Graphic Artists
design and create art to
communicate ideas, thoughts, or feelings. They use a variety
of methods painting, sculpting, or illustration and an
assortment of materials, including oils, watercolors,
acrylics, pastels, pencils, pen and ink, plaster, clay, and
computers. Artists works may be realistic, stylized, or
abstract and may depict objects, people, nature, or
events.
Artists
generally fall into one of three
categories. Art directors formulate design concepts and
presentation approaches for visual communications media. Fine
artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators
create original artwork using a variety of media and
techniques. Multi-media artists and animators create special
effects, animation, or other visual images using film, video,
computers or other electronic media.
Art directors
develop design concepts and
review the material that is to appear in periodicals,
newspapers, and other printed or digital media. They decide
how best to present the information visually, so it is
eye-catching, appealing, and organized. They decide which
photographs or artwork to use and oversee the layout graphic
design and production of the printed material. They may
direct workers engaged in art work, layout design, and copy
writing.
Fine artists
typically display their work
in museums, commercial art galleries, corporate collections,
and private homes. Some of their artwork may be commissioned
(done on request from clients), but most is sold by the
artist or through private art galleries or dealers. The
gallery and artist predetermine how much each will earn from
the sale. Only the most successful fine artists are able to
support themselves solely through the sale of their works.
Most fine artists must work in an unrelated field to support
their art careers. Some work in museums or art galleries as
fine arts directors or as curators, who plan and set up art
exhibits. Others work as art critics for newspapers or
magazines, or as consultants to foundations or institutional
collectors.
Fine artists
specialize in one or two art
forms, such as painting, illustrating, sketching, sculpting,
printmaking, and restoring. Painters, illustrators,
cartoonists, and sketch artists work with two-dimensional art
forms. These artists use shading, perspective, and color to
produce realistic scenes or abstractions.
Illustrators
typically create art
pictures for books, magazines, and other publications; and
commercial products, such as textiles, wrapping paper,
stationery, greeting cards and calendars. Increasingly,
illustrators work in digital format, preparing work directly
on a computer.
Medical and scientific illustrators
combine drawing skills with knowledge of the biological
sciences. Medical illustrators draw illustrations of human
anatomy and surgical procedures. Scientific illustrators draw
illustrations of animals and plants. These illustrations are
used in medical and scientific publications and in
audiovisual presentations for teaching purposes. Medical art
illustrators also work for lawyers, producing exhibits for
court cases.
Cartoonists
draw graphics for political,
advertising, social, and sports cartoons. Some cartoonists
work with others who create the idea or story and write the
captions. Most cartoonists have comic, critical, or dramatic
talents in addition to graphic drawing skills.
Sketch artists
create likenesses of
subjects using pencil, charcoal, or pastels. Sketches are
used by law enforcement agencies to assist in identifying
suspects, by the news media to depict courtroom scenes, and
by individual patrons for their own enjoyment.
Sculptors
design three-dimensional art
works either by molding and joining materials such as clay,
glass, wire, plastic, fabric, or metal or by cutting and
carving forms from a block of plaster, wood, or stone. Some
sculptors combine various materials to create mixed-media
installations. Some incorporate light, sound, and motion into
their works.
Printmakers
create printed images from
designs cut or etched into wood, stone, or metal. After
creating the design, the artist inks the surface of the
woodblock, stone, or plate and uses a printing press to roll
the image onto paper or fabric. Some make prints by pressing
the inked surface onto paper by hand, or by graphically
encoding data and processing it, using a computer. The
digitized images are printed on paper using computer
printers.
Painting
restorers preserve and restore
damaged and faded paintings. They apply solvents and cleaning
agents to clean the surfaces, reconstruct or retouch damaged
areas, and apply preservatives to protect the paintings. This
is very detailed artwork and usually is reserved for experts
in the field.
Multi-media artists
and design animators
work primarily in computer and data processing services,
advertising, and the motion picture and television
industries. They draw by hand and use computers to create the
large series of pictures that form the animated images or
special effects seen in movies, television programs, and
computer games. Some draw story board's for television
commercials, movies, and animated features. Story boards
present television commercials in a series of scenes similar
to a comic strip and allow an advertising agency to evaluate
proposed commercials with the company doing the advertising.
Story boards also serve as guides to placing actors and
cameras and to other details during the production of
commercials.
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