Art
“Art achieves a purpose which is not its own.”
– Benjamin Constant
Overview
Do you like to draw? Do you have a sense of aesthetics and presentation? Then you may well have a future as a professional artist. Artists do more than just sketch, paint or sculpt – they are responsible for making choices that shape the look and feel of the world around us. Ready for that kind of responsibility? Then find out how an accredited online art degree like an associate and bachelor’s degree program in fine arts and media arts, animation and art history can help you get started in a career as an art director, fine artist, painter, illustrator, cartoonist, sketch artist, sculptor, multimedia artist, or painter.
Something to note - many people, artists especially, assume that every aspect of art is talent and that having an online art degree will not be helpful. From Michaelangelo to Pablo Picasso, almost every great artist has had many instructors and extensive training by a master or at a prestigious art school. An online art degree is the modern day version of an apprenticeship and is looked at very favorably by employers. Sure, Van Gogh never had an online art degree. And, if you only want to sell one painting in your lifetime, you won't need one either!
Art: Career Insights
- Some artists are naturally gifted, but the majority learn their craft through study and hard work.
- Artists tend to be self-employed, though they will also find work in advertising agencies, design firms, publishing houses, and entertainment conglomerates.
- Earnings vary widely – some paintings sell for thousands or even millions of dollars!
Art Director
An art director is responsible for the overall design concept and look and feel for a magazine, a line of clothing, or a theatrical set. Art directors can be very hands-on – meaning they will do drawings themselves and begin the implementation of their own ideas – or they can be visionaries and managers, turning over their ideas to lower-level designers, who bring them to life under the art director’s close supervision.
Fine Artists
Painters – often considered the top of the fine art career ladder – use paint and canvas to express their ideas. They may paint realistically or abstractly, in some cases with very little evident technical skill. Sculptors use clay, stone or other solid, tangible materials to create three-dimensional representations of objects or even intangible concepts.
Illustrators
Illustrators use their hands or, increasingly, rely on sophisticated drawing software to create drawings. These drawings may have a commercial use (for example, in an advertisement) or they may rise to the level of fine art, created and appreciated for their own sake. Cartoonists are a type of illustrator who tend to draw in a non-realistic way, often with the intent of achieving a humorous effect through their pictures and accompanying words. Sketch artists can toss off a drawing rapidly, sometimes using information provided by a third party; they are often employed by police departments to assemble a portrait of the perpetrator.
If you have a vision of yourself as an art director, fine artist, painter, illustrator, cartoonist, sketch artist, sculptor, multimedia artist or painter, find out how you can help secure a job with help from our accredited online art degrees such as associate of arts/media arts; bachelor of arts/animation; bachelor of arts/media arts; and bachelor of arts/art history programs. There are a wide variety of online art degree programs available, choose an accredited one and get started in the right direction.
Click here for a complete list of accredited online Art degree programs