.
• Render sequential drawings that can be turned into animated films or advertisements.

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• As in most of the fine arts fields, no formal education or training is required; however, it is difficult to become successful without some degree of post-secondary preparation. A bachelor's or graduate degree in graphic design is extremely helpful. Two or three years of study in a school of art may be beneficial. High school students should prepare by taking a college preparatory program, art, and computer-aided design and drafting (CADD).

• Equipment Selection - Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

• Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

• Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

• Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

• Ability Utilization - Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.
• Creativity - Workers on this job try out their own ideas.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Autonomy - Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.
• Independence - Workers on this job do their work alone.
• Independence-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Responsibility - Workers on this job make decisions on their own.
• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Recognition - Workers on this job receive recognition for the work they do.
• Variety - Workers on this job have something different to do every day.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Social Status - Workers on this job are looked up to by others in their company and their community.
• Compensation - Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website