Studying to Become an Artist

Studying to Become an Artist What Training Do You Need for a Career in Art and Design? ChaptersDo You Need a Degree to Become an Artist or Designer?Art and Design QualificationsBachelor Degrees in Art and DesignMaster’s Degrees in Art and DesignOther Art and Design Qualifications“Creativity takes courage” - Henri MatisseAround 95% of artists have had some formal education but education won’t teach you how to survive as an artist or designer. While some people teach themselves how to do art, many opt for a qualification or some formal art education in school or university.Of course, you can become an artist without qualifications but when it comes to finding work, employers like being able to quickly look at somebody's CV or portfolio and know that somebody else has checked whether or not they're the real deal.In this article, we’ll look at whether you need a degree to become an artist or designer, what art and design qualifications you can get including Bachelor Degrees, Master's Degrees, and vocational art qualifications. FernandoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (8) £ 30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EmmaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £75/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DavidDrawing Teacher 4.75 (4) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (7) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LorrenDrawing Teacher 5.00 (2) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Julia janeDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EvelinaDrawing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ZangmoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (6) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDo You Need a Degree to Become an Artist or Designer?More and more people are training to become designers or changing careers. After all, when it comes to the world of art, there are a lot of different careers such as illustrator, designer, comic book artists, animator, artist, etc.There are a lot of places in the UK where you can get an art degree. (Source: jan_photo)So do you need a qualification for these li nes of work?The answer is no.  Many illustrators and designers can start their careers without having done higher education in art.Art and design is an artistic activity that you can teach yourself from a young age. Thus, a lot of artists gradually teach themselves how to do it without a degree or qualification.  They often work freelance and as an independent designer, they don’t need to show your CV or qualifications to potential clients, they need to show off their portfolio.We’re not saying that qualifications are useless. A good art education can teach you techniques that you’ll use throughout your career and they’ll give you the chance to improve as an artist with the help of your teachers.Qualifications will be useful if you’re applying for work at large companies, especially in animation or concept art, for example. Again, there are exceptions and you might be able to get a job without qualifications if you can show you know the necessary techniques.That said, qual ifications are a good way to get your foot in the door in certain companies. However, while you might want to apply now, don't forget that when it comes to painting and drawing, you can't just take classes, you should also be regularly practising, attending life drawing sessions, and building up a portfolio, for example.Art and Design QualificationsThere are plenty of different art and design qualifications and you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to what you can specialise in. Whether you want to study art history, visual arts, fine arts, printmaking, contemporary art, or art therapy, there are plenty of art schools and universities with good art departments  and a pretty clear career path to working in the arts.You don't necessarily need to study a degree if you want to study art. (Source: freephotocc)Level 5 Art QualificationsIf you want to attend a school of art, work in a museum of art, or start a career in the art world, you'll need to think about getting a Level 5 art qu alification. In the UK, qualifications are classified by levels so that you can compare academic, vocational, and skills-related qualifications to one another. Levels 1 and 2 include GCSEs, Level 3 includes A Levels, Level 4 includes the Higher National Certificate, and Level 5 qualifications include:Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)Foundation DegreeHigher National Diploma (HND)Level 5 AwardLevel 5 CertificateLevel 5 DiplomaLevel 5 NVQAfter a level 5 qualification, you're ready to start studying an arts degree or a level 6 qualification! FernandoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EmmaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £75/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DavidDrawing Teacher 4.75 (4) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (7) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LorrenDrawing Teacher 5.00 (2) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Julia janeDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £60/h1st lesson free!Dis cover all our tutors EvelinaDrawing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ZangmoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (6) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsBachelor Degrees in Art and DesignWith over 100 universities in the UK, it's no surprise that there are plenty of great schools and universities offering art degrees. If you want to become a bachelor of fine arts or study at an art school, here are some of the best universities in the UK to do your undergrad degree program at:OxfordNewcastleLancasterLoughboroughLeedsUniversity College LondonManchester MetropolitanBrunel University LondonNottingham TrentEdinburghKentArts University BournemouthGoldsmiths, University of LondonAberystwythWestminsterKingstonSouthamptonHeriot-WattCoventryUniversity of the Arts, LondonWhether you're interested in painting, sculpture, or digital art, there are plenty of great universities in the UK. (Source: pixel2013)Of course, there'll be a department of art at most universities but even if they offer an art design course where you can specialise in ceramics, digital media, or sculpture, or create your own exhibitions, the courses at these universities may not be for you.Not every college of art and design is the same and each arts degree is different (even if they have the same name). Make sure you research the undergraduate and graduate degrees on offer, the faculty staff, and what graduates of the programme are doing now.Find out more on how to survive at art school.Master’s Degrees in Art and DesignIf you'd like to take your art studies further, you can study master's degrees and graduate programs in the following subjects:Art and designArt history and visual cultureArt, space, and natureArts managementArts policy and managementChildren's book illustrationDesignDigital and visual communicationsFashionFine artGraphic designHealth humanities and artsIllustration and animationPaintingVisual communicationSince most universities have a school of art and design, there are plenty of art programs to become a master of art! Of course, Bachelor's Degrees and Master's Degrees can be very academic and won't be for everyone.  If you'd rather spend all day working on your art rather than studying art, you may need to consider more vocational art qualifications or other routes into the arts.Other Art and Design QualificationsFormal education isn't for everyone and you might consider even attending classes in drawing still life, life drawing, sculpture, pottery, or even textile arts such as knitting, sewing, cross-stitch, or weaving. These are probably better for those who aren't sure whether they're serious about changing careers yet.If you can't find any courses that take your fancy in the UK, you could also study abroad. There are plenty of liberal arts colleges in the US, for example, and you'll even have the option to attend a university without having chosen what you're studying yet.You might go there for art but decide during your time there that yo u're going to move away from ceramic art to media arts. In an American college of arts, you can choose to take classes in plenty of different subjects (referred to as electives) to see what you enjoy while working towards your degree.Not all of your course will be creating art. There's also a lot of studying! (Source: Pexels)The top schools of note in the US include the Rhode Island School of Design, Indiana State University, the University of Chicago, and Suffolk University. Of course, there are more schools of art than just these so have a look around and see what's on offer. Whether you want to work in an art museum, get a bachelor of arts degree, attend a prestigious college of art design, or become a master of fine arts, the choice is yours!You could also learn more with private tutorials from one of the many talented tutors on Superprof. This is a very good option for someone who's thinking about changing careers or just doesn't feel like going to (or going back to) university to study an art degree.There are three main types of tutorials available: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. Each type of tutorial comes with its pros and cons in terms of learning and cost-effectiveness. What's right for one student may not be right for another so take your time to find the right kind of tutor and tutoring.Face-to-face tutorials are taught with one student and one tutor and they tend to be the most cost-effective type since every minute in the lesson is spent focusing on you as the student.Online tutorials are similar to the face-to-face tutorials but take place either on a call or via webcam. Since the tutor won't have the travel costs to worry about and can fit more students into their schedule as a result, online tutorials are usually cheaper than face-to-face tutorials.Finally, group tutorials are classes with one teacher or tutor and multiple students. However, with group tutorials, you and a group of friends could get in touch wit h a private tutor to plan lessons that you'll all attend together. These tend to be the cheapest per student per hour.