Digital artist to drawing artist
A digital artist already meets 44% of what the drawing artist role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.5/ 100
1 How much of what a drawing artist is expected to do is already part of a digital artist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the drawing artist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A drawing artist role treats 7 of its required skills as things a digital artist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- art history
- contextualise artistic work
- create digital images
- develop an artistic framework
- discuss artwork
- intellectual property law
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A drawing artist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a digital artist background worth leading with.
- already held design greeting cards communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create digital images communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held plan art educational activities management skills
- already held discuss artwork communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held participate in artistic mediation activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held present exhibition communication, collaboration and creativity
All 16 carried skills, including the 7 the drawing artist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 2 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn perform ideation activities required
- still to learn create original drawings required
- still to learn create sketches required
- still to learn describe artistic experience required
- still to learn develop visual elements required
- still to learn draw up artistic project proposals required
- still to learn ensure visual quality of the set required
- still to learn select artistic materials to create artworks required
- still to learn select illustration styles required
- still to learn use traditional illustration techniques required
- still to learn select subject matter required
- optional, not held identify artistic niche optional
- optional, not held collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions optional
- still to learn use digital illustration techniques required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a drawing artist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 perform ideation activities practise this
- 02 create original drawings practise this
- 03 create sketches practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held art history knowledge
- already held contextualise artistic work skill
- already held create digital images skill
- already held develop an artistic framework skill
- already held discuss artwork skill
- already held intellectual property law knowledge
- already held labour legislation knowledge
- already held assess conservation needs skill
- already held design greeting cards skill
- already held develop artistic educational activities skill
- already held develop artistic project budgets skill
- already held develop educational resources skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held participate in artistic mediation activities skill
- already held plan art educational activities skill
- already held present exhibition skill
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held identify artistic niche optional
- optional, not held collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions optional
25 held skills the drawing artist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adobe creative suite knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess each stage of the creative process skill
- not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role convert into animated object skill
- not needed by the target role create pen-and-paper images skill
- not needed by the target role define artistic approach skill
- not needed by the target role define creative components skill
- not needed by the target role design materials for multimedia campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role develop animations skill
- not needed by the target role develop design concept skill
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role digital arts knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital communication and collaboration skill
- not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
- not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
- not needed by the target role gather reference materials for artwork skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role monitor developments in technology used for design skill
- not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
- not needed by the target role prepare digital art for master photograph skill
- not needed by the target role provide input to collaborators to guide their work skill
- not needed by the target role receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples skill
- not needed by the target role use specialised design software skill
- not needed by the target role web based collaborative platforms knowledge
Common questions about this move
Can a digital artist become a drawing artist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A digital artist already covers 44% of what a drawing artist is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 7 of which the drawing artist role treats as required.
What skills does a digital artist need to become a drawing artist?
12 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 2 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is perform ideation activities.
How hard is the move from digital artist to drawing artist?
Its learning distance is 59.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.