List of Artistic Careers

At one time, someone with an artistic bent had to be noticed by a rich patron or suffer for his art; that is true no longer. It is possible today to have long, flourishing and even lucrative career as an artist without once having a painting up for auction at Sotheby's. Of course, not all artistic careers are exactly going to leave one with the reputation and legacy of Leonardo Da Vinci, but how many artists really had that chance anyway?

All those drawings in instruction manuals have to be created by someone. The job of the technical illustrator may not be particularly glamorous, but it is always in high demand. The talents of these people are needed for everything from instruction manuals to textbooks. Any kind of project where technical advice can be made clearer through an accompanying illustration may mean a job for an artist.

A freelance job doing caricatures is an excellent entry level job for aspiring artists. The great thing about this job is that it requires very little in the way of startup capital; find a spot where you can legally ply your trade and set up shop at the beach, in a park or even inside your own home. Caricaturists are a staple at fairs, theme parks, and Renaissance fairs, so if you're really good you may be able to wrangle a full time job doing this that still allows you to basically set your own hours.

With television cameras being allowed in the courtroom the job of the court artist may no longer be as viable as it once was. Remember, however, that cameras are not allowed into every courtroom and not allowed for every case, therefore many sketch artists can still enjoy at least a part time income from this career route.

Admittedly, there is more to this job that mere artistic talent, but do not underestimate the artistry involved. With even schoolmarms and librarians sporting tattoos these days and the explosion of tattoo parlors across the country, this may well be the fastest growing field to fall under the artists' umbrella today.

Every year during the Academy Awards telecast as they are announcing the nominees for Best Costume Design, they invariably show sketches of the nominated costumes. Nearly every costume worn by actors in a movie or TV show begins with a draft sketch. The same holds true for all those outfits worn by models on catwalks across the world. All fashion and costumes begin with an artist's conception, opening up a career for those who can translate a designer's vision into pen and ink reality.