Visual Artist
Visual artists make original work in paint, clay, print, digital media or whatever material suits the idea, then find ways to show and sell it.
- Median salary*
- $62,400
4.2%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 2,800
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +11.8%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 45/wk
+5h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Most visual artists work freelance, from a home studio, a shared space or a community arts centre, and few hold a single salaried job. The work is self-directed: where a graphic designer answers a client brief, an artist usually chooses the subject and materials first and then looks for galleries, buyers or commissions to support it. About 2,800 people work in the role nationally, which makes it a small field where exhibitions, prizes and teaching often sit alongside studio time.
How much do visual artists earn?
The median full-time salary for a visual artist is $62,400 per annum, before tax, up $13,100 since 2018.
Income swings far more than the median suggests, because sales, commissions, grants and teaching land at different times and in different years. Gallery commissions and agent fees take a share of any sale price, and materials, studio rent and framing come out of what is left. Earnings depend heavily on the market you sell into, from artist-run spaces through to commercial galleries, public art and corporate commissions.
What does a visual artist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Developing concepts and visual ideas, then testing them in sketches, maquettes or digital mock-ups
- Making finished works in paint, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics or digital media
- Researching materials, techniques and the art history the work sits within
- Photographing and documenting finished work for catalogues, grant reports and online sales
- Approaching galleries, agents and buyers, and managing commissions, budgets and studio costs
What skills do visual artists need?
Employers look for visual design, creative software production, craft and handmade production, backed by Adobe Photoshop fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Visual design
- Creative software production
- Craft and handmade production
- Content creation and writing
- Selling and negotiation
Software and tools
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Procreate
- Blender
- Adobe Fresco
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Client relationships and advisory
Is the job growing?
About 2,800 people work as visual artists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 11.8% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a visual artist?
Here's the path most visual artists take, step by step.
- 1Start making and keep a record of it
School art subjects, community classes and studio short courses are enough to begin, and photographing everything you finish gives you a portfolio to show galleries, course applications and grant assessors.
- 2Study visual art formally
A bachelor of fine art at a university or art school is the qualification most visual artists hold, with about 33% of people in the role having completed one. TAFE diplomas in visual arts and studio-based short courses are realistic alternatives, and your portfolio usually counts for more than the institution you studied at.
- 3Build a practice with space and regular hours
Renting or sharing a studio, setting aside consistent time and finishing a coherent body of work gives you something worth exhibiting, which is how most artists attract their first gallery interest.
- 4Learn the business side
An ABN, pricing that covers materials and your time, simple written contracts, insurance and record keeping for GST are what turn occasional sales into a living. Grants from Creative Australia and the state arts funding bodies are worth applying for early, even when you are not successful at first.
- 5Earn alongside the studio
Teaching, arts administration, commercial illustration and public art projects provide steadier income while the practice develops, and plenty of artists keep one of these going permanently.
Ready to apply as a visual artist?
Whether you're working toward becoming a visual artist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a visual artist move to?
Moving into Graphic Designer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $33,800 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designer Visual artists bring composition, colour and imagery to graphic design, which adds digital tools and client briefs requiring reskilling. | +$33,800 | 33% | reskill |
| Illustrator Illustration builds directly on drawing and composition, with short training in commercial markets and digital illustration techniques. | +$33,800 | 55% | short course |
| Photographer Visual artists bring composition and lighting sense to photography, with short training in camera craft and editing. | +$33,300 | 50% | short course |
| Ceramic Artist Ceramic artist is a close visual arts specialism, so studio, exhibition and material skills transfer with minimal retraining. | −$2,600 | 78% | minimal |
| Sculptor Sculpture shares visual arts training in form, space and exhibition, needing a short course in materials and technique. | −$2,600 | 52% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a visual artist?
The typical visual artist is 50 years old; 66% are women, 42% work full-time, and full-timers average 45 hours a week.
- 50
- Median age
- 66%
- Female share
- 42%
- Full-time
- +5h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a visual artist?
The job has two halves that pull against each other: long, self-directed hours in the studio, and the unpaid work of applying, marketing and selling that pays for them. Weeks are rarely regular, and income follows exhibitions, commissions and grant rounds rather than a fortnightly cycle. It tends to suit someone who likes setting their own schedule, solving material problems and watching a body of work build over years.
