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Artist

Artist

This thread has been started so professionals or others involved in this sector can post their job related descriptions and experiences to help you better determine if this is the career/job you would like to pursue in the future.

Professional: Please tell what the job involves, the pros and cons, usual salary, and kinds of promotions
Future Professional: You may ask questions here, but please be specific

Note: This board should not be used for discussions relevant to other boards.

Artist

This is part of my work. I am a natural artist and over the years I left the brush and pencil for computer graphics. I do not necessarily concentrate on graphics or specialize, but just keep it in the background as a needed skill when I design web sites. Often you meet programers or even web designers who can't draw to save their life and so they normally hire a graphic artist or purchase a graphic artist's images from a stock portfolio.

Anyway, back to the topic. Graphic designers can get good salaries if they are working for a top notch advertising company, but the problem is there are too many wannabe or free lance artists out there willing to work for nothing and so the trade has been reduced in need over the years. Plus a large company will only hire two or three graphic artists, so its not a high demand job. The other thing that is funny about the job description of most art related ads of today is that they no longer ask you if your art is good, but instead ask... can you use this program... or that program? Reason being is that most art related programs do most of it for you! Adding colors, shade, dimension no longer has to be the job of a pro... any amateur could do it. If you are seeking to be a graphic artist I would recommend you start or continue developing all levels of your skill and incorporate it with some other IT related field so you are not left in the 'wind'.

As for pay in Trinidad graphic artists get from TT$2,500 to TT$4,000 per month (For US divide that by 6).

Natural artists, those that use brushes and canvas can make good money, but once again with the advent of the net it seems to be a dying profession. Even billboards (once painted by natural artists) can now be easily covered with a computer print out. If you are a known artist then major banks and places of interest may buy your art, but this is not a monthly salary, so if you are looking to be an artist then make sure it is just a sideline thing.

Most artist like doing this... creating is their thing, so they do not care much about the pay, but if you want real money... choose a different career.

Artist UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

So do you think that in today's world, a company might hire a graphic designer based more upon his experience than his background and education?

I'm still in college, and a graphic design major. I was hoping to go into advertising perhaps by doing billboards, web sites, magazines...that sort of stuff. I really do love playing around with pictures on photoshop and illustrator too.

Artist

I believe your portfolio will speak for itself, but most companies hate to take chances, so if there are 10 prospects all with nice work then they are more likely to go with the guy with experience. Remember, it is not just a matter of you doing good work, but of getting what the client wants to fruition. No matter how well you can design, if you do not do it the way the client wants it you will find yourself quickly out of work, hence experience is so important.

Artist

That is a very good point. I'm still trying to learn that...got to pound it through my head because I keep looking at pieces like, "hey, that looks out of place" so I move it, and my teacher tells me that I should have left it where it was. so I got to keep reminding myself that I'm not trying to please myself, I'm trying to please the client/others.

Would you by chance have any ideas about what I could do or where I could look to get more ideas (learning to become more creative) for pieces in general? Like if I were to do an ad in a magazine say for a computer or something, what exactly would be the 'brain process' to go through to be able to come up with a most effective way of portraying it to a potential buyer? (is that clear enough, I don't know if what I just said is understandable or not..)

Artist

A good place is award design sites - see what people think is the best. Sign up or apply for some awards for your own site and see what people think about it, see how they rate it. The best way to get the client perspective is to do some free jobs and see what they say. For instance go to a local charitable organization and offer to put up a site for them, then you can earn experience from doing it plus you will be doing some good work for people in need.

Artist

That is a very good idea....I think I'll go talk to like MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Driving) and the Salvation Army and see if they wouldn't mind. because for my final project at school last semester, I did an 8 piece set of ads against drunk driving...maybe they'd like to check them out, and it'd be easy enough to create more for them if they wanted me to. Thankyou very much for the idea!

Artist Sciences Education Art Writing & UFO

Currently I'm out of school and I'm deciding which college I want to go to...I want to major in the Art indusrty so and Art College would be a preferable choice...I've been thinking about the Art Institute but I haven't got many other options...there's also Joe Kubert's Art School that forcuses more on my field of study...which is comics and animation...then there's the student loans that I have to consider and it all can get rather hecktic at times...but I soon hope to attend one...

Message Edited! Post moved to appropriate topic

Edited: malexander on 14th Sep, 2004 - 5:28pm