Need Help in Art Profession

Gosh, nobody else responded to your questions? I'm no expert in the field, but I did have an old friend who restored old paintings....not ancient masters' paintings, but lesser-known ones.

This fellow rented a terribly cheap studio in Tampa, FL (and lived there) did his own artwork (paintings), and got jobs through his many, many friends. A most friendly fellow, and I much admired him, partly because he had one arm severly damaged from Polio as a child, so he hardly had any use of it.

He worked on the restoration of the Tampa Theatre, a favorite place of mine, built in (I think) the 1920's. And he got that job because he was walking past one day, and someone standing on the sidewalk who sort-of knew him said, "Oh, hey, he could help us!"

Off to see if any of your paintings are posted in the "Original Art" forum. If they're not, they should be!

I have found that most of my art jobs have been halphazard. Someone needs a mural, or knows a friend of a friend who referred me, etc. I keep my eyes peeled for jobs in the paper, and get an e-mail through the art school about arts events. (I have seen similar e-mails through local artist groups.)

Most painitng jobs are self-employed/freelance, which involves mostly making your own paintings and selling them. Unless you do murals.

Then there are lots of industry design related jobs - magazine layout, illustrator, comic book sketch artist. And the animated - disney drone, 3d animator (very well paid job for the art world.)

There are a million little jobs that you come across - I have found a job making replica antique maps, doing patent drawings, fleshing out fashion sketches for designers, making up room sketches for design firms.

There is also freelance illustration, and freelance portraits, etc.

And don't forget the classic, teaching.


So, you really need to narrow down what it is you want to do a little bit more in order to tailor your training to it.

For example, if you want a job working with the human figure, you will want to show them figural work - right?

Now, restoration is a bit different in that you need to have a thourough knowledge of chemistry (repair, preservation) and of historical periods (you are not inventing, you are refurbishing.) Most schools who offer a degree in restoration ask that you know German and French. The other route involves you getting an apprentaceship/assistanceship with an art restorator.

ah thank you very much for the replies.

i think i will stick with 3d modeling for now, because i already enrolled in the class.

what i mostly have problem is.. perhaps not finding a job on arts, but knowing what to do to get a job.

i do not have many artist friends, i've looked at newspapers... perhaps i've been pampered too much by parents. i wished to be independant, have a job, and live. i just do not know where to begin to look for a job. haha.

thank you very much for the replies.

btw, how did you get a job making replicas of antique maps? it sounds very fun.