What people like
- You decide what to make. No client brief or manager sets the subject, so the idea and the material are yours to choose. That freedom is why many artists stay in the field despite the uneven income.
- Skills compound over time. Drawing, colour and material knowledge improve with every body of work, and later exhibitions draw on everything made before them.
- The work outlasts the job. A painting, a sculpture or a public artwork stays in the world after the studio day ends, and for many artists that is the most satisfying part of it.
- A community of makers. Studios, residencies, group shows and teaching put you among other artists, and practical advice, shared equipment and opportunities often come through those connections.
What people find hard
- Income arrives unevenly. A strong exhibition can pay well and the following stretch of months might bring nothing, so budgeting across years rather than weeks becomes part of the work.
- More time applying than making. Grant applications, gallery submissions and prize entries each take days to prepare, and most are unsuccessful. The paperwork competes directly with studio time.
- Studio costs come first. Rent, materials, framing and insurance are paid before any sale, and gallery commissions take a share of the price when a work does sell.
- Rejection is routine. Competitions, exhibition programs and funding rounds accept a small fraction of what they receive, so an artist submits far more often than they are accepted.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ visual artists?
Arts and Recreation Services employs the largest share of visual artists.
Top employing industries
- 1Arts and Recreation Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 33.2% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 23.2% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 15.3% | |
| Postgraduate | 13.6% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 7.9% |
Will AI replace visual artists?
AI exposure here is moderate, and it sits unevenly across the job. Image generation and editing tools speed up digital illustration, mock-ups, reference gathering and the photographs and files you need to sell work, but they do not make the painting, the ceramic piece or the sculpture. The parts of the job tied to materials, physical scale and an exhibition history stay largely with the artist.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Studio time making the workThrowing a pot, stretching a canvas or carving a form depends on hands, materials and physical scale, and no software produces the object a buyer takes home.40%low
- Digital production and image preparationEditing photographs of finished work, preparing print files and producing digital or commercial illustration are all faster with generative and editing tools, and clients now expect that speed.25%high
- Marketing, applications and adminDrafting artist statements, grant applications, newsletters and social posts is quicker with AI assistance, though the pricing, contracts and gallery relationships behind them still need a person.20%high
- Concept development and researchAI can gather visual references and generate variations to react against, but choosing what the work is about and why remains the artist's decision.15%moderate
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from visual artist work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Ceramic Artist
High skill overlap (78%), little retraining to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Sculptor
Solid skill overlap (52%), short course to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a visual artist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do visual artists earn?
Visual artists earn a median of $62,400 per annum, before tax, and that figure covers full-time workers only. Income is usually a mix of sales, commissions, teaching and grants, so any individual year can sit well above or below it. Treat the median as a guide to the middle of the field rather than a starting salary.
How do you become a visual artist?
There is no licence or registration to obtain, so the practical route is a body of work plus the qualifications and contacts that help you show it. Bachelor degree is the most common qualification among people working as visual artists, held by about 33% of them, and TAFE diplomas are a common alternative. Building a portfolio, exhibiting wherever you can and learning to price and invoice matter as much as the study itself.
Are visual artists in demand?
Visual artists are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 11.8% over the decade to 2035. With about 2,800 people in the role, most work arrives through exhibitions, commissions, public art and teaching rather than advertised vacancies. That makes a network, a track record and a clear artistic focus the things that generate the next opportunity.
Will AI replace visual artists?
AI reaches the commercial end of visual art more than the studio end. Image generators can produce reference images, mock-ups and digital illustration quickly, which affects artists who sell digital work, design assets or concept imagery, and it makes the marketing and application side of the job faster. Painting, sculpture, ceramics and installation depend on materials, physical scale and an exhibition context that software cannot reproduce, and buyers of original work are usually paying for the object and the artist's hand.
What can visual artists move into?
Most visual artists grow their earnings by building their own practice through sales, commissions, public art and teaching rather than by chasing a promotion, and running that practice is where income tends to increase. Illustration uses the same drawing and composition skills and needs only short training in commercial markets, and illustrators earn $33,800 more than visual artists. Graphic design pays $33,800 more but requires reskilling in digital tools and client briefs, while a move into ceramics or sculpture keeps you in the studio with minimal retraining.
Related roles
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.