Background Artist
Job Description:
A background artist, also called a background painter or a background stylist, helps create the backgrounds for various projects. They're responsible for establishing the particular color palette, mood or style of a particular scene.
Salary: $34,120 - $99,920 ; median salary: $44,440
Occupational Outlook:
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 16% growth in employment of special effects artists and animators from 2020 to 2030.
This is much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations.
Links to Learn More About This Career:
Educational Requirements:
Most positions typically require a bachelor's degree, but earning a master's degree may help you develop your skills further or provide you with more opportunities. Most colleges do not have individual degrees for specific artistic disciplines. Instead, students can obtain a fine arts degree with a focus on their area of interest. For background painters, this is usually with a concentration in painting.
University of Kentucky - College of Fine Arts
Address: 100 W.D. Funkhouser Building University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506-0054
Website: finearts.uky.edu/
Information on the Major:
Western Kentucky University
Address: WKU Office of Admissions
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11020
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1020
Website: WKU
Information on the Major:
Soft Skills, Characteristics, and/or Abilities Need For This Career:
Background designers will often have a degree in graphic art, fine art, illustration or in a related discipline, but this is not strictly necessary. The vital thing is that you can demonstrate very strong drawing skills.
Software Knowledge Needed For This Career:
These are some of the tools used by professionals:
Image editing software (Adobe Photoshop)
3D modeling, sculpting and painting software (Blender, 3DS Max, Maya, Mudbox, ZBrush, Substance Designer, Quixel)
2D animation software (TVPaint, ToonBoom Harmony)
Physical art materials: pencil and paper, paint, ink, chalk
You can learn how to model using free software. Go to build your animation portfolio for a list of what’s available.
Pros and Cons to Choosing This Career
Pros (Positives to this Career)
Good salary
Good outlook
Seems like a fun job
Cons (Negatives to this Career)
Hard to find education
Have to keep up and demonstrate strong drawing skills
Probably kind of repetitive
Typical Working Conditions For This Career:
Verbal communications are especially important for background artists. It's crucial they're able to understand what other professionals ask them to execute for the backgrounds and ask good questions to gain further clarification. Written communication skills may also be helpful for reviewing prompts or feedback for backgrounds to create. Creativity relates to the ability to develop new ideas and concepts. It's crucial for background artists to have excellent creativity. While they often receive prompts or requirements for the backgrounds they create, they're responsible for creating entirely new environments. Interpersonal skills enable people to build relationships with each other and work well together. While background artists complete a lot of their work independently, it's essential for them to understand others.
Career Researched By: Ava Vibbert