What Type of Artist Should I Be

One press picks a kind of artist to try, with what that artist does and a first piece to make.

What Type of Artist Should I Be

All 126
  1. Medical illustratorMakes images and models of human anatomy for teaching. First piece: the bones of a hand, from a reference.

Next step Draw a palette to paint withCompare a kind of designer

How it works

Not sure which kind of artist you are yet? Press the button for one, from oil painter to yarn bomber, sorted by medium. Each comes with what that artist does and a first piece small enough to finish.

Read the full guide

What kind of artist should I be?

Pick by the material you like to handle, since that is how artists are named. The Occupational Outlook Handbook of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics draws one more line: craft artists make objects designed to be functional, such as pottery, glassware and textiles, while fine artists, including painters, sculptors and illustrators, make art more for aesthetics than for function.

Make the first piece before you buy much

Use what is in the house, then press again and try a second medium. The same handbook says craft and fine artists improve their skills through practice and repetition, so three small finished pieces tell you more than one large plan.

  • Kilns, furnaces, acid and welding gear belong in a class or a shared studio, with the masks and goggles the handbook says artists often wear.
  • For a wall, a pavement or a fence post that is not yours, ask the owner first.

Questions and answers

What are the different types of artists?

The handbook names cartoonists, ceramic artists, digital artists, fiber artists, fine-art painters, furniture makers, glass artists, illustrators, jewelry artists, printmakers, sculptors, sketch artists and video artists, among others.

Do you need a degree to be an artist?

Not always. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says a formal educational credential is typically not needed to be a craft artist, while most fine artists pursue postsecondary education to improve their skills and job prospects.

Can you make a living as an artist?

Often alongside other work. The handbook says most craft and fine artists spend time selling their artwork and building a reputation, and that many have at least one other job to support their craft or art careers.

Is this a what type of artist should I be quiz?

No. Nothing here scores your answers or judges talent: you draw a kind of artist, and making its first piece is the test.

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All 126 kinds of artist

Paint, ink and pencil 29

  • Acrylic painter Uses a fast-drying paint of pigment in acrylic polymer. First piece: a mug in two colors.
  • Botanical illustrator Depicts the form, color and details of plant species. First piece: one leaf, drawn actual size.
  • Calligrapher Designs and writes lettering with a pen or an ink brush. First piece: your name in one alphabet.
  • Caricaturist Draws people with features simplified or exaggerated, often for humor. First piece: a willing friend.
  • Cartoonist Makes simplified or exaggerated drawings to carry an idea or a joke. First piece: a four-panel strip.
  • Charcoal artist Draws with charcoal, a dry medium of burned wood. First piece: a crumpled paper bag in light and shadow.
  • Collage artist Glues different pieces together into a new whole. First piece: one magazine cut up, one page.
  • Comics artist Tells a story in comics, which are images in sequence. First piece: one page about your morning.
  • Figure drawing artist Draws the human form in its shapes and postures. First piece: a page of quick standing poses.
  • Gouache painter Uses opaque watercolor, also called body color. First piece: a flat-color poster of your street.
  • Illustrator Makes pictures for books, magazines and products. First piece: a new cover for a book you like.
  • Ink wash painter Paints in washes of black ink, a kind of Chinese brush painting. First piece: bamboo stalks.
  • Landscape painter Paints natural scenery such as mountains, valleys and rivers. First piece: the view from a window.
  • Manga artist Draws comics in the style developed in Japan. First piece: one character, front and side.
  • Medical illustrator Makes images and models of human anatomy for teaching. First piece: the bones of a hand, from a reference.
  • Mixed media artist Uses more than one medium or material in one work. First piece: ink and collage on one sheet.
  • Muralist Paints artwork directly on a wall, ceiling or other permanent surface. First piece: a design for one wall.
  • Oil painter Paints with pigments bound in a drying oil. First piece: one lemon on a small board.
  • Pastel artist Draws with sticks of powdered pigment and a binder. First piece: an orange on dark paper.
  • Pen and ink artist Draws in ink with a pen. First piece: your shoes, in line only.
  • Plein air painter Paints outdoors rather than in a studio. First piece: one tree in a park, in one sitting.
  • Portrait painter Paints one specific person. First piece: a self-portrait from a mirror.
  • Scientific illustrator Draws animal and plant life, molecules and planets for science. First piece: a feather, labeled.
  • Scratchboard artist Scratches off dark ink to show a white or colored layer beneath. First piece: a cat's fur.
  • Sign painter Paints lettered signs on buildings, billboards and signboards. First piece: a sign for a lemonade stand.
  • Sketch artist Uses pencil, charcoal or pastels to make likenesses of people. First piece: a page of quick portraits.
  • Still life painter Paints things that do not move, such as food, flowers and vases. First piece: three things from a shelf.
  • Storyboard artist Creates storyboards for film productions and advertising agencies. First piece: one scene, frame by frame.
  • Watercolor painter Paints with pigments carried in water. First piece: a sky in three washes.

