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Fine Artist & Illustrator

Creative

Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Creative Arts & Media

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
  2. 2Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
  3. 3Model substances such as clay or wax, using fingers and small hand tools to form objects.
  4. 4Create sculptures, statues, and other three-dimensional artwork by using abrasives and tools to shape, carve, and fabricate materials such as clay, stone, wood, or metal.
  5. 5Set up exhibitions of artwork for display or sale.
  6. 6Render drawings, illustrations, and sketches of buildings, manufactured products, or models, working from sketches, blueprints, memory, models, or reference materials.
  7. 7Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
  8. 8Shade and fill in sketch outlines and backgrounds, using a variety of media such as water colors, markers, and transparent washes, labeling designated colors when necessary.
  9. 9Frame and mat artwork for display or sale.
  10. 10Submit artwork to shows or galleries.
  11. 11Submit preliminary or finished artwork or project plans to clients for approval, incorporating changes as necessary.
  12. 12Collaborate with engineers, mechanics, and other technical experts as necessary to build and install creations.
  13. 13Cut, bend, laminate, arrange, and fasten individual or mixed raw and manufactured materials and products to form works of art.
  14. 14Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
  15. 15Provide entertainment at special events by performing activities such as drawing cartoons.
  16. 16Develop project budgets for approval, estimating time lines and material costs.
  17. 17Create and prepare sketches and model drawings of cartoon characters, providing details from memory, live models, manufactured products, or reference materials.
  18. 18Market artwork through brochures, mailings, or Web sites.
  19. 19Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
  20. 20Create finished art work as decoration, or to elucidate or substitute for spoken or written messages.
  21. 21Create sketches, profiles, or likenesses of posed subjects or photographs, using any combination of freehand drawing, mechanical assembly kits, and computer imaging.
  22. 22Trace drawings onto clear acetate for painting or coloring, or trace them with ink to make final copies.
  23. 23Apply solvents and cleaning agents to clean surfaces of paintings, and to remove accretions, discolorations, and deteriorated varnish.
  24. 24Collaborate with writers who create ideas, stories, or captions that are combined with artists' work.
  25. 25Brush or spray protective or decorative finishes on completed background panels, informational legends, exhibit accessories, or finished paintings.
  26. 26Monitor events, trends, and other circumstances, research specific subject areas, attend art exhibitions, and read art publications to develop ideas and keep current on art world activities.
  27. 27Photograph objects, places, or scenes for reference material.
  28. 28Teach artistic techniques to children or adults.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • AIR
  • Artist
  • Painter
  • Muralist
  • Sculptor
  • 3D Artist
  • Blacksmith
  • Cartoonist
  • Delineator
  • Ice Carver

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationSome college

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Technical Comm. GraphicsDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Engineering DrawingDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Computer Science / ICTDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Electrical & Electronic Eng. StudiesDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Design87%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Computers and Electronics85%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • English Language77%

    English

  • Production and Processing72%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Fine Arts69%

    Visual Art (PSV)

  • Education and Training68%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleOccasional contact
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingA little
  • Time spent standingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

5%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.17%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Graphic Designer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue