How do I improve as an artist so that I can use art to make a living?
I'd love to be an artist and am curious to know what steps I need to take to make art my profession.
#art #drawing #fine-art #career #college
3 answers
Hannah’s Answer
There are multiple ways to improve as an artist, so you can explore some options that might be right for you! When I was showing my portfolio to potential art schools, they always stressed the importance of drawing from real life to improve my drafting and composition skills. I ended up getting a degree in jewelry design, and those years of practice drawing real life subjects gave me an excellent eye for coming up with designs.
First you might want to think about the kinds of things you enjoy most about art or drawing: do you like to create a narrative or story with your drawings? Do you plan to sell items independently or would you like to work as part of a larger team of people? That might help you decide whether you would feel more engaged in an illustration program or in a painting program where you can learn the skills you need to then become a freelance artist, among other options. If you are interested in pursuing a degree for this, there are associates degrees and bachelors degree to look into. I would recommend looking at the art and design programs at schools in your area just to get a sense of the skills they teach students. Do you have a favorite artist who is alive today? If they have a website of their work, they often also have a resume that shows the kinds of things they might have done before they became your favorite artist!
One of the things that connects good artists from throughout history is simply PRACTICE! You cannot become an artist if you are not making art. Even if small sketches seem like nothing at the time, they are always training you, a little at a time!
Naghma’s Answer
I am not sure if this can help you entirely, but let me try.
First, pursuing a career in Art has no fixed formula. Also, you can be a fabulous artist but not earn a penny while you may not be that great but earn tons. So talent and money are separate goals. You will need to decide weather you are doing this for money or skills. I am not saying that they are not correlated or completely irrelevant. If your focus is money, you will need to learn skills that is in demand and selling well these days. Also, skills that you are capable of. Where as, if you pursue for artistic skills, then you focus on things you like regardless it will make money or not.
After deciding this, you can start with the materials easily available, like youtube, educational sites, classes,etc. I would prefer going to classes after some basic knowledge. Once you have your skills and paintings/art ready, you can start with online marketing like instagram, facebook store, etc.
Nothing comes easy and quickly but hard work surely helps. Staying positive and having right mindset is needed.
Build your network, contact galleries and try to publish your art.
