Illustrator to street artist
An illustrator already meets 37% of what the street artist role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.8/ 100
1 How much of what a street artist is expected to do is already part of an illustrator’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 street artist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A street artist role treats 7 of its required skills as things an illustrator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- art history
- contextualise artistic work
- create original drawings
- ensure visual quality of the set
- gather reference materials for artwork
- intellectual property law
What stands in the way is 11 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A street artist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an illustrator background worth leading with.
- already held create original drawings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held plan art educational activities management skills
- already held collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held ensure visual quality of the set communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop educational resources communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held gather reference materials for artwork information skills
All 11 carried skills, including the 7 the street artist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 4 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 adapt artistic plan to location required
- still to learn create artwork required
- still to learn determine visual concepts required
- still to learn discuss artwork required
- still to learn maintain an artistic portfolio required
- still to learn select artistic materials to create artworks required
- still to learn use artistic materials for drawing required
- optional, not held collaborate with designers optional
- optional, not held collaborate with technical experts on artworks optional
- optional, not held participate in artistic mediation activities optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held use genre painting techniques optional
- optional, not held create digital images optional
- still to learn study artistic techniques required
- still to learn study artworks required
- optional, not held assess conservation needs optional
- optional, not held develop artistic project budgets optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- still to learn manage logistics required
- still to learn graffiti removal techniques required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a street artist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt artistic plan to location practise this
- 02 create artwork practise this
- 03 determine visual concepts 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held art history knowledge
- already held contextualise artistic work skill
- already held create original drawings skill
- already held ensure visual quality of the set skill
- already held gather reference materials for artwork skill
- already held intellectual property law knowledge
- already held labour legislation knowledge
- already held collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions skill
- already held develop artistic educational activities skill
- already held develop educational resources skill
- already held plan art educational activities skill
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess conservation needs optional
- optional, not held collaborate with designers optional
- optional, not held collaborate with technical experts on artworks optional
- optional, not held develop artistic project budgets optional
- optional, not held participate in artistic mediation activities optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held use genre painting techniques optional
- optional, not held create digital images optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
26 held skills the street artist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse texts to be illustrated skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role consult with business clients skill
- not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role create 2D painting skill
- not needed by the target role create animated narratives skill
- not needed by the target role create sketches skill
- not needed by the target role design graphics skill
- not needed by the target role design greeting cards skill
- not needed by the target role desktop publishing knowledge
- not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
- not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role gather reference materials skill
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret illustration needs skill
- not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform ideation activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
- not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
- not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn graffiti removal techniques required
Common questions about this move
Can an illustrator become a street artist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An illustrator already covers 37% of what a street artist is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 7 of which the street artist role treats as required.
What skills does an illustrator need to become a street artist?
11 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt artistic plan to location.
How hard is the move from illustrator to street artist?
Its learning distance is 64.8 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.