I am a Student of standard 12 appearing for ISC examinations 2019 of Science stream. I want to be a commercial artist. How can I pursue it?

Hello Chandraneel Sen,

Skills Required:

• In order to be successful in this field you surely require knowledge about art, but along with it you also need to have effecient publicity and marketing skills.
• You should be naturally interested in art and have artistic talents. It will appreciated if you formal former training in some field of art.
• You should have a strong imagination and a creative edge to your thought.
• You need to have skills in the areas of illustration, art and graphic design. Along with it you should also have suffecient knowledge about the computer and certain promrammes like Photoshop, QuarkXpress, PageMaker, Illustrator etc.

How to pursue it?

• You can under this programme specialize in fields such as graphics, photography, silk screen printing, printing etc.
• After completing your class 12th examination from any recognised board or institution, you can opt for a Bachelor's in Fine Arts or a Diploma in Art with the area of specialization you have chosen.
• Your Bachelor's in Fine Arts can be followed by a Master's in Fine Arts, and you Diploma course can be followed by post diploma courses.
• You can follow your degree programmes with strong internships in order to create an attractive portfolio.

College which offer course in this field:

• The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara
• Dayanand Art College, Maharashtra
• Goa College of Art, Panaji
• Jamia Millia Isllamia, New Delhi
• Karnataka University, Karnataka
• Nagpur University, Nagpur
• Rajasthan School of Art, Rajasthan
• Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai
• Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University of Baroda, Baroda
• Kala Bhavan, Visva-Bharati, Shantiniketan
• College of Art, New Delhi
• National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Employment Opportunities:

• You can work as an illustrator, visualizer, creative director, graphic artist etc. in advertising agencies.
• You can work as a freelance illustrator, graphic artist, cartoonist, photographer etc. to design products like cards, book cover, calendars etc. in design houses.
• You can work in the print media in industries dealing with electronic media.
• You can design cards, web pages, book covers etc. in an independent setting.
• Most of the jobs are in the art field, publishing houses, advertising companies, freelance projects, fashion houses etc.
• You may even be employed in fields such as teaching, photography, direction, television, clothing and fashion, magazines, online platforms, manufacturers, publishing houses, product design, manufacturers etc.

The starting salary ranges from INR 10,000-20,000 per month and it increases with experience and educational qualifications.

All the best!

I hope this answers your queries.

Do revert back in case of any further doubts.