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Imagine!
Artist is a general term that encompasses a number of different specialties. (In fact, this section really relates to visual artists; many say that creative writers, musicians, dancers and actors are “artists” as well.) Visual artists’ specialties are defined by the materials – or “media” – they use. Read more about the different visual art specialties.

PAINTER:
A painter is an artist who uses paint to convey ideas. Traditional painters use a brush to apply paint to a canvas. Less traditional painters, working on a vast array of surfaces, have used everything from spray paint to ballpoint pens to their fingers and apply paint. Painters focus on color, saturation, composition and more.

SCULPTOR:
Sculptors convey their ideas in three-dimensional forms. Their choices of materials are endless – metal, stone, paper, clay, plastic – just about anything you can think of can be used to make a sculpture, even trash! Sculptures can range from very small to absolutely enormous, and they can be very realistic or very abstract.

ILLUSTRATOR:
An illustrator is an artist who creates images that correspond to written ideas or themes. For example, an illustrator might create pictures that appear in a children’s book, on a print advertisement or on the cover of a magazine. Many illustrators use computers to create, revise and store their work.

PHOTOGRAPHER:
Photographers use cameras to capture images on film or on digital media. Fashion photographers fill magazines with glossy photos of models and clothing. Art photographers take photos for galleries and books. Celebrity photographers find interesting ways to portray the stars we read about in pop-culture magazines. Many photographers not only take pictures but print and edit their photography, too.

POTTER:
Potters create objects formed out of clay that are baked or “fired” in intensely hot ovens called “kilns.” Pottery is an ancient art that grew out of the need for storage and cooking vessels. Sometimes potters carve patterns into their work or attach decorative elements to the outer surfaces. They may also use a variety of methods to decorate the clay, such as glazing, painting or staining.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER:
Graphic designers create much of the artwork found in today’s print magazines, brochures and advertisements. Most graphic designers use computers and specialized software tools to produce their work. In addition to print materials, they also create the designs we see on television, websites and CDs.

PRINTMAKER:
Printmakers create templates for images that can be reproduced. Templates are created from a range of materials including metal, linoleum, wood, stone – even vegetables! Before the printing press was invented, printmaking wasn’t considered an art form; it was a medium of communication. It wasn’t until the 19th century that artists began to produce limited editions and to sign their prints. Today, printmaking is widely regarded as an art form and includes engraving, silk-screening and woodcutting.

GLASS BLOWER:
Glassblowers create art pieces out of glass. Their process begins by heating glass to extremely high temperatures. Once the glass has been heated to a malleable, – or flexible – state, the glass artist uses tools to blow, mold and spin the glass. This must be done with great care before the glass has cooled down. One false move and an entire project can break into pieces! Glass artists have to be tough enough to withstand extreme heat, and they have to work well with others since glassblowing generally requires teamwork.

JEWELRY MAKER:
Jewelry makers (sometimes called “metal artists”) create wearable art. They often work with precious metals and stones such as gold, platinum, rubies and diamonds. Because these materials are extremely expensive, jewelers usually practice on less expensive metals.

CARTOONIST:
Cartoonists tell stories through pictures and just a few words. Early cartoonists used only pen and ink to create their art, but today’s cartoonists often rely on computers for designing and storage. Cartoonists create work for newspapers, magazines, the entertainment industry and books. There are many types of cartoons and cartoonists; for instance, some focus exclusively on political commentary cartoons for news periodicals.

Colorize Your Future

• If you are interested in art, you should spend as much time as possible viewing the works of other artists. You should also constantly work to create your own original pieces.
• Ask your parent or teacher to take you to any local museums and galleries. Most cities, no matter how small, have some public institution to exhibit art. Many college and corporate campuses also have art collections that are open to the public. All of these are great places to get acquainted with paintings and sculpture.
• Check out art books from the library. The library is full of beautifully designed, oversized books that describe and show art from Botticelli to Van Gogh. You can also get books on different techniques, artistic styles and art from different countries.
• Visit websites about different artists and familiarize yourself with the various styles that have evolved over time. Visit museum websites such as “Whitney Museum of Modern Art,” “Getty Museum,” and “Louvre.” You can also search for information with keywords: ART FOR KIDS, FAMOUS ARTISTS, ART MUSEUMS.
• Finally, keep a scrapbook of your own. Draw and sketch wherever you are. Constantly think about how you might portray a particular situation with images.

Express and Impress
Suppose you want to paint a picture about an emotion like love. You might choose to paint the realistic images of a bride and groom. But what if you want to express the love you feel for your favorite food, a pet or a song? In these cases, you might have to use an abstract style to represent your love. You might use a particular color, shape, symbol or object to portray your ideas. This project will help you create an abstract piece of artwork and what you make will reflect your own style. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to create art!

• Collect a selection of crayons/colored pencils/magic markers, several pieces of plain white paper, and a pair of scissors.
• Write down four abstract ideas such as energy, freedom, happiness, or grief on a separate piece of notepaper.
• Pick a different color and shape to represent each idea. For example: you might choose a yellow circle to represent the emotion “happy.” Write down the shape and color you plan to use next to each idea on the notepaper.
• Use your scissors to cut out each shape, then decorate it with the color you selected.
• Lay each cutout on a table and think about why you chose the shapes and colors that you did and whether you think they’re expressing what you hoped they would. If they’re not, you can always go back and select new shapes and colors that better match your concept.
• Once you’re happy with your shapes, organize them. Decide where you want some colored shapes to overlap others. Glue all pieces together, forming a collage (a collection) on a larger piece of paper.
• After the glue has dried, look at your collage. How do the colors and shapes make you feel when they are all put together? Can you still identify the individual pieces and the ideas that they represent?
• You can continue to work on this collage by finding other things you feel will help express your ideas: pictures and words from magazines and catalogs, scraps of wrapping paper, photographs. You can also paint, draw or write on parts of it or all of it. As you embellish your first set of colored shapes, think about how each thing you add is influencing your ideas.

Q. Where do you get your ideas?

Matt D. is a painter who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He has been painting for more than 20 years, and he says:

There are many different ways that I get ideas for paintings. Sometimes I like to paint realistically, so I’ll set up a still-life in my studio. I often find things on the street or at the junkyard that I think might be interesting to paint and so I’ll bring them to my studio and arrange them in interesting combinations. Recently, I painted a still-life of a broken umbrella, a big jar of marbles, a string of Christmas lights and my dog Lizzy. Unfortunately, Lizzy didn’t actually stay still for very long, so she looks like a brown blurry blob in the corner.

Other times, I like to paint things from my imagination. Sometimes I’ll wake up in the morning and have an exact picture of a painting in my head. It’s as if the painting already exists and all I have to do is put it on canvas. These paintings are often abstract, they aren’t actually pictures of anything that exists in real life, but are simply configurations of colors and weird shapes.

For my “day job,” I work as a graphic designer for a website. This work lets me express my creative side and use my artistic eye a little differently. It also pays the bills so I can continue with my painting!