Print and paper 20

  • Book artist Makes works of art that use the form of a book as the medium. First piece: a folded book of ten drawings.
  • Bookbinder Builds a book by hand from a stack of paper sheets. First piece: a sewn pamphlet.
  • Collagraph artist Glues materials to a board to build a plate, then inks and prints it. First piece: card, string and leaves.
  • Cyanotype artist Makes dark blue prints with a formula that reacts to light. First piece: a fern on coated paper in the sun.
  • Drypoint artist Scratches an image into a plate with a hard, sharp needle. First piece: a small portrait in a few lines.
  • Engraver Cuts grooves into a hard, flat surface with a tool called a burin. First piece: your initials on a soft plate.
  • Etcher Uses acid to cut a design into a metal plate. First piece: a small plate in a print studio class.
  • Letterpress printer Presses an inked, raised surface against paper, copy after copy. First piece: a card with one line of type.
  • Linocut artist Cuts a design into a sheet of linoleum and prints from what is left. First piece: one leaf, one color.
  • Lithographer Prints from a stone or metal plate, as oil and water do not mix. First piece: a crayon drawing in a class.
  • Monotype artist Draws or paints on a smooth plate, then presses paper to it. First piece: ink on a sheet of glass.
  • Origami artist Folds paper into two- and three-dimensional forms. First piece: a crane.
  • Papercutting artist Cuts a design from a single sheet of paper. First piece: a folded snowflake, then a silhouette.
  • Papermaker Makes paper by hand, a craft that survives beside the machines. First piece: a sheet from scrap paper.
  • Papier-mâché artist Models with a pulp of paper, water and a binder, which dries hard. First piece: a small bowl.
  • Printmaker Makes an image on a block, plate, stone or screen and prints it on paper. First piece: an eraser stamp.
  • Quilling artist Rolls, shapes and glues strips of paper into decorative designs. First piece: a flower on a card.
  • Screen printer Pushes ink through a mesh, except where a stencil blocks it. First piece: a one-color tote bag.
  • Woodcut artist Carves an image into a block of wood, leaving the printing parts level. First piece: a small one-color block.
  • Zine maker Makes a homemade, noncommercial magazine on a subject of their own. First piece: a zine folded from one sheet.

Clay, wood, glass and metal 18

  • Assemblage artist Builds three-dimensional works, typically from found objects. First piece: things from one drawer, in a box.
  • Ceramic artist Shapes artworks out of clay, then glazes and fires them in a kiln. First piece: a pinch pot.
  • Furniture maker Cuts, sands, joins and finishes wood into handcrafted furnishings. First piece: a small stool.
  • Glass artist Works glass by blowing, shaping, staining or joining it. First piece: a glass pendant in a class.
  • Glassblower Inflates molten glass into a bubble with a blowpipe. First piece: an ornament in a studio class.
  • Installation artist Makes three-dimensional works that change how a space is perceived. First piece: one corner of a room.
  • Jewelry artist Uses metals, stones and beads to make things to wear. First piece: a pair of wire earrings.
  • Kinetic artist Makes art that moves, by motor, wind, water or a viewer. First piece: a hanging mobile.
  • Metal sculptor Makes sculpture by welding metal. First piece: a small figure in a welding class.
  • Mosaic artist Sets small pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic into an image. First piece: a house number.
  • Potter Forms vessels from clay and fires them hard. First piece: a mug built from coils.
  • Sculptor Shapes three-dimensional works by molding, joining, cutting or carving. First piece: a clay head.
  • Soft sculptor Makes sculpture from cloth, foam rubber and other pliable materials. First piece: a stuffed shape of your own.
  • Stained glass artist Makes windows and objects from colored glass. First piece: a small window panel in a class.
  • Stone carver Shapes rough natural stone by the controlled removal of stone. First piece: a low relief in a soft stone.
  • Wire sculptor Makes sculpture out of wire. First piece: the outline of a hand.
  • Wood carver Cuts wood with a knife or chisel into a figure or an ornament. First piece: a spoon.
  • Woodturner Cuts wood on a lathe with hand-held tools. First piece: a small bowl in a class.

Cloth and thread 19

  • Appliqué artist Sews pieces of fabric onto a larger piece to form a picture. First piece: a patch for a bag.
  • Basket weaver Weaves or sews pliable materials into baskets, mats and bags. First piece: a small round basket.
  • Batik artist Draws or stamps wax on cloth so those parts resist the dye. First piece: a dotted cotton square.
  • Beadwork artist Strings beads on thread or wire, or sews them to cloth. First piece: a bracelet.
  • Crocheter Interlocks loops of yarn with a crochet hook. First piece: a granny square.
  • Cross-stitcher Forms a picture from X-shaped stitches counted on a grid. First piece: a small heart.
  • Embroiderer Decorates fabric with a needle and thread or yarn. First piece: a small flower on a hoop.
  • Felt maker Mats, condenses and presses fibers such as wool into felt. First piece: a felt ball.
  • Fiber artist Uses fabric and yarn to weave, knit, crochet or sew textile art. First piece: a small wall hanging.
  • Knitter Loops yarn into a fabric of connected loops. First piece: a scarf in one stitch.
  • Lace maker Makes a decorative openwork textile without a base fabric. First piece: a bookmark.
  • Macramé artist Makes textiles by knotting rather than weaving or knitting. First piece: a plant hanger.
  • Natural dyer Colors cloth with dyes from roots, berries, bark, leaves and wood. First piece: cotton dyed with onion skins.
  • Quilter Joins at least three layers of fabric with stitching. First piece: a patchwork pot holder.
  • Rug hooker Pulls loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base with a hook. First piece: a seat mat.
  • Tapestry weaver Weaves images, traditionally by hand on a loom. First piece: a small landscape in bands of color.
  • Tie-dye artist Folds, twists or crumples fabric and binds it before dyeing. First piece: a spiral T-shirt.
  • Weaver Interlaces two sets of threads at right angles to make cloth. First piece: a coaster on a cardboard loom.
  • Yarn bomber Puts displays of knitted or crocheted yarn in public places. First piece: a sleeve for your own fence post.

Camera 15

  • Animator Plays pictures in sequence to give the illusion of movement. First piece: a flip book.
  • Astrophotographer Photographs astronomical objects and areas of the night sky. First piece: the Moon.
  • Documentary photographer Chronicles events, environments and everyday life. First piece: one day in your family's kitchen.
  • Filmmaker Creates a motion picture. First piece: a short film in three shots.
  • Fine-art photographer Uses photography to express an idea, a message or an emotion. First piece: five pictures on one idea.
  • Landscape photographer Photographs outdoor spaces, some vast and some microscopic. First piece: one place at dawn and at dusk.
  • Macro photographer Takes extreme close-ups that show a subject larger than life. First piece: a drop of water on a leaf.
  • Photomontage artist Cuts, glues and overlaps two or more photographs into a new image. First piece: two old prints made one.
  • Pinhole photographer Uses a camera with a tiny hole in place of a lens. First piece: a camera made from a box.
  • Portrait photographer Captures the personality of a person with lighting, backdrops and poses. First piece: a friend by a window.
  • Still life photographer Photographs a small group of inanimate objects. First piece: breakfast on a table by a window.
  • Stop-motion animator Moves objects in small steps between photographed frames. First piece: a toy walking across a desk.
  • Street photographer Photographs chance encounters and random incidents in public places. First piece: one street, on foot.
  • Video artist Records moving imagery that is typically shown in a loop in galleries. First piece: one looped clip.
  • Wildlife photographer Documents wildlife in its natural habitat. First piece: the birds at a feeder.

Screen 14

  • 3D modeler Builds a representation of an object's surface in three dimensions. First piece: a mug.
  • ASCII artist Pieces pictures together from the printable characters of ASCII. First piece: a cat.
  • Concept artist Draws an idea for a film, video game or animation before it is made. First piece: one character, three ways.
  • Digital artist Uses design and production software to make interactive art online. First piece: a page that answers a click.
  • Digital illustrator Makes images with digital tools, usually a graphics tablet. First piece: a redrawn page of your sketchbook.
  • Digital painter Makes pictorial art with pixels on a computer screen. First piece: a still life on one layer.
  • Digital sculptor Pushes, pulls, smooths and pinches a digital object as if it were clay. First piece: a creature's head.
  • Game artist Creates the artistic aspects of a video game. First piece: the tiles for one room.
  • Glitch artist Uses digital or analog errors for their look. First piece: one photo, corrupted on purpose.
  • Motion graphics artist Makes animation that gives the illusion of motion, usually with audio. First piece: your name, moving.
  • Pixel artist Builds images with pixels as the only building block. First piece: a tiny character.
  • Projection mapping artist Turns objects, often irregular in shape, into surfaces for video. First piece: a moving pattern on a box.
  • Vector artist Builds images from geometric shapes: points, lines, curves and polygons. First piece: an icon of your pet.
  • Webcomic artist Publishes comics on the Internet, on a website or a mobile app. First piece: a three-panel strip.

Street and outdoors 11

  • Graffiti artist Makes writing or drawings on walls in public view. First piece: letters on paper, then a wall you may use.
  • Land artist Works with materials of the Earth: soil, rocks, vegetation and water. First piece: a spiral of fallen leaves.
  • Light artist Makes art in which light is the main medium. First piece: shadows cast by one lamp.
  • Pavement chalk artist Draws on streets, sidewalks and squares with chalk that washes away. First piece: one paving square.
  • Performance artist Makes artwork in which the artist is present, seen live or recorded. First piece: one short action, filmed.
  • Public artist Creates large paintings, sculptures and installations for open spaces. First piece: a model for one site.
  • Sand sculptor Models sand into an artistic form, such as a sandcastle. First piece: a castle carved from one packed mound.
  • Snow sculptor Carves sculpture from snow, mostly outdoors, in view of spectators. First piece: an animal after a snowfall.
  • Stencil artist Cuts a stencil from paper or cardboard so an image can be repeated. First piece: one layer, on your own board.
  • Street artist Makes visual art in public locations for public visibility. First piece: a wall whose owner says yes.
  • Topiary artist Clips the foliage of trees and shrubs into clearly defined shapes. First piece: a ball from one potted shrub.